Part I: denotation and connotation
Do you know what are denotation and connation? Please refer to the following
websites and then answer the questions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connotation
http://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/connotationterm.htm
Explain the denotative and connotative meanings of the following words. Also
describe the positive or negative feeling they arouse in the readers.
For example:
peasant: a usually uneducated person of low social status.
The word ‘peasant’ has a negative connotation which implies the peasant is a rustic,
an ill-breed person.
1. dog：common domestic animal. There is a negative connotation which implies the
dog is a worthless wicked or surly person
2. reservation：area of land reserved for a special purpose. It always implies a negative
connotation of uncivilized and undeveloped place.（保留區，如美國的印地安人保
留區 ）
3. socialism：philosophical, political and economic theory that land, transport, the
chief industries, natural resources, eg coal, waterpower, etc., should be owned and
managed by the State or by public bodies and wealth equally distributed.
4. capitalism：economic system in which a country’s trade and industry are organized
and controlled by the owners of capital, the chief elements being competition, profit,
supply and demand. It implies negative connotation of the material pursuit.
5. Hollywood：centre of the US film industry.
It also implies negative a sparkling
material world.
6. lady ：woman who has good manners and some claim to social position. (Compare
the two sentences: 1. She is a lady：She is a woman being preferable. 2. She is a
woman：Her gender is female.)
7. chocolate：substance made from the crushed seeds of the cacao tree. It also implies
positively the meaning of lover or daring.
8. 圓仔花
：The name of the flower. There is a negative connotation
which implies the girl who pay much attention on the love affair and has
the improper manners to deal with the men.
9. ‘crow’ , ‘烏鴉’ and ‘カラス’：large, black bird with a harsh cry.
There is a
negative connotation which implies unluckiness, misfortune.
.
10. Read each list of words below. Each word has a different connotation, but has
the same general denotation. Decide what the general denotation is for each group.
Write your answer on the line provided. Then, number the words in each group from
most positive connotation to most negative connotation.
Example:
_7__ imprison
_1__ relocate
3. thin
4. bony
1. slim
5. anorexic
2. slender
____thin____ (general denotation)
_8_ incarcerate
_2__ intern
_3__ evacuate
_6__ detain
_4__lock-up
_5__ confine
_____confine_____ (general denotation)
__2_ uprising
__6_ riot
__1_ demonstration
__3_ prisoner
__4_ evacuee
__2_ internee
__4_ unlawful gathering
__3_ protest
__5_ disturbance
____protest________ (general
denotation)
__1_ detainee
__5_ inmate
___ prisoner______ (general denotation)
__2_ guerilla
__1_ freedom fighter
__4_ mercenary
__7_internment camps
__4_detention camps
__2_assembly centers
_ 3__ soldier
_1__concentration camps
_5_ terrorist
____soldier_____ (general denotation)
_6__prison camps
_3__relocation centers
_5__temporary detention centers
__detention camps_ (general denotation)
Part 2:
1. Is the husband crazy? Discuss the evidence for and against the view that he is.
No, I don’t think the husband is crazy. He is just a love dreamer and still full of the
imagination for his marriage, therefore, he can see a white unicorn with a gold horn
quietly cropping the roses in the garden.
2. Why do you suppose the husband and the wife get married? Why do you think their
marriage end up in this way?
Just like most couples , they get married because the misunderstanding for each other
and they separate in the end since they finally understand each other.
Part 3:
Write your reflection after reading The Unicorn in the Garden. Do you understand
more about the opposite sex? What do you know?
“The marriage is love grave.” After the marriage, the couple truly faces to the real life
and struggle for the existence, so, the dream and love for each other will fade away. I
think keeping on the good communication would be the effective policy for the
marriage. If we can listen to the voices from the heart for each other, the tragedy
possibly won’t be happened.