ENGLISH POETRYANALYSIS OF A GOLDEN CHAIN

A POEM WRITTEN HELEN STEINER RICE

By:

Achmad Ghaniy Nuurrochman

13020113140048

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF HUMANITIE

DIPONEGORO UNIVERSITY 2015

ABSTRACT

In this paper, the writer tries to analyze the poem entitled “A Golden Chain” written by Helen Steiner Rice. The purpose of the study is to know the content and the message of the poem that the author send to us and also analyze the elements of the poem such as figurative language, simile and imagery.

INTRODUCTION

We know that poetry is a type of literary work which is one of literature’s

genre beside novel and drama. Poetry is able to build a life which might

be very close to the reader’s life. Poetry has an essential meaning from the

human life, which reflects moral values, and it’s an artifact, which can be

appreciated like a sculpture or a painting. As study in literature analyzing

the poem is one of activity that literature’s student have do. The author

will be analyzed the poem entitled A Golden Chain from Helen Steiner

Rice using the techniques and methods that the writer got in his class.

THEORY

• Figurative Language

Figurative Language is various figures of speech. The example of

figurative language are metaphor, personification, paradox, and

symbol. As can be seen from Perrine, “figurative language is a

figure of speech is any way of saying something other than the

ordinary ways, and some rhectoricians have classified as many as

250 separate figures. (Perrine, Sound and Sense, 1988:65)”. In this

case the writer will analyze using symbol and simile.

THEORY

• Symbol

“Symbol is a sign, shape or object which is used to represent

something else. it’s also can be used to represent a quality or idea,

a number and letter or sign used in mathematics, music, science.”

(Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary Third Edition). In the other hands

symbol have another meaning, “a symbol may be roughly as

something that means more than what it is” (Laurence Perrine,

Sound and Sense: 83)

THEORY

• Simile

Simile is an item from different are explicitly compared by a connective such as like, as, or than or by verb such as appears, or seems (If the object compared are form the same class). Perrine says “The only distinction is that in simile the comparisons between is expressed, by the use of some word or phrase such as like, as, than, similar to, or resembles”. (Laurrence, Perrine, Sound and Sense, 1988:65).

THEORY

• Imagery.

The representative of literary work like in poetry is called Imagery, Perrine says, “Imagery may be

defined as the representation through language of sense experience. Poetry appeals directly to our

senses, of course, through its music and rhythm, which we actually hear when it is read aloud.”

(Perrine, Sound and Sense, 1988:54)”. There are many types of imagery: Visual Imagery, Kinesthetic

Imagery, Auditory Imagery, Olfactory Imagery, Gustatory Imagery. But in this paper the writer

analyze the poem using Visual and Kinesthetics Imagery.

• Visual Imagery

Visual imagery is an image which is caught from the eyes.

• Kinesthetic Imagery

Kinesthetic Imagery is an image from physical action and movements.

 

BIOGRAPHY OF THE POET

Helen Steiner Rice (May 19, 1900 – April 23, 1981) was an American writer of religious and

inspirational poetry. Helen Steiner was born in Lorain, Ohio on May 19, 1900. Her father, a

railroad worker, died in the influenza epidemic of 1918. She began work for a public utility and

progressed to the position of advertising manager, which was rare for a woman at that time.

committed suicide in 1932. Rice became a successful businesswoman and lecturer, but found

her most satisfying outlet in writing verse for the prominent greeting card company American

Greetings. Her poems received wide exposure in the 1960s when several were read by Aladdin

on the poetry segment of the Lawrence Welk television show. She died on the evening of April

23, 1981, a month before her 81st birthday, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Lorain,

Ohio.

THE POEM

A Golden Chain

Friendship is a Golden Chain, The links are friends so dear, And like a rare and precious jewel It's treasured more each year...

It's clasped together firmly With a love that's deep and true, And it's rich with happy memories and fond recollections, too...

Time can't destroy its beauty For, as long as memory lives, Years can't erase the pleasure That the joy of friendship gives...

For friendship is a priceless gift That can't be bought or sold, But to have an understanding friend Is worth far more than gold...

And the Golden Chain of Friendship Is a strong and blessed tie Binding kindred hearts together As the years go passing by.

DISCUSSION

• Figurative Language

• Symbol

A Golden Chain

Friendship is a Golden Chain, The links are friends so dear (stanza 1, line 1-2)

 

In the first stanza there are word ‘a Golden Chain’, it’s a symbol. Chain is rings usually made of metal which are connected together and used for fastening, pulling, supporting, or limiting freedom. It means a friendship are always together on every situation such as sad, happy, or angry, like a chain that always one united and difficult to break it. The writer also use word ‘gold’ it means the friendship is expensive like a gold.

DISCUSSION

• Symbol

A Priceless Gift

For friendship is a priceless gift That can't be bought or sold,

 

The word ‘a priceless gift’ is a symbol, the writer describe that friendship is the best present that you’ll get when you have a good relations with your friends especially with your best-friend, you will not feel it suddenly but it’s need more times, and you can feel it someday.

DISCUSSION

• Symbol

Jewel

And like a rare and precious jewel It's treasured more each year (stanza 1, line 3-4)

 

In the first stanza, line three there are word ‘jewel’ is a symbol. The writer choose word jewel in her poem because, a jewel is very precious stone. To get a good jewel you have to follow some instructions and have a long process and after passing the process you’ll get what you want. Like a friendship, to make your friendship more precious you have to passing some problem together with your best friend.

DISCUSSION

• Symbol

Gold

But to have an understanding friend Is worth far more than gold... (stanza 4, line 3-4)

 

In this stanza (stanza 4, line 3-4) also have a symbol that is ‘gold’. Same with word ‘jewel’ in the first stanza. Gold is the yellow metal that usually used to make a coins or jewellery (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Third Edition). We know that gold is very expensive when it’s change to be a jewellery. But the writer means the pure gold not gold in jewellery. To get a pure gold is really hard, like to get a good friend that know everything, understand and also care about each other is difficult.

DISCUSSION

• Simile

And like a rare and precious jewel It's treasured more each year (stanza 1, line 3-4)

 

In this stanza, the poet compares her friendship with a precious jewel. A precious jewel is expensive jewellry. This stanza in line three the writer describes the relations with her friend that her friendship with her friends can’t be change with everything.

 

Time can't destroy its beauty For, as long as memory lives (stanza 3, line 1-2)

 

In third stanza above line 1-2 the writer compares the condition of her friendship with reality in her life. This stanza describe the condition of friendship. Her relations with her bestfriend are very strongly until she got the meaning of friendship in her life, and it’s true. All memories about friendship usually cant’ change with everything.

 

DISCUSSION

• Simile

Binding kindred hearts together As the years go passing by. (stanza 5, line 3-4)

 

In the last stanza of the poetry, the writer describe the togetherness her friends and her best-friend. The writer tells us that spending time with friends or best-friend are extremely important, we can understand with each other and we can sharing about the life problem and your best friend will always listen you and giving you an advice or suggestion, and the relationship with your friends or your best-friend are always continued until you get the meaning of friendship.

DISCUSSION

• Imagery

• Visual Imagery

And the Golden Chain of Friendship Is a strong and blessed tie (stanza 5, line 1-2)

 

In the above is the last stanza of th poem (stanza 5, line 1-2). It is a visual imagery because it needs the sense of sight. The writer imagine that friendship is the golden chain, because it’s always together in every-time.

 

DISCUSSION

• Kinesthetic Imagery

And it's rich with happy memories and fond recollections, too (stanza 2, line 3-4)

 

In the second stanza there are kinesthetic imagery that is ‘happy’, The writer wants to tell the readers about the gaze of her friendship by using the kinesthetic imagery. The word ‘happy’ in this stanza means that someday you’ll get the happiness with your best-friend.

 

Time can't destroy its beauty For, as long as memory lives (stanza 3, line 1-2)

 

In the third stanza also have kinesthetic imagery, that is ‘destroy’. In this line the writer describe that friendship can’t destroyed by anything as long as the memories about friendship are still live. If you have the best memories and the best moment with your best-friends, you have to keep it in your mind and you can remember. It’s the best moment that you have with your best-friend, and can’t destroy it.

DISCUSSION

• Kinesthetic Imagery

Years can't erase the pleasure That the joy of friendship gives (stanza 3, line 3-4)

 

Still in third stanza, in line 3-4 there are two kinesthetic imageries. The stanza in above. The word ‘pleasure’ and ‘joy’ is kinesthetic imagery because it’s feel like in your body. The writer use word pleasure because during the relationship with your friend and your best-friend you can enjoy when you sharing about your problem and your best-friend will always listen you, give an advice, suggestion and also motivated you to passing the problem. You also will get a joy-full from friendship when you and your friend are understands to each other.

CONCLUSION

Helen Steiner Rice’s “A Golden Chain” is one of poems which describe the meaning of friendship. From the analysis, We can learn and know the meaning of friendship. We know that friendship have big impact and big effect for our life. We will get the best meaning in our life from that relationship that is the happiness, the pleasure and the joyful. We can get all of them when we know the meaning of friendship. Without a friendship we can’t do anything. With your friends or your best friend we can sharing about the problem in our life and we also can get some advice, motivation and suggestion from your best friend to make our life feel better then before.

In this poem, there are figurative language and Imagery. In figurative language there are symbol and simile. In imagery, the author analyzed the poem with visual and kinesthetic imagery. The using of these elements made every people who read the poem know and can learn the meaning of friendsip.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Perrine, Laurence. 1988. Literature, Structure, Sound and Sense. Florida: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

• Barnet, Sylvan and Friends. 1961. An Introduction to Literature Third Edition. Boston – Toronto. Little, Brown and Company

• Barnet, Sylvan and Friends. 1989. An Introdustion to Literature Ninth Edition. New York. Scott, Foresman and Company

• Cambridge. 2008. Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 3th Edition. Cambridge.