39 

 IJAL 2 (1) (2017) 

 

International Journal of Active Learning 
 

http://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/index.php/ijal 

 

 

Diction in Poetry Anthology Surat Kopi by Joko Pinurbo as A 

Poetry Writing Teaching Material  

 

Kun Andyan Anindita, Soediro Satoto, Sumarlam 

 

Master Program in Linguistics, Sebelas Maret University, Indonesia 

 

Info Articles 

___________________ 
History Articles: 

Received 19 February 2017 

Approved 11 March 2017 

Published 1 April 2017 

___________________ 
Keywords: 

Joko Pinurbo; poetry; diction; 

stylistics 

_______________________ 

Abstract
 

____________________________________________________________ 

This research shows the diction of Joko Pinurbo in ten letter-themed poetries 

in poetry anthology of Surat Kopi using a stylistic approach. The poetries 

included “Surat Cukur”, “Surat Kopi”, “Surat Kau”, “Surat Batu”, “Surat 

Pulang”, “Surat Libur”, “Surat Sarung”, “Surat Malam”, “Surat Senyap”, 

“Surat Kabar”. The stylistic approach was chosen because stylistics is one of 

the linguistic disciplines that studies the uniqueness or the isiosyncrasy of the 

use of language in literary works, especially poetry that can bring certain 

effects. This study used descriptive qualitative method. This type of qualitative 

descriptive research was used to describe the aspects to be described. The 

results of this study indicated that in ten poetries with the theme of the letter 

there were 4 types of diction used: denotative, connotative, concrete and 

abstract diction. The denotative and concrete dictions were widely used 

dictions in the ten poetries. The effect was it was not confusing for the reader 

because it is very minimal use of figurative language. The poetries were explicit 

and did not generate many interpretations but still promising the depth of 

meaning. Thus, the ten poetries of Joko Pinurbo in this anthology could be 

used as a material for teaching Indonesian literature for students. The 

simplicity of the poetries could ease the students to learn and to try writing 

their own poetries with uncomplicated dictions, such as denotative diction and 

concrete diction that did not employ many figurative languages.  

  

How to Cite 
____________________________________________________________ 
Anindita,  K. A., Satoto, S. & Sumarlam. (2017). Diction in Poetry Anthology Surat 
Kopi by Joko Pinurbo as A Poetry Writing Teaching Material. International Journal of 

Active Learning, 2(1), 39-49.  

 

© 2017 Universitas Negeri Semarang 

 
 Address correspondence: 

Jl. Ir. Sutami 36A Kentingan, Surakarta 

E-mail: andyan.anindito@yahoo.co.id 

p-ISSN 2528-505X 

 



 

Kun Andyan Anindita et al./ International Journal of Active Learning 2 (1) (2017) 

40 

INTRODUCTION 

 

Poetry is one type of literary works besides short stories and novels. Suminto A. Sayuti (2008: 

3) states that poetry is a form of language expression that takes into account the aspect of the sounds 

in it, which expresses the imaginative, emotional, and intellectual experience of the poet drawn from 

his individual and social life; expressed by a certain choice of technique, so it can evoke certain 

experiences in the reader or audience. Poetry itself is actually derived from poesis (creating), 

consisting of two things, namely the body and the spirit. The body in poetry can be interpreted 

syntactically, while the spirit in poetry can be interpreted semantically. Dick Hartoko (Indriyana, 

2015: 11) states that the syntactic elements were the physical structure of poetry or elements that can 

be seen, including: 1. Diction, 2. Imaging, 3. Concrete words, 4. Figurative language, 5. 

Versification, 6. Typography. While the semantic elements of poetry were the inner structure or 

meaning contained in the poetry that includes: 1. Theme, 2. Feelings, 3. Tone and mood, 4. The 

message or moral value. 

What distinguishes poetry from fictions like short stories and novels is the form and use of the 

language. There is freedom of form in poetry that is not found in a short story or novel. If in a short 

story or novel a sentence must be written intact and end with punctuation, poetry has the free form. 

Poetry does not have to finish a sentence directly, but can be cut and continued in the next 

paragraph, ended with punctuation or not which is called an enjambment. Meanwhile, the use of 

language the elements of the language used in poetry are used as much as possible in terms, intensity 

and rhythm and also sound. The language in poetry is a language that is developed and has many 

possible meanings. This is different from the literal language used in short story or novel that can 

lead to one meaning as desired by the author. Poetry can employ more freely manipulated the 

language elements. Junus (1985: 131) states that poetry is not limited in the elements of meaning (of 

words, phrases, sentences, and discourses) as in prose. In studying prose, many look for more mind 

aspects within it. There is even a tendency to forget the sound element. Language in prose is without 

sound but not with poetry. In fact, sometimes the beauty of poetry is seen as the beauty of sound. 

The development of the Indonesian poetry tends to advance in certain periods. The trend can 

be seen from a historical perspective. Pujangga Baru poets, like J.E. Tatengkeng or Amir Hamzah 

have different kinds of poems compared to poems of poets born after them like Chairil Anwar, 

whom by H.B. Jassin is classified as Angkatan 45 period, as well as with the poems of Angkatan 66 

and subsequent periods. Chairil Anwar's poetry is no longer bounded by rhymes as in pantun 

(pantoum) or lyric. It is free of all that. This is what makes the name of Chairil Anwar echoed as the 

pioneer of Indonesian current poetry. 

In the next generation, there are W.S Rendra, Sutradji Calzoum Bachri, Abdul Hadi WM, 

Goenawan Mohamad, Sapardi Djoko Damono, Acep Zamzam, Afrizal Malna, Joko Pinurbo, and 

several other names. Each poet has his own distinctive language style and seems to be an icon in his 

writing style although he does not always write in such a style. The style of language is very 

noticeable, for example Rendra’s poems are written in ballad, Sutardji Calzoum Bachri with 

typography and mantra style, Abdul Hadi WM with his Sufi style, Goenawan Mohamad with 

intertextual style which is inspired by the world of wayang as in the book collection his poem 

entitled Asmaradana, Sapardi Djoko Damono with his imagination about rain, Afrizal Malna whose 

poetry is typical of urban life, as well as Joko Pinurbo which is famous for its parody poems but have 

deep meaning. Almost all great poets will have a place for their readers with the peculiarities of their 

style of writing although not always the poets mentioned write only in one language style or in only 

one theme. 

One of the poets who have a distinctive style in authorship is Joko Pinurbo. This is certainly 

an interesting research, besides his style of authorship, he is one of the poets who have received 



 

Kun Andyan Anindita et al./ International Journal of Active Learning 2 (1) (2017) 

41 

several awards both in national and ASEAN scale. Joko Pinurbo's prizes include Satra Lontar Prize 

in 2001, the Jakarta Arts Council’s Buku Puisi Award in 2001, Literature Prize in 2001, Literature 

Award at the Language Center of the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2002, Equator Literary 

Award in 2005, Literature of Choice in 2012, and the last is Kusala Award for his poetry anthology 

entitled Surat Kopi. 

He also has published many poetry anthology, such as Celana (1999), Di Bawah Kibaran Sarung 

(2001), Pacarkecilku (2002), Telepon Genggam (2003), Kekasihku (2004), Kepada Cium (2007), Tahilalat 

(2012), Baju Bulan (2013), Surat Kopi (2014), Selamat Menjalankan Ibadah Puisi (2016), Malam Ini Aku 

Tidur di Matamu (2016). 

Joko Pinurbo's poems are written in humorous, intriguing yet elegant style. Cecep Syamsul 

Hari, a poet, in one of his essays published in Media Indonesia, April 19, 1998 has even stated that 

Joko Pinurbo's poems are rich with intelligent humor literacy, wild imagination, and parody. What 

distinguishes Joko Pinurbo from previous Indonesian poets who have written similar poems is his 

rigorous way of thinking that is the characteristic of a philosopher. 

Ayu Utami in the epilogue of Pacar Senja is in line with the opinion of Cecep Syamsul Hari. In 

Pacar Senja (2005: 151-152), she shows how Joko Pinurbo's poems are whimsical. This is possible 

because of its story-telling form. This form has a beneficial consequence for the poet, that is, the 

reader suspects a plot and an ending. From this not-so-conscious initial assumption, Joko Pinurbo 

steeres his mini-story to an unexpected plot and ending, hooking it up to a strange knots. These 

knots often hide themes that appear strangely like the symptom of nervous tension. 

Discourses offered in Joko Pinurbo's poems are discourses about the body. This can be seen 

from two anthologies of his poetries, Celana (1999) and Di Bawah Kibaran Sarung (2001). Ignas 

Kleden’s review in Celana Pacarkecilku di Bawah Kibaran Sarung (2007: 213-214) expresses his 

admiration to Joko Pinurbo as he delivers things that are considered taboo in everyday conventions 

but with sympathetic and touching as in the story, song, or the prayer of Mary Magdalene, who on 

Easter morning came to her master's grave and found that the tomb was empty. The body in the 

discourse of Joko Pinurbo's poems is not merely a locus for excitement and bodily fadness or as 

portrayed in the traditional view as the source of sin but also a representation of a hard regret, a 

reckless reproach: a complete metanoia. In his introduction to the book Di Bawah Kibaran Sarung 

(2001: xi), Ignas Kleden also said that the body is under the spotlight, studied with intense reflection, 

and given a double role, both as a sign (signifier) and as what is intended (signified). What is striking 

is the fact that the thorough and detailed observations of the body and parts of the human body, do 

not lead its poet to a detotalization of the body that could have an effect as pornography. 

In Joko Pinurbo's poem entitled Surat Kopi, such things are also still being encountered. It's 

just that there is a new discourse to be delivered by Joko Pinurbo about letter. In this anthology, 

there are ten letter-themed poems: “Surat Cukur”, “Surat Kopi”, “Surat Kau”, “Surat Batu”, “Surat 

Pulang”, “Surat Libur”, “Surat Sarung”, “Surat Malam”, “Surat Senyap”, “Surat Kabar”. The 

various discourses about letters in this anthology; poetries in Surat Kopi are restored to mean 

something that can convey the news. It can be about asking someone’s condition, telling about 

persona’s condition in the lyrics of the poem. The persona in the anthology of Surat Kopi looks very 

observant in seeing the various sides of life that is not only limited to personal views but also various 

issues of social life.  

Departing from that this research begins, the view of life done by the persona in Surat Kopi 

will be studied about the selection of diction in this anthology. Stylistics is chosen because it is one 

of the linguistic disciplines that studies the uniqueness or distinction of the use of language in literary 

works, especially poetry that can bring certain effects. This can be seen from the way the poet 

chooses diction composed as poetry. According to Satoto (2012: 35), style is a typical way used by 

someone to express his self with his personal style. The way of such disclosure may include every 



 

Kun Andyan Anindita et al./ International Journal of Active Learning 2 (1) (2017) 

42 

aspect of language: diction, figurative language, sentence structure, discourse forms, and other 

rhetorical means. The meaning of style in the broad sense may include the styles used by a group of 

authors, e.g. Angkatan 20, 30, 45, 66, etc., covering a particular nation. This is in line with the 

opinions of Wellek and Werren (1989: 233) who suggest that stylists can describe the characteristics 

of periods and literary movements. Ratna (2009: 3) states that stylistics is a study of style, whereas 

style is the typical way, how things can be expressed in a certain way, so that the intended purpose 

can be achieved maximally. In relation to the   terms, it is necessary to mention other terms that 

seem to lack attention but in fact in the analysis process holds a large role, namely the figure of 

speech which can also be interpreted as metaphor or figurative language. 

Figure of speech that dominates in a literary work, especially poetry, is metaphor. Subroto 

(Steinheur, 2009: 78) argues that the metaphor is an expression that reflects the author's creativity in 

processing the language for the benefit of a particular symbol or the interest of a particular 

expression so the one who is really creative is the language user (creator). Basically, metaphors are 

created on the basis of similarity between two units or terms. The similarity can be the same shape 

or physical form, the similarity of character or even the similarity of perception. In the metaphor, the 

two terms or terms are expressed united without the use of a word which expresses a similarity, such 

as ‘as’, ‘as if’, ‘as though’, or a word ‘like’ itself. One term is treated as a tenor (something that is 

being discussed), another term as a vehicle (something where the tenor is compared). An 

understanding of the figure of speech can be initiated from the dictions chosen by the poet. 

In Joko Pinurbo's poetry anthology, there are 48 poems. To focus the research, not all poems 

will be studied. The poems studied are poems that have letter discourses, which are “Surat Cukur”, 

“Surat Kopi”, “Surat Kau”, “Surat Batu”, “Surat Pulang”, “Surat Libur”, “Surat Sarung”, “Surat 

Malam”, “Surat Senyap”, “Surat Kabar”. 

 

METHODS 

 

As the focus of this research, the style of language and the meaning of the letter in the Joko 

Pinurbo’ anthology Surat Kopi, the best form that can be used for this type of research is descriptive-

qualitative research model. This type of research emphasizes the inductive analysis process. It is 

called inductive because qualitative research does not analyze data after collecting them. In contrast, 

this type of qualitative research analysis is performed each time a datum is found or in other words, 

using the technique of referring to note. In addition, this type of descriptive-qualitative research is 

used to describe what aspects will be described. Whether the description will explain the cause and 

effect of its social phenomenon and allocate its findings in the context (Santoso, 2014: 46). Chaer 

(2007: 11) describes the type of qualitative research. Basically this research is done to develop 

theory, not to test the theory or in other words, this qualitative study to find new knowledge, or 

formulate a new theory based on data collected. This study also explains a problem, the problem of 

the research. 

Thus, descriptive-qualitative type research describes a problem or problem that aims to find 

new theories and new discoveries about the data being studied or a problem researched by the 

researcher to find a new problem that will be a theory. 

 

RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS 

 

In accordance with the formulation of the problem, this study examines the dictions chosen 

by Joko Pinurbo in forming the poems in his anthology, Surat Kopi. Diction can be defined as  

choice of words performed by the poet in his poems to create a certain effect. In this context the 



 

Kun Andyan Anindita et al./ International Journal of Active Learning 2 (1) (2017) 

43 

meaning of denotation and connotation play an important role in helping to give an understanding 

of the wholeness of meaning to be conveyed by the poet.  

Diction is derived from a Latin word dicere which means ‘to say’. Scott (1980: 170) states that 

diction means choosing and composing words in speech or writing. While the diction or choice of 

words according to Barfield (Pradopo, 1999: 54) is words chosen and arranged in such a way meant 

to cause or intended to cause an aesthetic image, then the result is called poetic diction. Therefore, 

diction means to achieve poeticism, to obtain aesthetic value. Keraf (2010: 24) states that the diction 

is downgraded into three parts: First, diction includes the meaning of which words are used to 

convey an idea, how to form the correct grouping of words or using appropriate expressions, and 

which style best used in a situation. Second, diction is the ability to distinguish precisely the mood of 

meaning from the idea to be conveyed, and the ability to find a form that is appropriate to the 

situation and sense of value that the audience of the community has. Third, proper and appropriate 

diction is made possible only by the mastery of majority of vocabulary. 

Keraf divides diction into two kinds of meaning: connotative and denotative. According Keraf 

(2010: 28-29), a denotative diction denotes to a particular referent, concept, or idea of a most basic 

referent to a word. While connotative diction is a type of word in which the stimulus and response 

contain emotional values. Besides, Keraf (2010: 90) also adds that a concrete (special) diction which 

is a reference diction to a specially directed meaning. Concrete diction is intended to observe the 

image to be displayed. There is also an abstract (general) diction or diction which refers to a thing or 

a broad group of spheres (Keraf 1998: 90). The words such as honesty, sadness and religion are 

examples of abstract diction, because the diction raises different ideas in every person. 

Overall, poetries in Surat Kopi by Joko Pinurbo has four types of diction which are denotative, 

connotative, concrete, and abstract. Here is the diction categorization table. 

 

Table 1. The Amount of Diction in Surat Kopi Poetry Anthology 

No Poem Title 
The Sum of Diction 

Denotative Connotative Concrete Abstract 

1 Surat Cukur 8 3 8 4 

2 Surat Kopi 7 2 7 4 

3 Surat Kau 4 0 4 4 

4 Surat Batu 6 3 6 2 

5 Surat Pulang 5 1 5 4 

6 Surat Libur 4 2 3 4 

7 Surat Sarung 8 3 8 4 

8 Surat Malam 8 3 8 4 

9 Surat Senyap 5 5 3 1 

10 Surat Kabar 8 3 8 4 

 TOTAL 63 25 60 35 

 

The table shows that the dominant dictions in Surat Kopi poems are denotive and concrete 

diction. This shows that Joko Pinurbo's poems in his anthology look very straightforward and 

employ a few figures of speech. The meaning was so clear that it is very difficult to allow the reader 

to interpret into another context. 

Language style in Joko Pinurbo’s authorship can be said as the style of language in 

conventional short stories in general that very rarely use figurative language. Joko Pinurbo's poems 

are written naturally. What he wants to offer in these poems is the depth of meaning. The poems 

seem to invite the reader to momentarily re-think about the trivial and what often ignored by people, 

for example when writing about coffee as in the following poetry. 



 

Kun Andyan Anindita et al./ International Journal of Active Learning 2 (1) (2017) 

44 

 

Lima menit menjelang minum kopi, 

aku ingat pesanmu: “Kurang atau lebih, 

setiap rezeki perlu dirayakan dengan secangkir kopi.” 

 

Mungkin karena itu empat cangkir kopi sehari 

bisa menjauhkan kepala dari bunuh diri. 

 

Five minutes before drinking coffee, 

I remember your words: "Less or more, 

every bounty needs to be celebrated with a cup of coffee." 

 

Maybe that’s why four cups of coffee a day 

can keep the head from committing suicide. 

 

There is no figure of speech play in the poem above. This is because the denotative and 

concrete dictions are the dominant dictions in the poem. The meaning seems explicit and there is no 

ambiguity. What Joko Pinurbo wants to offer in this poetry passage seems to be about the depth of 

meaning, especially in the context of bounty. Readers seemed to be invited to celebrate whatever 

bounty received, it should still be celebrated or grateful. It is interesting that in celebrating it is by 

having a very simple thing: a cup of coffee. Kopi (coffee) as a diction in this poetry plays an 

important role because earning money, something that most people are looking for, becomes 

secondary after the coffee, as it is mentioned in the poem's that whether the bounty is less or more, 

each of it needs to be celebrated with a cup of coffee. The poem is like satirizing about the bad habits 

of humans who prefer to calculate the amount of money they earned rather than being grateful or 

celebrating whatever it earns. Coffee in this poem as intended as the ultimate goal in a person's 

search for things he wanted, for example bounty. The amount becomes unimportant in this poem 

and therefore the poet seems to invite readers to find their own "coffee". 

The invitation to give a price on something that is often missed by most people is also found 

in “Surat Pulang” as in the following. 

 

Tenanglah. Aku tak akan pernah mengharap 

oleh-oleh dari orang yang hidupnya susah. 

Kamu bisa pulang dengan rindu 

yang masih utuh saja sudah merupakan berkah.  

 

Pulang ya pulang saja. Tak usah repot-repot 

membawa buah tangan yang hanya akan  

membuat tanganku gemetar dan mataku basah. 

 

Calm down. I will never expect 

gifts from those whose lives are difficult. 

You can come home with undamaged longing 

is already a blessing. 

 

Just go home. Do not bother 

to bring any presents that will only 

make my hands tremble and my eyes wet. 



 

Kun Andyan Anindita et al./ International Journal of Active Learning 2 (1) (2017) 

45 

 

In two stanzas of the poem above, figures of speech are not found, similar to the previous 

poem. If only it does not employ enjambment, it will have the same form as the short story. The 

dictions in this poetry are also mostly denotative diction. There is no other purpose and also 

ambiguity in it. There is also connotative diction like /buah tangan/ (gift or present, but it literally 

means the fruit of the hand) but it will not confuse the reader since the use has been common, even 

used by most people so it is less likely to elicit another interpretation of the diction. This diction is 

chosen to enrich the vocabulary and avoid the similarity of diction that has been used in the previous 

stanza i.e. / oleh-oleh / (gift). The diction of /mataku basah/ (my eyes wet) used in place of 

/menangis/ (cry). It can be seen that Joko Pinurbo does not verbose in the poem he wrote. This can 

be seen from the persona’s saying in the poem which directly expresses what is unwanted and 

undesirable about the return of ‘you’. 

In the ten poems of this research there are also concrete dictions which the amount is almost 

the same with denotative diction. The most fundamental difference between the denotative and 

concrete diction is in terms of visualization in the diction used. Concrete diction demands more in 

showing how form or shape of the diction is. The difference of denotative diction and concrete 

diction is more clearly visible for example in the Surat Senyap: 

 

Waktumu sebentar lagi habis, hujan. 

Malam akan datang dan kau menjadi gema 

 

Your time is up, rain. 

The night will come and you will be a repercussion 

 

There are two denotative diction, for example /malam/ (night) and /gema/ (repercussion). 

These are dictions that is included as denotative diction but cannot fit into concrete diction 

categories because /malam/ (night) and /gema/ (repercussion) do not have concrete form, though 

still most people have understood what night and the repercussion are.  

There are also connotative dictions found in ten poems in Joko Pinurb’s poetry anthology. 

Connotative diction has meaning that cannot be understood directly by the reader. This is because of 

the figurative language that can be used to state something indirectly. That indirect expression 

according to Riffaterre (1978: 2) is written by the poet because of three reasons: firstly, because of 

displacing of meaning; secondly, because of distorting of meaning; and thirdly, because of the 

creating of meaning. 

The replacement or transfer of meaning in the ten poems in Surat Kopi is primarily due to the 

personification and metaphor which is the variety of the figurative language. Personification can be 

seen in several stanzas of the following poem entitled Surat Batu. 

 

Aku suka duduk membaca dan melamun 

di atas batumu dan bisa merasakan denyutnya. 

Kadang mimpiku tertinggal di atas batumu 

dan mungkin terserap ke dalam rahimnya. 

 

Hujan sangat mencintaimu batumu dan cinta hujan 

lebih besar dari cintamu. Aku senang  

melihat batumu megap-megap dicumbu hujanku. 

 

Akhirnya batumu hamil. Dari rahim batumu 



 

Kun Andyan Anindita et al./ International Journal of Active Learning 2 (1) (2017) 

46 

lahir air mancur kecil yang menggemaskan. 

Air mancur itu sekarang sudah besar, 

sudah bisa berbincang-bincang dengan hujan.  

 

I love to sit to read and to daydream 

on the top of your stone and able to feel its pulse. 

Sometimes my dreams are left on your stone 

and may be absorbed into its uterus. 

 

Rain loves your rock very much and rain’s love 

is bigger than your love. I am happy 

to see your stone gasping for my wishes. 

 

Finally your stone is pregnant. From your stone womb 

born an adorable little fountain. 

The fountain is now big, 

can already talk with the rain. 

 

There are personifications in these stanzas. Personification is a figurative language which 

attribute human characteristics to inanimate objects. It is especially visible in the sentence /Kadang 

mimpiku tertinggal di atas batumu/ dan mungkin terserap ke dalam rahimnya.// (/Sometimes my dreams 

are left on your stone/ and may be absorbed into its uterus.//) Followed by the next stanzas /Hujan 

sangat mencintaimu batumu dan cinta hujan/ lebih besar dari cintamu. Aku senang/ melihat batumu megap-

megap dicumbu hujanku.// Akhirnya batumu hamil. Dari rahim batumu/ lahir air mancur kecil yang 

menggemaskan.// Air mancur itu sekarang sudah besar,/ sudah bisa berbincang-bincang dengan hujan. // 

(/Rain loves your rock very much and rain’s love/ is bigger than your love. I am happy/ to see your 

stone gasping for my wishes.// Finally your stone is pregnant. From your stone womb/ born an 

adorable little fountain.// The fountain is now big,/ can already talk with the rain.// Other 

figurative language found is metaphor. The variety of language can be seen from the stanzas in the 

following poem entitled Surat Cukur. 

 

Subuh tadi aku dicukur. Aku didatangi 

tukang cukur gondrong dan gila. Ia menghunus 

pisau cukurnya sambil mencengkeram tengkukku: 

“Aku ingin membuat garis merah di lehermu.” 

 

Di masa kecilku tukang cukur itu pernah 

menggunduli kepalaku di bawah pohon beringin, 

lalu mengantarkanku pulang dengan sepedanya. 

Setelah itu aku tak pernah lagi melihatnya. 

 

Sebagian rambutku sudah jadi rambut salju. 

Jangan sedih. Aku belum lupa cara berbahagia. 

Dompet boleh padam, rezeki tetap menyala. 

   

Di dalam cermin ada matahari yang pemalu. 

Matahariku kecil saja dan tidak sombong. 

Aku tak bisa melihat matahari kecilku 



 

Kun Andyan Anindita et al./ International Journal of Active Learning 2 (1) (2017) 

47 

sebab ia sembunyi di belakang kepalaku. 

 

Early dawn I was shaved. I was visited 

by a crazy barber with a long hair. He wielded 

the razor while grabbing my nape: 

"I want to make a red line around your neck." 

 

In my childhood the barber ever 

shaved my head bald under the banyan tree, 

then drove me home on his bicycle. 

After that I never saw him again. 

 

Some of my hair has become snow hair. 

Do not be sad. I have not forgotten how to be happy. 

The wallet may be empty, the bounty remains lit. 

 

Inside the mirror there is a shy sun. 

My sun is just small and not arrogant. 

I cannot see my little sun 

because he hides behind my head. 

 

The metaphor in the poem are primarily found in the sentence  /“Aku ingin membuat garis 

merah di lehermu.”// (/"I want to make a red line around your neck."//). The red line in the verse of 

the poem can be interpreted as a scratch on the wounded skin that bleeds. Other metaphor in this 

poem is also visible in the sentence /Sebagian rambutku sudah jadi rambut salju./ (/Some of my hair 

has become snow hair.//). The snow hair in the sentence is used to compare directly grey hair or 

whitened with the word /salju/ (snow) because that is the function of the metaphor, comparing two 

different objects without using the comparison expression. The following metaphors can be seen in 

these sentences: /Aku tak bisa melihat matahari kecilku/ sebab ia sembunyi di belakang kepalaku.// (/I 

cannot see my little sun/ because it hides behind my head. //). The little sun that hides behind the 

head of the persona in the poem can be interpreted as a hair whorl located right in the center of the 

hair on someone’s head. It can be replaced as sun as the sun is the center of the solar system and the 

orbits that surround the sun can be equated to the hair that surrounds the hair whorl on the head. 

Abstract diction is also found in some of Joko Pinurbo's poems although they are the least 

compared to other dictions. It is used to generate different ideas on everyone. An abstract dictionary 

exists in “Surat Kau” as in the following. 

 

Kau tidak ada di tanganku 

ketika aku membutuhkan jarimu 

untuk menggubah gundahku. 

 

Kau tidak ada di sarungku 

ketika aku membutuhkan jingkrunganmu 

untuk meringkus dinginku. 

 

Kau tidak ada di bibirku 

ketika aku membutuhkan aminmu 

untuk meringkas inginku. 



 

Kun Andyan Anindita et al./ International Journal of Active Learning 2 (1) (2017) 

48 

 

Kau tidak ada di mataku 

ketika aku membutuhkan pejammu 

untuk merengkuh tidurku 

 

You're not in my hands 

when I need your fingers 

to compose my dismay. 

 

You're not in my sarong 

when I need you curling up in it 

to capture my cold. 

 

You're not on my lips 

when I need your amen 

to summarize my wish. 

 

You're not in my eyes 

when I need your closing eyes 

to embrace my slumber 

 

The abstract diction in the stanzas above can be seen in /gundahku/ (my dismay), /dinginku/ 

(my cold), and /inginku/ (my wish). These dictions put more emphasis on things that can only be 

felt by humans but has each criteria in accordance with what is perceived by a person. Feeling upset, 

feeling cold, and wanting is a very personal feeling. 

 

CONCLUSION 

 

This study came to the conclusion that the use of denotative diction in ten poems Joko 

Pinurbo’s poetry anthology Surat Kopi is quite intensive. The use of the denotative diction makes the 

poems seem explicit since it does not use many figurative languages.  They seem simple but still 

promising the depth of meaning that makes the readers eventually invited to contemplate or rethink 

about the events built in the poems. Thus, the poems in this poetry anthology can be used as a 

teaching material for Indonesian Literature which makes it easier for the students. The simplicity of 

the poems can ease the students to learn and try to make their own poems with an uncomplicated 

diction such as denotative and concrete dictions that do not employ much of the figurative language. 

Stylistics of literary works seems to make an important contribution in analyzing literary 

works, in this case represented by poetry. This stylistic research describes the emerging and intensive 

dictions to express the peculiarities and the idiosyncrasy of the expression of language as a means of 

literature in order to create a certain effect of meaning. 

 

REFERENCES 

 

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Mardikantoro, H. B., & Maretta, Y. A. 2016. Language Shift of Javanese and Its Impacts on The 

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49 

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