Aim: How is connotation, denotation, and paradox explicated through Orwell’s “doublethink”?
Today’s Lesson
The Do Now from today’s lesson read as follows:
Analyze the images below. Record the feelings you have/associate/identify with each one of the 6 images.
The images were seemingly in 3 pairs, as shown below.
The class was given some time to analyze the images and take notes on them with their groups. My group analyzed the images as the pairs that they seemingly came in. First, we agreed that the moth in the first picture notably stands out less than the butterfly in the second picture of the pair. The butterfly picture is bright, has vibrant colors, and overall gives us a more positive feeling than the picture of the moth. In the second pair of pictures, we had the same thoughts that we did for the first pair - that the first image, a normal car, did not stand out to us as much as the second image, which stood out due to the car’s vibrance of color and the knowledge that is was a sports car. The last pair of images, however, caught us off guard. Expecting a theme similar to the first two pairs, we were not sure why the second image, a house that looks abandoned and old, was in the same place as the bright butterfly and the sports car while a more normal looking house appeared in the first row.
After coming back together as a class to discuss, we moved on to the second slide and soon realized that the images were not only split into 3 pairs, but also into 2 groups of 3. The first row, where the pictures generally consisted of a basic version of the subjects in them, was in one group because it represented denotation. The images in the second row, however, stood out more to us than the first ones overall because we had many descriptive words that came to mind when analyzing them. This row represented connotation. Thus, we moved on from the do now and entered our lesson about connotation and denotation.
As the discussion of connotation and denotation began, I must say that the do now especially helped me with my understanding of the two concepts. Because we were able to analyze and understand examples of connotation and denotation as well as differentiate between the two, learning their specific definitions was much easier. Denotation, as described, is like the basic meaning of something, while connotation is more specific - such as the thoughts you associate with something. The specific meanings given were as follows:
- Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the "dictionary definition."¨ It’s when you mean what you say, literally.
- Connotation, on the other hand, refers to the associations that are connected to a certain word or the emotional suggestions related to that word; i.e, Feelings. Think of Positive or Negative Feelings.
It is important to note that the connotation and denotation of something both exist together, but are two separate interpretations. Looking back at the Do Now, both can be seen present in the pairs of images shown, but another example was given to further enhance our understanding: the word “Hollywood”. When someone hears the word, it connotes things such as fame, fortune, celebrities, and more, but at the same time, it denotes the area of Los Angeles, California called Hollywood - where movies are filmed, etc.
We then moved on to discuss paradoxes. A paradox is a term I was already familiar with (more so than connotation and denotation), but I personally would not be able to state the definition of it if I were asked to. The lesson put it this way:
- A paradox is a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly, but which may include a latent truth. It is also used to illustrate an opinion or statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas
The slide goes on to say that a paradox is often used to allow a reader to formulate innovative ideas about a topic. Overall, it is stated to be, simply, “a statement that seems to contradict itself”. Examples were provided of paradoxes as well, most notably three mottos that are heard in George Orwell’s 1984: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” Hearing this example used directly after the description of a paradox further helped me understand the term. Throughout my reading of the book, I have interpreted these phrases “innovatively”, like the paradox slide mentions, rather than dismissing them as phrases that do not make sense. For example, I believe that “war is peace” could mean that the act of fighting a war is due to an end goal of peace, so the two are connected. Another example of a paradox was given through a video called “Sarah’s Certain Death Riddle”.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dgmgub8mHw&feature=youtu.be
In the video, which is quite difficult to understand, Sarah is stuck in a maze and approaches 2 doors. The doorkeepers tell her that one door will lead her where she needs to go, while the other door will lead to certain death. However, she finds out that one doorkeeper will always be lying while the other will always tell the truth - but she does not know which is which. After some confusing dialogue and Sarah thinks she has figured it out, she falls to her death at the end of the video.
After discussing paradoxes and briefly previewing the homework assignment for the cycle, we proceeded to the final slide of the lesson, a class discussion. The question read:
- Consider all of the emphasis we have been placing on “Doublethink”. Do you believe that George Orwell would think we were crazy or just wasting a great deal of time focusing on this topic? Why/Why Not?
This question was quite amusing to me at first, as it reminded me of a thought I’ve had with my friends countless times over many years: “Why do we discuss things from the book so in-depth in English class? I bet the author never even intended for that to be discussed.” However, as I’ve grown and read more and more in recent years, I know that no author would think a reader is crazy for putting such a large amount of thought into a concept displayed in the book. Most books are written with the intention of allowing the reader to interpret it however they want to - therefore, there are endless possible interpretations. Furthermore, when it comes to 1984, the concept of doublethink is almost too prominent in the book for Orwell to not have the intention of it being noticed and discussed. Because of this, I believe that Orwell would not think we were “crazy” or “just wasting time” for putting such large emphasis on this topic in our discussions.
Life Update: Working From Home
In my previous blog from the end of April, I discussed how remote learning was a big change for all of us - for both students and teachers. Today, as I approach the final days of school, I can confidently say that I adjusted to it and it has become the norm for me. I most definitely miss school and my friends, as we are still quarantined at home. However, the disappointment of being stuck at home during a global pandemic has been lowered, at least for me, to a large extent. One interesting experience with working from home was taking my first ever AP test on the computer. At the end of May, my fellow sophomores and I took on the AP World History exam, which we have been preparing for for two years. It was shortened from over 3 hours to just 45 minutes due to the remote aspect, as it only consisted of one essay. It was a memorable experience to say the least, but all went well for me and I was able to successfully complete and submit the test. In terms of homework, many teachers have lightened up on workload since my last blog, especially during the time surrounding the AP test as well as now, when school is winding down and grades are about to be entered. That being said, as the end of the school year came closer, my motivation to complete homework only lowered! This is likely because it feels like we have been quarantined for much longer than it has actually been, and we are all so eager to finish school. Luckily, I was still able to complete all my work that needed to be done, with hours of procrastination along the way. As the weather became nicer, I even began studying outside, which helped me concentrate and feel relaxed at the same time. Overall, working from home has gotten easier for me as we’ve experienced it more and more, but I am excited that the school year is coming to an end!
COVID-19 Update
Of course, the reason we are all working from home is the now-infamous coronavirus. It has changed life for just about everyone in the world. However, good news is slowly being revealed to us. New Yorkers are currently happy to hear that we have begun to reopen the state in phases. On June 8, we entered phase 1, where those who work in/as construction, manufacturing, non-essential retail and wholesale merchants may return to work. The governor also stated that people may meet in groups of up to 10, as long as they continue to wear masks and socially distance from one another. The number of new cases per day in New York City and New York State is at the lowest it’s been since March 16 - it has reached under 1,000 in the state. To put this into perspective, March 16 was the first day school was canceled, so it is safe to say that we are doing much better and have many things to look forward to. I personally have kept a photo-journal on my Instagram account since March 16, simply called “Quarantine”. I post one photo for each day and label it with what day of the quarantine it is. I plan to look back at it in the future to remember this unexpected time. Today, on June 13, we are on day 90 - and 3 months ago today was the last day of school. The most recent notable event in my life was my mom’s birthday on June 9. We visited my sister and her fiance where they live in Manhattan, and took a socially-distanced walk around with our masks. As we watched the sunset over the Hudson River, I felt the most “normal” I’ve felt in a long time. I hope that we can continue to successfully open and return to life like it was before this time.
Reflection
Today’s lesson, overall, taught me a great deal of information. Learning about the terms connotation, denotation, and paradox was very easy for me due to the way they were taught. The do now allowed me to understand the difference between the first two terms before I even knew their definitions, setting up the rest of the lesson to go smoothly. Furthermore, the abundance of examples provided in relation to each term further helped me understand their meanings and possible uses. To recap, I learned that denotation is like the “dictionary definition” of something, while its connotation - which exists at the same time - is, in a way, the deeper meaning - or the words, thoughts, and feelings associated with something. A paradox, on the other hand, is a statement that seems to contradict itself. All three terms are seen to be used in George Orwell’s 1984 throughout the story. Not only did I learn to understand these terms in order to apply them to my reading of the book, but also to use my understanding of them in the real world. In the reading, I will use them to interpret the book in unique and innovative ways, as I believe all authors expect their readers to do so. They will, overall, further help my understanding of the author’s writing. In the real world, I will use these terms to interpret and perhaps even create ideas similar to the ones seen in my reading of the story. Because of this, it is also notable that the reading of the story is just as important as learning the terms because understanding them used in a situation will help me to an even greater extent in the real world. In closing, this lesson undoubtedly helped me understand how connotation, denotation, and paradox are explicated through George Orwell’s “doublethink”. The concept of doublethink is based around holding two contradictory thoughts in one’s mind and believing both, something that is seen in 1984. Connotation and denotation as a pair as well as paradoxes both evidently consist of the same idea, holding two contradictory thoughts in one’s mind but still believing both. Therefore, after this lesson, I now understand how such ideas are explicated through Orwell’s “doublethink”.
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