A Corpus Analysis of J.K Rowling’s Novel
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets,
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Discourse Analysis
By
Eka
Resti Wahyuni
Eki
Juvita Prima Wahyuni
Evi
Purwanti
Fitria
Ningsih
Fitri
Nurul Hidayati
Isnia
Devianti
STATE UNIVERSITY OF MALANG
FACULTY OF LETTER
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
MAY 2013
Discourse
Analysis
Analyzing Harry Potter
Literature
(Harry Potter and the Soccer Stone, Harry Potter and Chamber of Secrets,
Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Literature product as general has a
background within the development. Each of them has their own character that
lead the reader knows what the main focus is
.
v Focus of analysis
In
this analysis, we choose Harry Potter’s novels as the object. Harry Potter
series have the same theme which is in magical fiction. We will focus on just
three novels; those are Harry Potter and the Soccer; Harry Potter and Chamber
of Secrets; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The diction, of course,
has to be referred in order to support the flow of the story. The book uses
words which can imagine how the magic is, for example:
“Give
it here!” Harry yelled, but Malfoy had leapt onto his broomstick and taken off. He hadn’t been lying, he could fly well.
Hovering level with the topmost branches of an oak he called, “Come and get it,
Potter!”
Based on the example, we conclude
that the book used the word “broomstick” in order to lead the readers catch the
theme of the book. The use of broomstick in that context is showing the scene
when a boy can fly just with the broomstick. This scene is related with magical
things. It categorized as magical things because flying just with the
broomstick is unusual to be done by ordinary people. That is the example of one
word that we are going to be analyzed in this novel. Moreover, we will compare
the frequency and the occurrence of some words that we choose as magical things
as well as explain the flow of those words in those novels.
v Theoretical
data
Reviewing JK. Rowling’s novel, there are some words analysis related to the
story about Harry Potter series. In this analysis the writer uses some
guideline words which related to the magic term behind the sory. First, there
is a quoataion on page 85, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone,
“I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single
wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave
another feather--just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be
destined for this wand when its brother--why, its brother gave you that
scar...Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard,
remember...”.
This
quotation occurs early in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,"
during Harry's first trip to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. Although Harry has only
just learned of his magical abilities, he is almost immediately connected to
Lord Voldemort through the twin phoenix feathers. Harry's existence as a wizard
and his relationship to Voldemort are both deeply-rooted aspects of his
character. At this point in the text, Harry is unaware of the extent of his
connection with Voldemort, but Rowling highlights this relationship as early as
possible in order to color Harry's behavior throughout the rest of the book.
Mr. Ollivander's assertion that the "wand chooses the wizard" is also
significant in terms of the theme of choice that Rowling expresses in the
novel: Harry's wand chooses him in the same way that he can choose which
direction his life as a wizard will go.
Another statement on page 53,
“Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister
being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to
that--that school--and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog
spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she
really was--a freak!”
This quotation occurs shortly after Hagrid has
told Harry about being a wizard. Up until this point in the novel, Rowling has
presented Vernon and Petunia Dursley as the worse kind of Muggles: close-minded,
ignorant, and unappreciative of people who are different or special. With this
passage, it becomes clear that Vernon and Petunia are not as oblivious as it
would seem: not only are they both aware of the wizarding world, but Petunia is
particularly resentful of the magical school that turned her sister, Lily, into
a "freak." With that in mind, Vernon and Petunia's attempts to
smother Harry's magical instincts (albeit with neglect and cruelty) can be seen
as misguided attempts protect Harry from himself and to cure him of his natural
inclination to be a "freak" like his mother. This quotation proves
that Professor Dumbledore's decision to leave Harry with the Dursleys was a
sound one. Even though the Dursleys know of the wizarding world, they are so
against it that Harry is brought up with no knowledge of his true background
and is able to spend his childhood without being haunted by Voldemort.
Seeing those two analysis, we can
conlcude that the writer focuses on using words “wand” and wizard”. In our opinion,
we thin that the correlation both those words are closed. Almost all context,
the writer use those words in the same time such like in the two statements
above.
While, on the other side. We think that the
writer also uses a spesific word that represents the story in Harry Potter
series, as we know that this novels represent story related to magic, then the
use “spell” word also indicates in this story. Here, “spell” knocks objects
over and stuns magical creatures. He learns this spell in his first ever
Defense Against the Dark Arts class (DADA). This spell unlocks doors, even
binded by magic (though it also depends on how powerful the wizard/witch is. If
the magic is too strong for the user to handle, they cannot open the door)
Hermione knows this spell from a book on spells.
v Data collection
|
Amount of Words
|
Frequency
|
||||
|
Broomstick (n)
|
Spell (n)
|
Wand (n)
|
Wizard (n)
|
||
|
Harry
Potter I
|
6543
|
27
|
14
|
62
|
41
|
|
Harry
Potter II
|
7803
|
12
|
6
|
107
|
44
|
|
Harry
Potter III
|
8349
|
20
|
6
|
114
|
39
|
v Method
In
this analysis, we use the corpus application named concordance. We put those
four words into the application as our object
analysis. Those words are wand, wizard, spell and broomstick. As you can see in the table on
data collection part, those four words are calculated by the application. We
tend to know the frequency of each word.
v Discussion
The definition from Longman Dictionary
broom‧stick noun [ countable
]
1. the long handle of a broom
2. a broom that a witch
is supposed to fly on in children's stories
The second meaning of “broomstick” relates with the actual context
within the novel. The writer uses direct diction without any further analysis
of the “broomstick” meaning.
spell noun [ countable ]
1. a piece of magic that someone does or the special
words or ceremonies used in doing it :
▪ The witch cast a spell on (= did a
piece of magic to change something about) the young prince.
▪ Only a
kiss could break the spell (= stop the
spell from working).
▪ The whole
town seemed to be under a spell.
wand noun [ countable ]
1. a thin stick you hold in your hand to do magic tricks ➔ see also magic wand
2. a tool that looks like a thin stick
:
▪ a mascara
wand
wiz‧ard noun [ countable
]
1. a man in stories who has magic powers ➔ see also witch
2. someone who is very good at something
at/with
▪ Gail is a
wizard with numbers.
a computer/guitar/financial etc. wizard
▪ a
15-year-old computer wizard
The context:
The occurrence of the word
“broomstick” decreased from the first novel to the second novel. In the first
novel, Harry’s character deals with the Quidditch which is kind of game in
Hogwart’s school. The game allows the students to fly with their broomsticks
playing the ball. So, the Quidditch will be the one of the topic of the first
novel and the repetition of the word “broomstick” is often found. In the second
novel, the word “broomstick” is rarely used because the Quidditch does not
become the important topic and it is only limited on the flying skill lesson.
Then in the third novel, the occurrence is raising gain but not really often.
The context is about the use of broomstick outside the school and the character
is looking for Sirius Black. However, it is also supported by the Quidditch
also but not become the main focus.
The occurrence of the word
“spell” in the first novel becomes the focus because in the story, spell here
firstly introduced and the students have to be mastered it. For the second and
third novel, the students are beginning to be accustomed and rarely told about
it. It happens because in second and third novel
of Harry Potter, the students of Hogward can use the magic word for doing the
magic. Besides, when in the first novel of Harry Potter, all the characters who
becomes the students in Hogward should learn how to spell the magic word,
because if they do not use the magic word, they cannot do anything for any
lesson in the Hogward. Because of that, it makes the use of the word spell in
Harry potter one become the most occur then others. In addition, in the second
and third novel of Harry Potter, the use of the word “spell” is not often as in
the first novel, because the students in Hogward already learn about the magic
word, that is why in the first novel of Harry potter becomes the most accurs
the word “spell” happens.
The occurrence of the word
“wand” is rising among three novels. The use of wand here is rising because of
the problems between Harry and Voldemort are getting more complicated. As we
know in the magical world, the use of wand is crucial. The wizard cannot use
their spells and curse without their wand. So, in order to fight the darkness,
Harry and his friends use wand as a tool to fight it. Additionally, we can imagine that the more
level of novel the more complicated also the problem on it. It happens because,
the author wants to avoid the reader get bored. Because of that, the use of the
word “wand” in the third Harry potter novel becomes the most occur the others. Here,
we can know why the word “wand” occur to 114 times. In contrast in the first of
Harry potter novel the word “wand” occurs 62 times and in the second of Harry
Potter novel it occurs 107 times.
The occurrence of the word
“wizard” is rising in the second novel because the story on the second novel is told about the history of Voldemort. In addition, Harry in this novel is shown about the historical background why Voldemort became the dark
wizard. However, the second novel is told about the wizard (its surroundings).
While in the first book the
word “wizard” is occur 41 times, it is almost same with the frequency occurs in
the second novel. Additionally, the frequency happens 41 times because in the
first novel of harry potter tells about the Harry’s life. In the first novel of
Harry potter, it tells about the story how Harry can join the Hogward. It takes
a lot of courage for Harry to join in it, because his father oppose what Harry
wants. Besides, in the third novel of Harry Potter, the occurance of the word
“wizard” happens 39 times. Furthermore, the occurance of the word “wizard” in
this novel become the low one. In addition, the third novel of Harry Potter
tells about the relation between Harry Potter and his baptism father.
v Conclusion
From our analysis, we can conclude that the
use of the word “broomstick” occurs more in the first novel, the word “spell”
also occurs more in the first novel, while the word “wand” is occur more in the
third novel, then the word “wizard” occurs in the second novel. Those words
grow appropiate to the Harry’ story in the first novel through the third one.
If we understand the whole story in those three novels, we can see the
expansion of “broomstick, spell, wand and wizard” words.
v References
Discourse Studies, Jean E Fox Tree
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stonne,
Rowling, J.K Harry Potter and
Chamber of Secrets,
Rowling, J.K Harry Potter and the
Prisoner of Azkaban
2 comments:
For writers, writing tips are always helpful… thank you so much for sharing these with us…
Write My Essay
Hi, any chance that you could tell me what corpus you used?
I'd be really grateful for a quick email:
blog1@hotmail.ch
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