Connotation Of A Poem

Abraham Z.S Moleong

19401018
British And American Poetry
• A connotation is the feeling a writer creates through their word choice. It’s
the idea a specific word or set of words evokes.While the connotation is
focused on the idea or feeling a word evokes, the literal meaning is known as
the denotation.
This is an important difference because a series of words
might have the same denotation but every different
connotation. If a writer gets the connotation wrong, then
the entire piece, whether it be a poem, short story, or
novel, is going to be wrong.

• Connotation Definition
Understanding connotations might seem complicated at
first but with a few examples it becomes quite clear that
all one has to do is lean on one’s understanding of
English to work out a specific connotation. Everyone is
aware of the connotations words have. For example,
when considering the words “cheap” and “affordable,”
the former sounds worse than the latter. The word
“cheap” connotes something is poorly made and likely
won’t last the test of time, while the latter,
“affordable,” suggests that the thing is as well made as
one might want it to be but has a lower price than usual.
• Types of Connotation
Positive. If something has a positive connotation that means it is associated
with positive emotions and experiences. These could also be simple or complex
associations with a reader’s perception of the world and/or memories. For
example, using the word “aroma” to describe someone’s cooking or the word
“independent” to describe someone’s friend.
Negative. If a word has a negative connotation that means it is associated with
negative emotions and experiences. When someone reads it, they are
immediately transported to a negative frame of mind. This will likely last for
more than the line containing the negative word. For example, if someone
describes another’s cooking with the word “stench,” rather than “aroma,” it’s
likely the reader is going to be disgusted at the thought and that disgust will
continue over the next few lines as they consider what the smell might be.
Another option is to use the word “unfriendly” rather than “independent” when
describing someone.
Neutral. if a word has a neutral connotation then it has neither a negative nor
positive one. Words with neutral connotations can be used without fear that
the reader is going to have an unexpected reaction to it. But, at the same time,
the word is also going to be less interesting than its counterparts and describe
less for the reader.
Example

“He’s such a dog.” – In this sense, the word dog connotes

shamelessness, or ugliness.“That woman is a dove at
heart.” – Here, the dove implies peace or
gentility.“There’s no place like home.” – While home
may refer to the actual building someone lives in,
connotatively, it most often refers to family, comfort,
and security.