Analysis of Rhetorical Devices in the Poems “Hujan Bulan Juni” and “Aku Ingin” by Sapardi Djoko Damono: A Stylistic Study

Abstract

Studies of Sapardi Djoko Damono’s poetry have mostly focused on figures of speech and imagery, while rhetorical devices that operate systematically across poems have rarely been mapped comparatively. This study aims to identify the rhetorical devices in the poems “Hujan Bulan Juni” and “Aku Ingin”, to explain the relationship between their form, function, and meaning, and to compare the patterns of the two poems. It uses a qualitative approach with a descriptive-interpretive method within a stylistic framework. The data, consisting of words, phrases, lines, and stanzas, were collected through close reading and coded using operational criteria drawn from Keraf (2004), Leech (1969), and Pradopo (2010). Data validity was checked through theoretical triangulation, double coding, and peer discussion. The analysis yielded 29 coded data units in “Hujan Bulan Juni” and 19 in “Aku Ingin”. Personification and repetition are the most frequent categories in both poems; hyperbole and alliteration occur only in the first poem, whereas paradox occurs only in the second. A key finding is that negation (“tak ada”, “tak sempat”, “tak terucapkan”), passive constructions with natural agents, and enjambment form a shared pattern that builds what is called “silent rhetoric”. The study contributes to the development of stylistic research on Indonesian poetry and supports the teaching of poetry appreciation grounded in linguistic evidence.