DENOTATION AND CONNOTATION Words and images can work on more than one level. You will come across the terms denotation and connotation throughout your course. They are important terms for you to understand. Denotation and Connotation also help with understanding SYMBOLS & IMAGERY in literature.

DENOTATION is the straight forward or common- sense meaning of a word or image. Literally what is actually shown or meant. A red rose is a flower with petals and a thorny stem – that is its straight forward meaning or denotation An apple is a fruit we eat- A bridge is a structure across a body or water or a valley that connects two parts of land

CONNOTATION is the extra, linked meaning, emotional response, or association (+ or - ) that goes with any word or image. Connotations will be much more personal than the straight-forward denotation, because they are to do with personal ideas and feelings. The connotations will not be the same for everybody all the time.

Think about the rose… For romantics a red rose can be a symbol of love. In Lancashire, England it is a symbol for the county. It has even been a symbol for a political party. These are all connotations or extra layers of meaning that the image carries with it.

Think about the apple… It can be a symbol of health. It can have associated meanings of New York -“The Big Apple”. It can even have stand for sin. These are all connotations or extra layers of meaning that the image carries with it.

Think about a bridge… It can connote cities, industrialization, and change It can symbolize moving forward and hope It can symbolize linking ideas, people, and places It can be a physical obstacle or emotional barrier It can be stability or fragility…

A two step content analysis of pictures. Denotation. Straight-forward reading of what is in the picture. Connotation. The extra, linked meanings that go with the picture. 1 :- Sky. Sand. Girl. Boy. Donkey. 2:- Beach. Seaside. Holiday. Family holiday. Animal adventure, exploration, animal rights, abuse/exploitation of animals for leisure, cultural beliefs… photo courtesy of photolibrary wales www.photolibrarywales.com)

Buildings, Cities, jobs, businessmen, offices, work… Denotations: Buildings, Cities, jobs, businessmen, offices, work… Connotations: a high- powered, sophisticated, glamorous, and probably successful lifestyle, but also corruption, greed, abuse of power, sexual inequality, carelessness… NOTE: These will vary based on our lived experiences, culture, prejudices, politics, S/E status, etc.

What are the connotations of these images?

and these… All very different denotations but similar connotations of countryside. photos courtesy of photolibrary wales www.photolibrarywales.com)

Connotative Language Literature often features a lot of connotative language to paint a picture in the readers’ minds. It can help us get a better picture of characters and settings in our minds. Single words or entire phrases can be connotative. For example, think of the associations you have with the following descriptors: He is thin. - positive or neutral connotation He is scrawny. - negative connotation Note that connotative language can often – intentionally or not - subconsciously skew our opinions about characters, and help us to detect bias in the narrator and/or author.

Language & Effect For example, both "woman" and "chick" have the denotation "adult female" in North American society, but "chick" has somewhat negative connotations, while "woman" is neutral. For another example of connotations, consider the following: Negative: There are over 2,000 vagrants in the city. Neutral: There are over 2,000 people with no fixed address in the city. Positive: There are over 2,000 homeless in the city.

Connotative Language: A Very Vivid Image “Her husband, among various physical accomplishments, had been one of the most powerful ends that ever played football at New Haven - a national figure in a way, one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterwards savours of anticlimax. His family were enormously wealthy – even in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach – but now he’d left Chicago and come East in a fashion that rather took your breath away; for instance, he’d brought down a string of polo ponies from Lake Forest. If was hard to realise that a man in my generation was wealthy enough to do that.” - description of Tom, p. 6, Chapter 1, The Great Gatsby

…Versus Denotative Language: Not So Loaded Her husband used to play football at University. He was very good, and he peaked in his early 20s. His family had a lot of money, and he spent a lot. He left Chicago and moved East and had a comfortable and luxurious lifestyle; he brought horses in from Lake Forest, which would have been quite expensive. It’s easy to see that the diction (choice of words), imagery, and connotations affect our reading and our view of characters and situations.

“No language act is unbiased or innocent.” Language: Diction “No language act is unbiased or innocent.” All reading, writing, speaking, or viewing involves assumptions and agendas that are ideologically motivated – conscious or not – and affected by our worldviews, prejudices, and cultural context. It is important to think about language in terms of intent and effect! Remember: How does the language affect the reader? How does the reader affect the language?

To Do: Read Chapters 2-3 of Gatsby Choose ONE passage (1-2 paragraphs) from Chapters 1-3 to analyze ANALYZE the life out of the passage!! Remember to use CLUE if it helps you Fill out the Commentary Writing Page for it Do a word cloud of the passage: http://www.abcya.com/word_clouds.htm http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html Be prepared to present the passage on WED.