Figurative Language in William Kirkpatrick’s Selected Hymns

Abstract

This study investigates figurative language used in William Kirkpatrick’s selected hymns. The data is derives from the lyrics of the hymn. The most suitable and frequently used in this thesis is descriptive qualitative method. The writer uses Perrine’s theory of figurative language in analyzing the data. Perrine (1982: 61) states that figurative language is any way of saying something other than ordinary way. According to Perrine (1982: 61) tells that figurative languages consist of metaphor, personification, simile, hyperbole, metonymy, symbol, allegory, synecdoche, apostrophe, understatement, irony and paradox. The results show that (1) there are four kinds of figurative language that used in William Kirkpatrick’s selected hymns, such as: metaphor, simile, personification, and hyperbole, (2) the most frequently used is metaphor, (3) the contribution of figurative language is to emphasize the message of each hymn.