Analisis Semiotik Makna Harapan Dalam Puisi-Puisi

Abstract

Hope in poetry is often simplified into a uniform theme of optimism, whereas poetic language structures are capable of presenting hope that is fragile, deferred, or intertwined with suffering. This study aims to identify and interpret the signs that construct the meaning of hope and to compare the functional variations of these signs across three selected poems by Langston Hughes: “I, Too”, “Harlem”, and “The Weary Blues”. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach within Charles Sanders Peirce’s triadic semiotic framework (representamen, object, and interpretant), the analysis focuses on the relational dynamics of icons, indexes, and symbols. Data were collected through documentary study and close reading of diction, imagery, spatio-temporal markers, and sound patterns within the poetic texts. The findings reveal that hope does not manifest as a singular, inherently positive concept, but rather forms a spectrum of three distinct modes of meaning. First, in “I, Too”, hope operates as an affirmative-critical claim for future recognition and social equality, constructed through spatial opposition (the kitchen and the dining table) and temporal projection. Second, in “Harlem”, hope appears as a deferred and at-risk aspiration, where a series of physical decay images iconically and indexically illustrate the psychological pressure and potential explosive conflict resulting from postponement. Third, in “The Weary Blues”, hope exists in a limited capacity as expressive continuity and endurance through musical rhythm and vocal resonance amidst exhaustion, without promising an optimistic resolution. In conclusion, the dynamic interplay of icons, indexes, and symbols within the poetic structure shapes a complex spectrum of hope—ranging from demands for participation and hindered aspirations to the resilience of voice in confronting unresolved social realities.