Literal and Figurative
IntroducedThe distinction is a starting point, not an answer
- The objective is to distinguish between the literal and figurative meanings of words and phrases.
- Distinguishing is the skill; deciding which one applies is often not the point.
- In poetry both frequently apply at once, and that is where the analysis lives.
In a poem, “cold” may report the weather and the welcome at the same time.
Multiple meanings add complexity
- Words with multiple meanings or connotations add nuance or complexity that can contribute to interpretations of a text.
- So a word that could mean two things is not a problem to solve.
- It is a resource, and the poem usually put it there deliberately.
A word with two possible meanings in a poem is...
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
The poem usually put it there deliberately.
Denotation and connotation
- A word's literal meaning is what it denotes; its connotations are what it brings with it.
- Slender and scrawny denote nearly the same thing and connote opposite judgements.
- The CED's phrase is meanings or connotations — both count as evidence.
Denotation, connotation, or both meanings at once?
Sort each observation about word choice.
"Slender" and "scrawny" denote nearly the same thing but connote opposite judgements.
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
The CED counts both meanings and connotations as contributing to interpretation.
Do not leap over the literal. A line often has a plain sense that is doing real work, and a symbolic reading that ignores it is usually weaker, not deeper. Establish what the words denote first; the figurative reading is strongest when it sits on top of the literal one.
Before reading a phrase figuratively, say what it means ____.
Difficulty 1/5 · 100 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
The figurative reading is strongest built on top of the literal one.
Start literal, always
- Before reading a phrase figuratively, say what it means literally.
- Many wrong readings come from leaping to symbolism over a sentence that had a plain sense.
- The figurative reading is stronger when it is built on top of the literal one, not instead of it.
Select all the questions in the two-meaning pass.
Difficulty 2/5 · 140 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
Frequency is not a source of meaning.
Match each reading of "she kept the house" to its type.
Difficulty 2/5 · 140 coins + a small bonus on first completion today
The poem uses all three, and the ambiguity is the point.
A two-meaning pass
- For each key word: what does it denote, and what does it connote?
- Could it be read literally here? Could it be read figuratively?
- If both, say so — that is the nuance the CED is pointing at.
"She kept the house." Literally: she did the housework, or she retained ownership after a death. Figuratively: she maintained something the family had. The poem uses all three, and the ambiguity is the point — a reading that picks one has thrown away two-thirds of the evidence.
Distinguish literal from figurative — but in poetry both often apply at once. Words with multiple meanings or connotations add nuance or complexity that contributes to interpretation. Establish the literal sense first; the figurative reading is strongest built on top of it.