Throughout the course, I noticed a variety of texts which delivered
connotative meanings in addition to their denotative meaning. This intrigued me
because so many of our assigned readings seemed obscure and unclear on the
first read, yet with further explication and close reading, the text unveiled perhaps
what should have been the true message. A denotation refers to the direct or
explicit meaning of a word or expression, where as a connotation is more of a
commonly understood emotional association to that word or expression. So, how
does this relate to the texts we have read? It’s simple—the poets wanted to
convey some kind of message regarding political, sexual, religious, social
issues, etc.
The usage of a single word can change the entire meaning of a
poem. Consider using the word home rather than house, or house rather than
residency. Essentially, the words denote the same meaning, however, the word
home also has other connotations associated with it—comfort, warmth, love,
family, etc. So, I think the connotative meanings that lie within the subtexts
of many of our readings are extremely significant. Not only do these
connotations allow us, as readers, to establish our own view on the poem, but
they also illustrate the deeper meaning behind the poem in a way that the poet
intended. Since so many (if not all) of the texts we have read have subtexts, in
which we are allowed to further indulge in the text, I think it appropriate
that we start “collecting connotations”—these poets must be suggesting something, right?
Let me begin with Eramus Darwin’s Loves of the Plants. Although confusing at times, this poem
succeeds in bringing its subtext to life. The connotative meanings, however, do
not come from a single word, but rather the idea that plants are as humans. Darwin
uses personification to give personality and “life” to the plants in order for
the reader to better relate to them. “Darwin adds a layer of humanity to the
plants by giving them a certain personality whether it is when they
"clap'd their rude hands" or the way one "lolls his red
tongue". I almost felt that I could interact with [the plants] in the same
way they related to each other” (http://romanticcollecting.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-loves-of-plants-and-personification.html).
By allowing us to identify with the plants, Darwin also allows us to identify
with their emotions (and in this case sexual pleasures). Catherine Packham
says, “Combined with the belief that personification is evidence of the
productive powers of the imagination, this association of the figure with the
expression of passionate feeling serves to link it with developing theories of
the sublime, which is characterized by the poet's calling of 'shadowy
substances and unreal objects into existence’” (Packham, Catherine). So not only does the
poem have sexual connotations relating to humans, but also implications of the
sublime. Furthermore, personification is a language in its own which suggests
that the author was passionate about the subject matter. This is illustrated by
Darwin’s use of intimate detail concerning the plants mating.
Charlotte Smith, on the other hand, uses connotative words throughout her poetry. I recall us
discussing The glow-worm during a
class discussion. Although the poem begins with joyful diction, the underlying
message (and the diction at the end of the poem) says otherwise. Just as the
glow-worm loses its “glow” so does the world, and the child in the poem, when
faced with the realities of life (hence the last line of the poem “—so turn the
world’s brightest joys to cold and blank disgust”). Also, words such as “morning”
and “new” in this poem have connotative meanings that differ from their
denotative meanings. “Morning” suggests mourning
or grief, which proves relevant to the poem considering that the subtext of the
poem suggests that the world is far from the joyful place we perceive it to be
as young children. “New” implies childhood innocence or perhaps a firsthand experience.
As discussed in class, there is much emotional depth to Smith’s poems, which
provides juxtaposition to her own life. Smith’s marriage was unhappy and in her
own words was a “legal prostitution”. Smith’s family also suffered from
financial struggles early on in her life and thus she illustrates some of her
own experiences (and the realities of life) in her work ("The Biography of Charlotte Smith").
From Charlotte Smith’s words to William Wordsworth’s words, in The
Thorn we can see how powerful a word can be over the mind. Words can
completely alter the way we read and perceive a poem. For instance, in The Thorn, Wordsworth describes the
character, Martha, grieving upon a hill because of the death of her child. However,
I think the message here is not about the event of what happened, but perhaps
how we perceive what happened—which is why I want to focus of the word
telescope in this poem. Wordsworth writes, “For one day with my telescope, /to
view the ocean wide and bright” to imply that telescope is the lens by which we
see. The telescope is our perception of the tragedy in the poem and perhaps a
commentary on moral perception (do we think the woman killed her own baby?).
Thomas Ashton says that the telescope in The
Thorn is “an invention…which produces impressive effects out of simple
elements” (Ashton, Thomas). So, when the narrator of the poem looks upon the woman from
his telescope, he sees beyond the ordinary element of the woman herself—he sees
her grief. So, I think this poem has both a connotative undertone as a whole,
and also connotative meanings toward certain words.
How often do we have the wrong perception?
One of my favorite poems, thus far, is The Rime of the Ancient Mariner—because of the subtexts,
connotations, etc. I want to discuss, first, the beauty of nature described in
this poem. The symbolism behind nature such as “the sun” which is
representative of the Son of God or “the storm blast” and the “mist and snow”
which seem to signify that the ship is being cut off from the outside world,
demonstrates sublimity within the poem. But let me focus on what is most likely
the central topic and theme of the poem, the Albatross. “Such was the joy
of the Mariners at the sight of the albatross, a sign of life in this lifeless
environment, a symbol of hope and renewal to the sailors, happy for it to take
their food and responding to their calls without fear of man, they took it as a
good omen for their journey, and blessed it in the Name of God” (Dice, Paul). The
Albatross represented a sign of hope and renewal, thus giving it the
connotation of Jesus Christ. The
Albatross is again a symbol of the embodiment Christ as he hangs from the
Mariner’s neck (as Jesus did from the cross). So, as readers, we can see how
significant the meaning of a word can be—both figuratively or literally,
denotatively or connotatively.
Why is it important to collect
connotations? Connotations, as I have previously stated, can alter the meaning,
importance, perception, etc. of the poem. So when we pick up on the poet’s
connotative suggestions throughout the poem, we are able to have a better
understanding of the religious suggestions, sexual undertones, historical
backgrounds and events and so on. So just as collecting nature, history and the
poet/self are important, so is collecting connotations because they help to
better illustrate these ideas.
WORKS CITED
Ashton, Thomas
L. ""The Thorn": Wordsworth's Insensitive Plant." JSTOR
35.2 (1972): 171-87. Print.
"The
Biography of Charlotte Smith." Poem Hunter. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec.
2012.
Dice, Paul.
"Poetry Analysis: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel
Coleridge." Helium. N.p., 13 Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
Packham,
Catherine. "The Science and Poetry of Animation." (n.d.): n. pag. MLA
International Bibliography. Web. 11 Dec. 2012
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