Specific vs General
Concrete vs Abstract
Connotation vs Denotation
Concrete vs Abstract
Connotation vs Denotation
"My love is like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;"
Explain the difference between the denotation and connotation of "rose" in this stanza.
Answer:
Denotation: A flowering plant.
Connotation: Passion, romance, and love.
"Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy,
But here’s my number, so call me, maybe?
And all the other boys try to chase me,
But here’s my number, so call me, maybe?"
Carly Rae Jepsen "Call me Maybe"
Identify the level of diction used in this song
Informal diction as it uses phrases used in normal conversation like "Hey I just met you" and "this is crazy" and modern slang like "chase me"
"Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well."
Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade"
Identify the type of jargon used
Answer: Military jargon, fighting jargon, etc...
"The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the road has gone, and I must follow if I can."
From “The Road Goes Ever On” by J.R.R. Tolkien
Question: What is the example of syntax used here.
Answer: "Now far ahead the road has gone, and I must follow if I can."
Find the idiom explain what it means.
Poetry Example: "Caught in a storm of words, he felt like he was swimming against the tide, struggling to be heard."
Answer: What is "swimming against the tide"? It means to go against the prevailing trend or facing opposition.
"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,"
Explain the connotation of "dark and deep" versus its literal meaning.
Answer:
Denotation: Physically shadowy and vast.
Connotation: Mystery and the unknown.
"Chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool
And all shootin' some b-ball outside of the school
When a couple of guys who were up to no good
Started makin' trouble in my neighborhood"
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith
Identify the type of diction used
Informal language as it uses the colloquial phrases "chillin out", "shootin' some b-ball", and "makin trouble"
"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sails shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking."
By John Masefield "Sea-Fever"
Identify the type of jargon used
Answer: Seafarer jargon, maritime jargon, boat jargon, etc...
"To err is human; to forgive, divine."
From “An Essay on Criticism” by Alexander Pope
Question: What is the example of parallelism in this line.
Answer: The parallelism found in "to err" and "to forgive" is meant to make a contrast between human error and divine mercy.
Find the idiom and explain what it means.
Poetry Example: "Her heart was in the right place, though her actions sometimes led her astray."
Answer: What is "in the right place"? It means to have good intentions or to be well-meaning.
"so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens"
By William Carlos Williams "The Red Wheelbarrow"
Identify the type of diction and explain its significance.
Answer: Uses concrete diction and uses sensory words like "red wheelbarrow", "rain water", and "white chickens" to easily make the reader imagine the scene.
"so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens"
William Carlos Williams' "The Red Wheelbarrow"
Identify the level of language used and give a reason why you think it was used that way.
Answer" Middle/neutral language was used in order to focus the attention on the vivid imagery that the poem tries to induce in the reader, allowing the reader to easily image what the poem says.
"We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon."
By Gwendolyn Brooks "We Real Cool"
Identify the linguistic feature
We Real Cool uses slang like "lurk late" and "jazz June" to mimic the informal speech of young rebellious teenagers.
"Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!"
From “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne
Question: What examples of parallelism and repetition are found in this line.
Answer: The repeated phrase "Let it snow!" creates a joyful atmosphere and emphasizes the speaker's excitement about winter.
Find the idiom and explain what it means.
Poetry Example: "Though the world felt heavy, he decided to take it with a grain of salt, finding humor in the chaos."
Answer: What is "take it with a grain of salt"? It means to view something with skepticism or not take it too seriously.
"A narrow Fellow in the Grass
Occasionally rides—
You may have met Him—did you not
His notice sudden is—"
Emily Dickinson " A Narrow Fellow in the Grass"
Identify the type of diction (Specific vs General) for "narrow Fellow"
Answer: Specific diction as she uses the term narrow fellow to specifically describe a snake
"To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles..."
By Shakespeare "Hamlet" (Act III, Scene 1)
Identify the level of diction
Answer: This is high diction as it uses old terms ("tis", "outrageous fortune"), and old metaphors ("slings and arrows", "sea of troubles")
"We is gathahed hyeah, my brothahs,
In dis howlin’ wildaness,
Fu’ to speak some words of comfo’t
To each othah in distress."
From Paul Lauence "An Ante-Bellum Sermon"
Identify the dialect and explain its significance.
Hint (Uses African American Vernacular English)
Answer: It uses African American Vernacular English through nonstandard spellings like "hyeah" (here) and "comfo’t" (comfort). The dialect replicates the voice of Black preachers during slavery, subtly encoding resistance and communal solidarity under oppression.
"I came, I saw, I conquered,
I dreamt, I hoped, I soared."
Attributed to Julius Caesar
Question: Identify the parallelism and repetition in this stanza.
The parallel structure of "I (verb)" creates a chronological sense of the speakers actions, and expresses his journey through action and ambition.
Find the idiom and explain what it means.
Poetry Example: "As the poet penned her lines, she knew every word was the tip of the iceberg, hiding deeper truths below."
Answer: What is "the tip of the iceberg"? It means only a small, visible part of a larger issue or problem.
"Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove."
By Shakespeare "Sonnet 116"
Identify the type of diction (Concrete vs Abstract)
Answer: Abstract diction as it uses abstract nontangible terms to describe emotions in love and relationships
"Of Man’s First Disobedience, and the Fruit
Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste
Brought Death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man..."
By John Milton's "Paradise Lost"
What type of formality does this use.
Answer: The poem uses formal language to impose a sense of grandeur and divinity.
"Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim’rous beastie,
O, what a panic’s in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi’ bickerin brattle!"
From Robert Burns "To a Mouse"
Identify the linguistic feature
Hint: (The speaker is a scottish farmer)
Answer: The poem uses Scottish dialect with words like "sleekit" (sly), "bickerin brattle" (hurried scamper), and "thy breastie" (your breast). The dialect grounds the poem in rural Scottish life, which emphasizes the speaker’s empathy for the mouse and the universality of struggle.
"Nevermore shall I see the dawn,
Nevermore shall I hear the song,
Nevermore shall I walk alone."
From "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe
Question: What role does repetition play in this stanza and what mood does it invoke in the reader.
The repetition of "Nevermore" creates a feeling of dread and horror for what has happened, and creates a sense of loss and hopelessness.
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
By Robert Frost "The Road Not Taken"
Identify the idiom and its meaning