Conotation+&+Denotation

Connotation & Denotation:

con·no·ta·tion  / ˌkɒnəˈteɪʃən /    Definition: that which is implied by a word; as opposed to the word's literal meaning

de·no·ta·tion
 / ˌdinoʊˈteɪʃən /    Definition : the literal meaning of a word; the dictionary meaning

Examples In Literature: 1. And on a day we meet to walk the line And set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go. To each the boulders that have fallen to each. (Mending Wall by Robert Frost)

Purpose of author: In the "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost the word wall acts as both a physical boundary (denotation) and emotional barrier (connotation) preventing interaction between neighbors.

2. -"When I speak of home, I speak of the place where -- in default of a better -- those I love are gathered together; and if that place were a gypsy's tent, or a barn, I should call it by the same good name notwithstanding." - (Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens)

Purpose:the denotation of the meaning is giving in the phrase as Dickens expalins what a home is in the eyes of Nicholas, while the connotation is a home can be anything.

3."And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain" (The Raven)

Purpose: Poe uses connotation in the sense that he uses certain words to appeal to a certain emotion and/or audience. While the denotation of the phrase is that the purple curtains are given personification for feeling sad.