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AMERICAN LITERATURE
Important
Terms
VALUE
 Value: An intangible concept, attitude, behavior, or belief that
is meaningful or valuable
 Values provide an internal reference for what is right and
wrong
 Personal values and cultural values usually intersect and overlap
 Examples:
 Family
 Love of country
 Justice
LOADED LANGUAGE
 Loaded language: language that tries to influence the reader
by appealing to their emotions rather than their logic or
reason (emotive language)
 Examples:
 Mighty – the literal meaning is powerful or forceful, but it is often
used to describe a good or benevolent type of power
 pro-life
 tax relief
 beast/animal
 Purpose: creates bias
 Bias: A personal and (sometimes) unreasoned judgment
DENOTATION VS. CONNOTATION
 Denotation: the explicit or direct meaning of a word or set of
words; the literal meaning or “dictionary definition”
 Example: Snake (n) – a long, limbless reptile; can be harmless or
venomous
 Connotation: an emotional association that words or phrases
carry; can be positive or negative
 Example: Snake (n) – a person who is unreliable, sneaky, or evil
*** This type of loaded language relies on the author’s chosen
words’ connotation to convey its intended message. ***
DENOTATION VS. CONNOTATION
 What is the denotation of discriminate?
 To note or observe a difference
 What is the connotation of discriminate?
 To treat an individual differently because of that difference
 Examples:
 Do you still cheat on your math tests?
 10 steps to a wealthier 2012!
 10 minutes to flat abs!
PARADOX
 Paradox: an opinion or statement contrary to popular or
widely accepted opinion; leads to a contradiction; usually
expresses a possible truth
 Examples:




Everything I say is a lie.
There is a method to my madness.
This statement is false.
“We are alert, curious, hopeful, and we take more drugs designed to
make us unaware than any other people.”
– Steinbeck
 All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
– First Commandment from Animal Farm