Interpreting Connotations The Emotional Power of Words
Connotations What feelings or ideas come to mind when you read these words or phrases? rascaldaily bread knight in shining armor stuck-uppest class clown
What Are Connotations? Connotations are all the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests. Connotations may be positive or negative give a word emotional impact color a word’s meaning relate to readers’ experiences and feelings Connotations differ from denotations, which are the dictionary definitions of words.
Three Kinds of Connotations Personal connotations carry added emotional meanings for just one person or for a small group of people. Individuals may use common words that have come to mean something unique to them. Close friends may use words that draw emotional power from shared experiences. Family members may use words in ways that only that family “gets.”
Three Kinds of Connotations Group connotations carry particular emotional associations for larger groups who share common interests—sports, astronomy, creative writing locations—states, regions, cities, or areas common beliefs or philosophies
Three Kinds of Connotations Universal connotations carry similar associations for people who share a common language. Universal connotations are very useful to speakers and writers who want to reach a large audience let speakers and writers convey a great deal of meaning in just a word or two draw on the shared experiences of many people
No man sheltered On the quiet fairness of earth can feel How wretched I was, drifting through winter On an ice-cold sea, whirled in sorrow, Alone in a world blown clear of love, Hung with icicles. The hailstorms flew. The only sound was the roaring sea, The freezing waves. from “The Seafarer,” translated by Burton Raffel From “The Seafarer” from Poems from the Old English, translated by Burton Raffel. Copyright © 1960, 1964, 1998 by Burton Raffel. Reproduced by permission of Yale University Press. Let’s Practice Which words in the passage have strong connotations?
Allusions Allusions, like connotations, spark memories and emotions in readers. Abraham LincolnWorld War II CamelotStatue of Liberty Huckleberry FinnRomeo and Juliet
What Are Allusions? An allusion is a reference to a statement, person, place, event, or thing that is known from literature, history, religion, mythology, politics, sports, science, or popular culture. Allusions can supply enriching details and relevance to a work.
On Your Own Identify the allusion and connotative words in this passage, and describe their effect on the meaning of the passage. I speak out of a full heart, for I am about to speak about a land that I love deeply and passionately; a beautiful land of rolling hills and gurgling streams, of clear starlit skies, of singing birds, and gamboling lambs; a land God has richly endowed with the good things of the earth, a land rich in mineral deposits of nearly every kind; a land of vast open spaces... a land capable of feeding itself and other lands on the beleaguered continent of Africa, a veritable breadbasket.... And so we would expect that such a land, veritably flowing with milk and honey, should be a land where peace and harmony and contentment reigned supreme. Alas, the opposite is the case. from “The Question of South Africa” by Desmond Tutu From "The Question of South Africa" by Desmond Tutu from a speech to the United Nations Security Council, October 23, Copyright © 1984 by United Nations. Reproduced by permission of United Nations Publication Board.
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