AN ANALYSIS OF THEMES IN SOME OF OMAR KHAYYAM’S POEMS : LXVIII. LXI. LXIII. LXXXI.

XXVII

THESIS

BY :

SANGAJI PENUKALNIM : 2010610028

DR. SOETOMO UNIVERSITYFACULTY OF LETTERS

ENGLISH DEPARTMENTSURABAYA

2014CHAPTER 1

INTRODRUCTION

A. Background of the Study

Literature is any written work that has the merit to last generation, yet draws on

life for its subjects. The word ‘literature’ is derived from the word ‘littera’ in Latin which

means letter. It refers to the written or printed words. However, now, the term ‘literature’ is

more focused and restricted to merely imaginative works, which comes up from the

imaginative mind of the story writers. It touches life in the real world at all points. It is

concerned with all aspects of human life and the universe in their entirety, literary works

is about something, and the more a person reads, the more people get knowledge in their

mind. Sometimes people read literally work in order to get pleasure and also to increase

their knowledge about human being’s life. The opinion above is supported by the

quotation quoted from Wellek and Warren in a book theory of Literature (1963:22)

Literature as a writing form differentiates its form from other art products, and its aesthetic or

artistic values make it different from other writings. Also state that the term literature seems

best if we limit it to the art of literature, that is, to imaginative literature. Literature is also

produced by imagination of the author. Literature is not just a document of facts, it is not just

the collection of real events though it may happen in the real life. Literature can create its

own world as a product of the unlimited imagination.

There are mainly three important branches of literature,such as : prose,poetry and

drama. The word “prose” is derived from the Latin word prosa used in English since

1330. Prose is the ordinary form of written language. The word ‘drama’from Ancient

Greek (drama, “an act,a theatrical act,a play”), and poetry is derived from the Greek

word,poiein which means to make or construct. Poetry is created in various forms and the

classification is based either on technique of writing or content. The poet is primarily a

teacher, a philosopher, a pure soul with a message of healing for a feverish world.

“Poetry can be dangerous, especially beautiful poetry, because it gives the illusion

of having had the experience without actually going through it.”

― Rumi, The Book of Love: Poems of Ecstasy and Longing

(http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/poetry-quotes) “Great poetry needs no interpreter

other than a responsive heart.” Helen Keller, story of my life: with her letters (1887-

1901) and a supplementary account of her education, including passages from the reports

and letters of her teacher Anne Mansfield Sullivan, by John Albert Macy

(http://www.goodreads.com./work/quotes/1602613.) So The poem is actually a work with

two authors who lived several centuries apart. If we see quotation above.

In this thesis, poetry becomes the object to be analyzed. In poems, the poet tends

to use imaginative language, which forms a part of personal experience, although it is

difficult to be guessed. Analyzing a poem needs a special knowledge and sensitive way

because there are some literary devices such as rhyme, rhythm, figures of speech and so

on which are difficult to understand. Moreover, sentences in poems are also difficult to

understand because the sentences are not complete. Learning this difficulties, the thesis

writer is challenged to analyze poetry. Besides, poetry attracts her so much since knows

that poetry can add his awareness in understanding good experiences, history, and feeling

or thought of other people. As a matter of fact, Omar Khayyam has been the greatest poet

of his time. Omar Khayyam is an persian poet. Omar Khayyam lived in Persia between

1048 CE and 1131 CE. He was born in the city of Naishapur, located about 250 miles

(418 km) from present-day Tehran in Iran. His home province, Khorassan was

prosperous, with wealth based both on agriculture and trade. Eight years before his birth,

the region was conquered by Turkman invaders who were recent converts to Islam, and

the territory was then under the jurisdiction of the Caliphate in Baghdad. Omar Khayyam

became one of the best known mathematicians and astronomers of his day. He had

studied the works of the great scholar Avicenna, who was highly influenced by the ideas

of Aristotle, and a proponent of Greek science and philosophy. Omar Khayyam was

instrumental in the reforms to the Persian Calendar in 1074, and also did significant work

on solving cubic equations using geometric constructions. He also investigated the nature

and implications of “The Famous Fifth”. At a later point in his career, he fell out of favor

with the authorities, and it was during this time that he composed the quatrains that would

form the basis of what we now know as The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. The poem was

unknown in the West until it a copy of the quatrains was discovered in the

Bodleian Library at Oxford in England by Edward Byles Cowell, who then gave it to his

friend, Edward Fitzgerald (1809 – 1883) in 1856. Fitzgerald, who had already been

working on translating other works from Persian into English, translated the poem and

published the first edition on 1859. Afterwards, Fitzgerald revised his translation several

times. By the time the third edition came out, Fitzgerald was known to be the translator.

In all, Fitzgerald produced 5 editions of the poem, with the last being published in 1879.

Themes:

Carpe Diem (Seize the Day):

On the surface, a great deal of the poem deals with the idea that life is fleeting, so one

should “seize the day.” A number of the quatrains clearly suggest this idea:

LXVIII.

We are no other than a moving row

Of Magic Shadow-shapes that come and go

Round with the Sun-illumined Lantern held

In Midnight by the Master of the Show;

So paraphrase from poem above: We think that we are in control of our lives, but forces

of which we are unaware are in control.

LXI.

Why, be this Juice the growth of God, who dare

Blaspheme the twisted tendril as a Snare?

A Blessing, we should use it, should we not?

And if a Curse--why, then, Who set it there?

And paraphrase: Life was given to us by God! Why should we not live it to the fullest? It

is a blessing; if it is a curse, then, who gave it to us?

LXIII.

Of threats of Hell and Hopes of Paradise!

One thing at least is certain--This Life flies;

One thing is certain and the rest is Lies;

The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.

This is paraphrase from poem above : No matter what promises or threats we may believe

about the afterlife, one thing is for sure: this life is over quickly. Once you die, there is no

more chance to live.

LXXI.

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,

Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,

Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.

And paraphrase from poem above : Fate writes the story of our lives, and once written,

nothing that we can do will change what has happened.

The Futility of Human Understanding:

XXVII.

Myself when young did eagerly frequent

Doctor and Saint, and heard great argument

About it and about: but evermore

Came out by the same door where in I went.

And paraphrase from poem above : In my youth, I sought out teachers so that I could

learn wisdom. I heard great discussions and arguments, but ultimately, I was the same

person as when I began.

Based on the description above, LXVIII. LXI. LXIII. LXXI. XXVII is one of the

popular poems in the world which describes the author’s life through the poem. In this

thesis, the writer is interested in having a study entitle

B. Statement of the Problems

Based on the background of the study above, the research questions are formulated as

follows :

1. What are the themes of Omar Khayyam poems : LXVIII. LXI. LXIII. LXXI.

XXVII?

2. How are the themes revealed in Omar Khayyam poems :

LXVIII. LXI. LXIII. LXXI. XXVII ?

C. Objective of the Study

From the statement of the problems above,there are objectives that the writer want

to show:

1.To find out the themes of Omar Khayyam poems : LXVIII. LXI. LXIII. LXXI.

XXVII?

2.To find out how the themes of Omar Khayyam poems : LXVIII. LXI. LXIII.

LXXI. XXVII?

D. Significance of the Study

It is hoped that the result of this research will give significant advantages either

for theoretical or practical use. Theoritically this thesis will be useful as the reference for

readers who want to analyze themes of poem. From the theory used in thjs thesis, the

readers will come to a new understanding of what Omar Khayyam feeling in some in the

book poems, and the reader will have a better knowledge about poem. Moreover, this

thesis is expected to give a moral lesson for the readers when they are learning about life.

E. Scope and Limitation of the Study

In order to avoid complex discussion, the thesis writer limits the scope of the study, the

writer focuses on the Omar Khayyam poems. The thesis writer will limit the study only on

the five poems mentioned above.

F. Definition of Key Term

The meaning of theme as it is stated by (Holman,1972:528) in literature: Theme is a

central or dominating idea in literary work. And A theme is the central idea or ideas explored

by a literary work. . According to Wellek and Warren in their book Theory of Literature,

there are two approaches to analyze the literary works; they are intrinsic approach and

extrinsic approach. Intrinsic approach is a kind of approach which analyzes literary works

based on the text and the structural points of literary works. It discusses the characters, plot,

setting, style, theme, and other elements that are contained in literary works. While, extrinsic

approach is a kind of approach which analyzes the literary work and its connection with other

knowledge and external factors such as biography, history, society, religion, psychology, and

so on and so forth.

The meaning of life is whatever we choose, decide, it to be. The choice, the decision, is

ours and yet we are free to seek guidance in making this choice. And it is quite apparent that,

in this instance, we are not our own best guide. We have strong evidence that we have miss-

guided ourselves into this stress-burdened state of existence. Author: Charles Henry, MS,

DD,© 2009