Connotations and Context

Connotations are the mental connections between the abstract and the tangible. Every message can have at least two meanings—a literal one and a suggestive one. The ability to make associations on both a conscious and unconscious level is a remarkable phenomenon in the human imagination. We have both emotional and environmental thoughts about what we see. We don't just “think” about things; we feel and remember them as well.

Psychologist and philosopher William James once said, “Whilst part of what we perceive comes through our senses from the object before us, another part (and it may be the larger part) always comes from our own mind.”

Words and images with similar meanings can evoke responses that are quite different. ...

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