1. Examining a poet's choices of denotation and connotation can help us understand what he or she is expressing in the poem. This week, let's compare the language in poetry to the language we find in prose writing, paying special attention to denotation and connotation.
We summarized and paraphrased a few poems. Using our summary and paraphrasing skills, let's explore denotative and connotative language in some poems that are new to us this week, including the following. See the text's Index of Authors and Titles for page numbers.
"This is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams
"Silence" by Marianne Moore
"Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost
"London" by William Blake
"Disillusionment of Ten O'Clock" by Wallace Stevens
Choosing a poem or two, explain where you are finding denotation and connotation. How does the specific language you are examining from the poem or poems contribute to the overall meaning as you see it?
2. "When in Disgrace with Fortune and Men's Eyes" by William Shakespeare do you believe the poet's use of one or more of these literary devices is particularly successful in this poem, and tell us why. Show a few examples of figurative language at work. How does the figurative language you have chosen help the poem communicate to us as readers?