A Comparative Study of Figurative Language in Patriotic Poems by Paul Celan and Usman Awang
Abstract
This study aims to compare and analyse figurative language in patriotic poems by Paul Celan and Usman Awang. The objectives of the study are to discern the different types of figurative language used in these poems and, through analysis and comparison, to examine the similarities and differences in application by the two poets. The study examines how figurative communication is employed across different linguistic and cultural media to produce meaning and evoke emotional impact. This study employs Perrine’s (1977) theory of figurative language to determine the types of figurative expressions and to compare the poets’ use of figurative language. The analysis focuses on three German poems, “Schwarze Flocken,” “Todesfuge,” and “Psalm,” and three Malay poems, “Damai,” “Tanahair,” and “Pahlawan Kemerdekaan.” The analysis shows that Paul Celan’s poems contain personification, metaphors, irony, symbols, similes, hyperbole, understatement, and synecdoche. Conversely, Usman Awang’s Malay poems employ personification, metaphors, irony, symbols, apostrophe, metonymy, hyperbole, synecdoche, and paradox. The findings indicate that Paul Celan’s patriotic poems predominantly employed metaphors and symbols to illustrate the horror of the Holocaust, whereas Usman Awang’s poems employ personification and hyperbole to portray the people’s fighting desire for independence.
Keywords: figurative language, patriotism, comparative literary analysis, poetry, Paul Celan, Usman Awang
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References
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5. Chin, G. V. S., & Quayum, M. A. (2021). The postcolonial millennium: New directions in Malaysian literature in English. Journal of Postcolonial Writing,
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11. Hasanah, D. N. (2018). An analysis of figurative language used in some poems by Oscar Wilde. [Bachelor dissertation, UIN Walisongo: Semarang]
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15. vol16.1.6.2021
16. Hidayah, A., & Purba, T. (2021). Figurative language analysis in a poetry entitled ‘Life Does Not Frighten Me,’ ‘Equality,’ and ‘Alone’ by Maya Angelou. Musamus Journal of Language and Literature, 3(02), 27-36. h t t p s : / / doi.org/10.35724/MUJOLALI.V3I02.3465
17. Holzwarth, H., Warnk, H., Wolf, V., & Goethe-Institut Malaysia (2012). KUALA LUMPUR-BERLIN: Kisah dua bandar raya/KUALA LUMPUR-BERLIN:
18. Stadgeschichten. Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia.
19. Kabra, A., Liu, E., Khanuja, S., Aji, A. F., Winata, G. I., Cahyawijaya, S., Aremu, A., Ogayo, P., & Neubig, G. (2023). Multi-lingual and multi-cultural figurative language understanding. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2305.16171
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21. Leggo, C. (2018). Poetry in the academy: A Language of possibility. Canadian Journal of Education Revue Canadienne De l’éducation, 41(1), 69–97. https://journals. sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cje-rce/article/view/2453
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33. Perrine, L. (1977). Sound and sense: An introduction to poetry. 5th ed. New York:
34. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers.
35. Quayum, M. A. (2006). On a journey homeward: An interview with Muhammad Haji Salleh. Postcolonial Text, 2(4).
36. Rath, A. K. (2014). The Post-Berlin expressionism of Latiff Mohidin. Rainbows of Malay Literature and Beyond: Festshrift in Honour of Professor Md. Salleh Yaapar (Penerbit USM).
37. Rejeki, C. S., Yulianti, F., & Kustantinah, I. (2022). The figurative language used in Ayu Meutia’s poetry Tigress based on Gibbs & Colston’s theory. Applied Linguistics, Linguistics, and Literature (ALLURE) Journal, 2(1), 26-35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26877/allure.v2i1.9492
38. Salehan, D. A. Hussin, O. H. & Hamzah, Z. A. Z. (2018). Metafora konsep manusia ialah haiwan dalam peribahasa Melayu dan Perancis berkaitan metafora haiwan kesayangan. International Journal of the Malay World and Civilisation, 6(3), 17-27.
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40. Sarawak Tribune (2021). Remembering Usman Awang – The people’s poet. https:// www.sarawaktribune.com/remembering-usman-awang-the-peoples-poet/? utm_source=chatgpt.com
41. Shah, W. A., Umrani, S., & Lashari, A. (2024). Poetry, ideology and heteroglossia realities in language textbooks. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 37(3), 343-362. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2024.2342899
Published
2025-12-31
How to Cite
ROSLI, Izzatul Elisya; MOHD JALIS, Farhana Muslim.
A Comparative Study of Figurative Language in Patriotic Poems by Paul Celan and Usman Awang.
Malay Literature, [S.l.], v. 38, n. 2, dec. 2025.
ISSN 2682-8030.
Available at: <http://jurnal.dbp.my/index.php/MalayLiterature/article/view/9215>. Date accessed: 21 jan. 2026.
doi: https://doi.org/10.37052/ml38(2)no4.
Section
Articles
