English II

1
English II

• Perception Is Everything Denotation, Connotation
  and My Papas Waltz

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Denotation and Connotation

• Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a
  word, or the dictionary definition
• Connotation, on the other hand, refers to
  associations that are connected to the word, or
  emotional suggestions related to the word. The
  connotative meaning exists with the denotative
  meaning.

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Examples of connotative associations

• Negative There are over 200 vagrants in this
  area.
• Neutral There are over 200 people with no fixed
  address in this area.
• Positive There are over 200 homeless in this
  area.
• All 3 words refer to the same people, but evoke
  different associations in the readers mind.

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Notebook Question 1

• All 3 of the following words essentially mean the
  same thing, but evoke different feelings. Label
  each either negative, positive, or neutral.
• Woman
• Chick
• Female

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Notebook Question 2

• Label each of the following either positive,
  negative, or neutral and include a brief
  explanation.
• Black
• African American
• Negro

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My Papas Waltz by Theodore Roethke

• The whiskey on your breath
• Could make a small boy dizzy
• But I hung on like death
• Such waltzing was not easy

• We romped until the pans
• Slid from the kitchen shelf
• My mothers countenance could not unfrown itself

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My Papas Waltz continued

• The hand that held my wrist
• Was battered on one knuckle
• At every step you missed
• My right ear scraped a buckle

• You beat time on my head
• With a palm caked hard by dirt,
• Then waltzed me off to bed
• Still clinging to your shirt

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Perception Analysis of My Papas Waltz

• Directions
• Reread the poem
• Address the memory of the narrators father in
  the poem.In your opinion, is the narrator
  recalling innocent rough housing or something
  more disturbing, like child abuse? Provide
  examples from the poem for support. Complete in
  at least 5-6 sentences.