Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day

What’s so different between Shakespeare and Moss?

written by Meita Annisa Nurhutami

The poem entitled ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ was first written by William Shakespeare on his Sonnet number 18 in 1609. About 3 Centuries later, a writer, Howard Moss, arose and wrote a poem which has the same title with Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18. Moss’ poem ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’ was written in 1976. The poem are as follows:

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest;
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

			 William Shaksepeare   

				(1564 - 1616)  (1)

Shall I Compare Thee to A Summer’s Day?

Who says you’re like one of the dog days?

You’re nicer. And better.

Even in May, the weather can be gray,

And a summer sub-let doesn’t last forever.

Sometimes the sun’s too hot;

Sometimes it is not.

Who can stay young forever?

People break their necks or just drop dead!

But you? Never!

If there’s just one condensed reader left

Who can figure out the abridged alphabet,

After you’re dead and gone,

In this poem you’ll live on!

Howard Moss (1922-1987) (2)

Even both poems are similar in terms of the title and theme of its content though it also has some differences based on the language used, what the writer really concern on the form of the poem, and the writer’s attitude towards the issue in the poem.

In his version, Shakespeare uses figurative language to serves expressive words in the poem. The metaphorical language, for example in the second line ‘Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May’, dominates the whole of the poem. He formulates the poem with some complex metaphor so the reader finds that the works sounds more high-end and not easy to understand. While Howard Moss in his poem simplified the connotation found in Shakespeare’s poem. For example, he simplify the expression in Shakespeare’s version in the fourth line into ‘Even in May, the weather can be gray’. He offered a simple and an easy to understand language in his version so the meaning of the poem can be straightforwardly grasped by the reader.

Shakespeare really pays his attention on the rhyme pattern in every line in his Sonnet XVIII. He carefully chooses the words which the pattern fits to other words and also which has well appropriate connotative meaning. In Sonnet XVII, the rhyme pattern is a-b-a-b, for example line 1 and line 3 ‘…. day?’ , ‘…May’ which has the same sound pattern. Moss seems did not really care on the pattern and the ‘beauty’ of the words because there is no exact same rhyme pattern in his version. The important thing that he considers is the easiness interpretation of the works.

The writer’s focus on the form of poem implicitly shows their attitude towards the issue in the poem. Shakespeare treats the issue of praising someone who is really beloved hyperbolic to enchant the object and the reader. He plays the beauty of words including simile and things to make the poem more attractive and to be able to be imagined by the audience. Because of the purpose, Moss did treat the issue more realistic than Shakespeare. He wants the reader get to his point based on the realistic comparison.

Both writer has a quite significant differences in terms of the language used, what they really concern on the form of the works, also their attitudes. The difference is well influenced by the time period when they write the works. Shakespeare was born on 1564, in his period, the rules and principles on literary works writing especially in poetry is really strict so it influence the way he writes. It also occurred in Moss’s time period in twentieth century when people liberates the way their express a thing especially in the way they write a literary works.

1) Retrieved from http://www.albionmich.com/inspiration/shallicompare.html

2) Retrieved from http://www.ingilish.com/poems.htm

Midnight Prayer

Midnight Prayer

Dear God, if someday You give me a chance to be loved and to love a man then I hope You give me the right one and a chance to love him simply as he does to me.

Dear God, if someday You give me a chance to be broken hearted then please give me a chance to stay strong facing it.

Dear God, if someday or tomorrow or today or right now You destined to stop my breath without giving me a chance to be loved and to love a man then I will do accept it.

No One but You

No One but You

There will no one could really really care and appreciate yourself but yourself and The Most Gracious and Merciful

There will no one could really really listen to you but yourself and the Most Gracious and Merciful

There will no one could really really help you but yourself and the Most Gracious and Merciful

There will no one could really really understand yourself but you and the Most Gracious and Merciful

There will no one could really really be your savior but yourself and the Most Gracious and Merciful

Another Masterpiece

Love of the Couple of Stripes

Everybody, I was interviewed by someone about my life. Okay, before I tell you about the interview, I will introduce myself to all of you. My name is Jean Claude. I live in the most crowded place of the most crowded place in Paris. That’s what people called about my home. You can find me behind the door which labelled: Con de mime (Silly Clown).

Let’s move on. It happened yesterday. In the morning before I go to school, a woman that I never knew interviewed a little boy aged 5. The boy was me. I never knew who the woman might be. She asked me how my parents met through they got married.

He wears a long black and white stripes shirt. A red scarf twisted on his neck. He always wears his red beret. No, he is not an army. I’m not finish yet telling you about my father. Well, his face is coated with things such a white crème. I don’t know what the name of this kind of face coating. If you still can’t imagine it, this coating is always used by clown or geisha. Now, can you imagine it? No, he is not a clown or even a geisha. He is the most handsome person that I’ve ever seen. He is a little bit fat but not flabby. He lived in a smallest flat in Paris.

He always wakes up in the morning as the cock crow. He walked into the dining room (he told me that it is dining room). He opened the window that straight to Eiffel Tower and said “Ah…good morning Paris!” he sniffed the cool atmosphere of Paris which is a little bit polluted. Then, he closed the window and look at glance to the Eiffel Tower poster on the wall; Paris city of love, officially stamped on it. He really loves this city. He took his cat and put it on the table, then he caressed his lovely cat.

He is a rich man, rich of imaginations. He doesn’t need money, he doesn’t need to pay the tax. He will get everything he want without spending money, he use his imagination. He started his car and drove to go around Paris for some city sight seeing. He parked his car and visited one of his favourite cafe. The twin lady look at him, they expressed as they find someone stranger. He sat and took relax; started to read a newspaper. Then he took a glass, then slugged the juice. The twin lady look at him for the second times but he didn’t care. As the waiter come he leaved the café and of course leaved the bill on the desk.

I have to confirm you that he used his imagination for everything he did. Paying without money, but his imaginary money. Driving without his car, but this imaginary car. Drinking without the real drinks, but his imaginary drinks. Reading without newspaper, but his imaginary newspaper. Just simply imagination.

People said he is crazy, strange, and…foolish! People need reality. Reality is everything and imagination is nothing (at least people I knew said so). Well, I don’t think so until I find one fact.  Now, I’ll continue my story. Here it goes.

He (my father) went around the park in front of Eiffel Tower, he admired the atmosphere of the park until his mood was changed. He missed something. There were lots of people, some of them were in couple or in groups. He saw a couple were kissing. He wanted it too, but he missed something. He saw a couple of fat person walking under the Eiffel Tower and hugging their couple. He just can imitate how the flabby fat walked. Can you imagine how the flabby fats walk?? Yeah. Ok. Stop laughing.

He saw the groups were taking some picture of Eiffel Tower. He just smiled and followed them. Unfortunately, they didn’t allow him to follow them. He saw a tall man is using a headset. I called the man as ‘disco man’ or DM. The man listened to a disco music so loud that my father could hear it then the DM is dancing. Hippy hop hop hop. Shaking his body. My father imitated DM’s dancing and followed him. Unfortunately the disco man felt that my father disturbs him. He shouted and chased my father! Fortunately and unfortunately the security came. Why? Fortunately my father was saved from the chase. Unfortunately, my father has to send to jail.

“OOY!!!! Can you take me out of this bastard hell??!!” shouted a prisoner that being prison in the same jail with my father. He screamed louder after he found that ‘two of his friends’ started to interact. The two others prisoner were my father and a woman who has the same style as him. I called the woman as ‘smiling woman’ or SW. They looked at each other and smiled. The crazy prisoner looked scared because of their pantomime. They find something they missed; something missing for a long time. It’s love. Je T’Aime! (I’m in love). He said in his own mind.

Finally, my father and SW were free from the prison. They smiled and my father started to drive his car. They drove around the city of love, through the Eiffel Tower glared in the city lights, through the bridge on the sparkling Seine River on the night. They didn’t need the real car or even the real money. All they need is the real feeling and of course the real part of their life.

So, folks, that’s all what I told to the woman I never knew who she might be. I am the son of the couple of stripes. I never called them as Con de Mime, they are my real pantomime. I see everything what they see; the imaginary cat, imaginary car, even imaginary money. Just the simple imagination. I said so.

 

**The End**

 

(re-written from the Paris Je T’Aime movie)

Jadi pengen teriak Je T’Aime, yang keras ah…

JE T’AIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…!!!!!!!!!!!

hehehe.. cukup

 

 

Go(ing) Blog(ing) Part 2: Well, I’m trying

An Analysis On A Novel Entitled ‘Speak’ Written by Laurie Halse Anderson: Traumatic Nightmare and the Impact Experienced by Melinda in ‘Speak’

Some story raising teenager’s life is very common to be discussed. There are a lot of public issues related to them. Divorced family, educational problem and socializing problem become the most popular issue in teenager’s life. Also in the novel entitled ‘Speak’, the problem in the story is very complicated consisted of several issues, but the main problem experienced by the main character is the psychological issue which leads to another complicated problems. ‘Speak’ is a representative voice exploring a controversial topic. It deals with rape which in fact happened in some educational institution. There are different literary intrinsic value used to point out the issue; the plot, style, symbolization, and the point of view used in the story. Those tools makes the issue more obvious to the reader how someone’s attitude and psychological situation drastically changed, sharing a traumatic experience is not as easy as saying ‘hello’ especially for the teenager who experienced it whoever she or he is shared with. It is also not easy to understand someone who is having a traumatic problem.

Plot, style, symbolization, and the point of view of the story could not be separated. Those tools will depend on the author’s writing style. The sequence event of the story is quite simple. It is narrated in the form of journal thus it is clear the author uses the first person narrative voice in this story. The pronoun ‘I’ is always appeared in the story. The story is limited to the main character’s thought because in the story Melinda tells the experience only through her perspectives and her observation. The sequence events is divided into 4 sections according to the marking section and at the end of each section is always ended by the report card. This form of journal implicitly indicates a daily experience report written by someone who was forced by him/her suffering situation to share his/her life. It symbolizes the muteness of someone who could not share and speak up directly.

Many symbols can be found in the story representing the struggle of a young girl to speak up, the impact on someone who experienced a traumatic case and someone’s attitude of being trauma. A poster of Maya Angelou covering closet wall as told in the story, plays a large role in the symbolization. Maya Angelou is a black female autobiographer. Her best known and highly acclaimed works is ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ which focuses on the first seventeen years of Maya Angelou’s life which was sexually abused and raped. She confessed it to her brother, who told the rest of their family. The man who raped Angelou was found guilty, but was jailed for one day. Four days after his release, he was found kicked to death, probably by Angelou’s uncles. Angelou became mute, believing, as she has stated, “I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone…” (quoted from Wikipedia) . Angelou’s life reflects the trauma that occurs to a young girl who experienced a date rape because she does not know whether the way she overcome the problem is wrong or right. This case is obviously happened to Melinda Sordino who has similar experience with Angelou. She never speaks to the people around even at home.

’Mother: That’s the point, she won’t say anything. I can’t get a word out of her. She’s mute’ (114)

This is because the shock when she was raped and hurt. As she wanted to scream, her mouth was covered and she could not say anything.

‘He hurts me hurts me hurts me…. no words came out my mouth…’ (135-136)

According to Angelou’s biography found in Wikipedia site, Angelou was helped by her teacher to speak again. It represents the educator’s obligation to be sensitive on what is really happened to their student and help to overcome student’s problem as what art teacher, Mr. Freeman, did in the story.

‘I follow the line of my thumb instead and gash myself. I swear and stick my thumb in my mouth. Everybody looks at me, so I take it out again. Mr. Freeman hurries over with a box of Kleenex.’ (92)

‘You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?’ (198)

Another symbol is the name of Mr. Freeman itself. According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, ‘free’ means able to do what you want, allowed, and ready to speak. Mr. Freeman represents the figure of a man (teacher) who allows and supports Melinda to speak what she really wants to share about. In the story, Melinda was stimulated to explore her feeling through her art skill in Mr. Freeman class.

‘This is where you can find your soul, if you dare. Where you can touch that part of you that you’ve never dared look at before. Do not come here and ask me to show you how to draw a face. Ask me to help you find the wind’ (10)

‘Be the bird!…. Sacrifice yourself ….’ (62)

‘We are allowed to eat as long as we work. He bounced a couple of slackers who confused freedom with no rules…’ (77)

Thus, someone who has traumatic experience and mental problem should be stimulated to be brave to share his/her problem. In the end of the story, Melinda finally tells the truth to Mr. Freeman.

‘Melinda: Let me tell you about it’ (198)

Still relating to the art class, Melinda’s art project focusing on a tree is also a symbol of the struggle. Melinda is very obsessed to finish her project and makes her works seems alive. She made a lot of experiment on it.

‘I try to draw a branch coming out of a tree trunk for the 315th time. It looks so flat, a cheap, cruddy drawing. I have no idea how to make it alive.’ (55)

‘I can’t figure out how to make mine look real. I have already ruined six linoleum blocks. But when I try to carve, it looks like a dead tree, toothpicks, a child’s drawing. I can’t bring it to life.’ (78)

The tree project represents her struggle to speak and share her feeling. Speak is something which is sounds easy for people to do it, but it is difficult to find someone that can be trusted and understand of what is being spoken. It is represented when Melinda pick a piece of paper and find the word ‘tree’ on it. She thinks an art project which is something to do with tree is an easy thing but then she finds it hard.

‘Tree? It’s too easy. I learned to draw a tree in second grade.’ (12)

‘How hard can it to be to put a tree on a piece of paper?’ (32)

She really wants to share her problem to her parents but still she could not say any word.

‘I’m sure they suspect I was at the party. Maybe they even heard about me calling the cops. But I want to tell them everything as we sit there by our plastic Christmas tree… I wipe my eyes. They wait with unsure siles. The snowball grows larger. When I snuck home that night, they weren’t in the house.’ (72)

Keeping a big problem ourselves is not as easy as we thought, it is very suffering.

‘This has meaning. Pain.’ (65)

Melinda’s homework on Translating English-Spanish course represents her feeling and her way to relief her psychological problem. There are 5 verbs on her homework which is translated,

to flunk: fracasar, to hide: esconder, to forget: olvidar, and to escape: escaper (51).

‘To flunk’, according to Oxford Advanced Dictionary, flunk is a slang word derived from the word ‘fall’ which means down from a higher level. This word symbolizes Melinda’s down mental and her educational achievement which drastically down.

‘I used to be like Heather. Have I changed much in two months?’ (24).

Her social studies get C in the first marking period then become D then become F. She got C for English, then C-, then D+. In Algebra which is the sub-course of mathematic, she used to get 98% for her former math class in the last year, she got C+, C-, then F, also in clothes marking, she got C then C- then drop into F (page 46, 92, 137).

‘Principal Principal: Melinda. Last year you were a straight-B student, no behavioral problem, few absences. But the reports I’ve been getting.. well, what can we say?’ (114)

Those marks represents the down in socializing with friends including other people around her and her focus in the study which most are caused by her behavior after experienced the nightmare.

Another word is ‘to hide’, this words means keep something that can not be seen which represents Melinda’s traumatic experience kept only in her mind. She kept the problem herself without intending to share it to her friends because she knows no body will believe it easily.

‘You don’t understand, my headvoice answers. Too bad she can’t hear it. I can’t tell them what really happened’ (28)

‘I turn around. They’re talking about IT. Siobhan: It’s just rumor, Emily: I don’t believe it. Rumors are spread by jealous people’ (90)

‘Would you listen? Would you believe me? Fat chance’ (114)

Melinda tries to writes a note to Rachelle, her former friend, to remind Rachelle that the guy who dates Rachelle is a kind of ‘dangerous’ person but then she got nothing, no response at first.

’The friendly momentum keeps Rachelle and Andy walking all the way to the end of the hall’ (150)

‘I can’t believe you. You’re jealous….’ (184)

Melinda still afraid of how people will responses her if she speaks up.

‘The whole class yells at Rachel/Rachelle in the hall. That’s what you get for speaking up’ (102)

‘To forget’ and ‘to escape’ is the other representation of someone suffering the traumatic experience. According to Oxford Dictionary, forget means to be unable to remember something that happened while escape is avoid something to be free. This is clearly represents what most people wants after suffered by a nightmare experience. People want to forget how the nightmare happened, how it feels like and they want to be free from the psychological suffering. Melinda really wants to get away from her main problem thus she have to find the way to overcome it.

‘Why go to school? My closet is a good thing, a quiet place that helps me holds these thoughts inside my head where no one can hear them’ (51)

‘I just want to sleep’ (81)

‘I should probably tell someone, just tell someone. Get it over with. Let it out, blurt it out.’ (99)

Skipping the school, hiding and escaping in a closet and limiting communication with people around her, and sleeping or taking a nap are her way to escape and forget her trauma even though she knows the only way to solve the problem is speaking.

‘Speak’ should be read by educators, especially for those who teach in high school because commonly the controversial issue about rape occurs in this level of education. This book is also intended for parents in order to show how the lack of communication between them and their children affect into a very complicated problem in the circumstances.

Behind the story of writing this essay:
Buku yang gue baca ini sebenernya tugas pengganti UAS mata kuliah Exploring Prose, awalnya gue ngga yakin apakah gue bisa ‘ngobrak-ngabrik’ dan menelusuri isi buku ini karena kalau gue lihat dari cover, terlihat serius banget. Ternyata pas gue baca, buku ini memang dahsyat dan sangat bagus buat direkomendasikan! Gue juga semakin gila menganalisis simbolisasi yang ada di cerita-nya. Oh ya, setelah itu gue browsed di internet sepopuler apakah buku ini di negara lain, ternyata, ada salah satu film indie yang jalan ceritanya diadaptasi dari buku karya Mrs. Anderson ini which means that the story is tremendously popular. Alhamdulillah, gue pun dapet versi film-nya dari Rica, temen sekelas gue. Thanks cha!

Tapi kalau gue bandingkan, memang lebih ‘ngena’ versi novelnya dibanding versi film indie. Filmnya ngga ada subtitle-nya, untung gue udah baca versi novel, hihi. v^.^v

Wanna know the whole story? find and read the book! ;D

Mengapa gue publish essay gue? Ya itu tadi, karena gue suka banget sama isi ceritanya dan hey this is my masterpiece, originally analysed and arranged by me in the last semester, hehe. Mr. Fery said “if u have a good writing then try to publish it.”  While Mr. Ruswan on Apresiasi Bahasa dan Seni course said “a work should be shared, not to keep it individual”.

Well, I’m trying.