6.1. Writing about Literature: Analyzing Prose http://www.ck12.org
As you can see, words have many connotations. Every person will find different connotations for a word, as
connotation depends on a person’s background, cultural setting, emotions, and subjective opinions. For instance,
while the color green often represents prosperity to Western cultures, Eastern cultures associate the color red with
wealth and good fortune. However, there are often a number of connotations that are widely accepted as connected
to a word. People from all over the world, for example, associate snow with winter and heat waves with summer.
So, how do we apply this to reading? Well, when people read, certain words often stand out to them. This is usually
because those words carry strong connotations for the reader. Thus, when you read, look for words whose meanings
stand out, especially if they relate to a recurring theme in the text. As an example, read through the following excerpt
from Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Some words that stand out have been italicized.
I looked upon the scene before me–upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain–upon
the bleak walls–upon thevacant eye-likewindows–upon a fewranksedges–and upon a fewwhite trunks of decayed
trees–with anutter depressionof soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to the after-
dream of thereveller upon opium–thebitter lapseinto everyday life–thehideous dropping offof the veil.
When reading a passage like this, you might get a general impression that its mood is gloomy and depressing.
Certain key words in the passage are what create that impression, and if we look at the italicized text, we can see
a pattern. The narrator is describing a house, but “vacant eye-like windows” has a denotation of dark or empty
windows, but it also brings up the connotation of corpses. “Rank” means overgrown, but it brings up connotations of
abandonment and possible decay. Continue looking at the connotations behind each word, and see if you can detect
any patterns. For instance, do the italicized words in this passage make you think of death, decline, and decay? Does
the comparison to “the after-dream of the reveller upon opium” make you question the narrator’s state of mind? By
asking these kinds of questions, you’re on your way to doing a close reading.
Rhetorical Devices
Now you know how to search for connotation and denotation in a text, but how do you tell which words you should
examine closely? If you were to spend time doing a close reading of every word in a story, you would never finish.
Thus, you want to look forrhetorical deviceswhen you read. Rhetorical devices are words that serve a special
function in the text. Authors include them in order to convey a meaning to the reader. Listed below are some of the
most common rhetorical devices.
Metaphors and Similes
Two of the most common rhetorical devices aremetaphorsandsimiles. These are both means of comparison. A
metaphor compares two things by saying they are the same, while a simile uses the words “like” or “as.”
TABLE6.2: The following table contains a list of examples.
Metaphor Simile
My Great Dane is a vacuum. My Great Dane is like a vacuum.
That linebacker is a wall. That linebacker is like a wall.
She is a cheetah. She runs as fast as a cheetah.In the first example, we know that the Great Dane isn’t really a vacuum. Both the metaphor and simile, however,
imply that the dog consumes a large amount. The main difference is that the metaphor creates a stronger comparison.
However, in the last example, only the context will tell you that the metaphor is not talking about a real cheetah.
If we were talking about a runner, saying “she is a cheetah” would carry the denotations of speed, grace, agility,
litheness, etc. But if we are looking at the simile, we only see that the runner is fast.
Repetition