Page 21 - ELA_CA_HighSchool_Sampler_Flipbook

Word Choice: Diction and Imagery
Writers choose words both for their literal meanings (their dictionary definitions, or denotations) and for their implied meanings (their emotional associations, or connotations).
Writers create their intended effects through particular connotations—the associations or images readers connect with certain words. Some words provoke strong positive or negative associations. These reactions are central to how we, as readers, draw inferences about the tone, the characters, and the meaning of a text.
8. Consider the following sentence from the chapter of Speak that you read in Activity 1.3, “Spotlight”: “I dive into the stream of fourth-period lunch students and swim down the hall to the cafeteria.” What connotations do the images of diving into and swimming through other students have here?
A flow of humanity that is in constant motion and that takes the students with its tide
9. Rewrite the sentence, trying to keep the same denotative meaning but changing the connotations to make them neutral.
I step into the hallway and walk toward the cafeteria.
10. Now consider what is conveyed by Anderson’s diction (particularly the verbs) in this sentence.
“I ditch my tray and bolt for the door.”
Based on the verbs, what inferences might you draw about the speaker’s feelings in this moment?
The speaker is in a panic, hurrying out without paying attention to exactly what she is doing.
11. Now revise Anderson’s sentence to be more neutral.
I put my tray down and move toward the door.
12. Find examples of diction and imagery that convey Lizabeth’s distinctive voice in “Marigolds.” Use the graphic organizer that follows to record your examples.
My Notes
ACTIVITY 1.5
continued
Literary Terms
It is always important to know the denotation, or precise meaning, of a word, but
often the connotations, or associations and emotional overtones attached, help
the reader make important inferences about meaning.
Unit 1 • Coming of Age 25
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ACTIVITY 1.5 continued
14 Review the definitions of denotation and connotation. Have each student complete the Working from the Text activity by completing the practice exercises and comparing their responses in a small group setting.
15 Ask one person from each small group to share a response to student exercises 8–11.
16 Have students work in the same small groups to share examples of diction and imagery before they begin work on the graphic organizer on the following page.
17 The graphic organizer gives students a strategy for bringing together their inferences, textual evidence, and interpretive conclusions.
Note that the some of the quotations offered as textual evidence contain examples of parallelism. You might ask students to be especially aware of this device as a form of emphasis.
Unit 1 • Coming of Age 25
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.
© 2017 College Board. All rights reserved.