Influencing the Mind

Speakers use words to influence the minds of their listerners. Writers use language to affect and influence their readers. 

Connotation: A connotation is an implied meaning. Words can have associations other than their literal meaning.

Emotive Language: Writers often seek to arouse certain feelings or emotions in the reader, for example, pity or anger. This can be done by using emotive language e.g. words and phrases that have certain connotations. A reporter writing about a crime could write for example, “a burglar stole some jewellery from Mr Bolton’s house.” This just tells us the facts. If a writer wanted to influence our emotions, they  might write, for example, “a heartless burglar stole jewellery of great sentimental value from the frail pensioner, Albert Bolton.” The word ‘heartless’ makes someone sound deliberately cruel. The word “frail” implies vulnerability and helpless. The term ‘of great sentimental value’ tells us how important the jewellery was to Mr Bolton, and increases our sympathy for him. 

Hyperbole is another word for exaggeration. For example, “Counsellor Williams is an obnoxious man and is a disgrace to his position on the committee.” 

Lists are used to hammer home positions, prejudices, etc. “Friends, Romans and Countrymen”. 

Rhetorical questions: These are questions that do not need an answer. Eg., “Can we do this? Yes, we can!” Sometimes questions are left unanswered, eg., What kind of people do they think they are?”

Repetition is also used to influence: “Victory at all costs, victorious battle terror, victory however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.”

Implicit information is information that is not stated openly but implied, so you have to read between the lines. To imply something means to suggest something without expressly stating it. 

Sometimes information is implied by saying what is not true eg., “he was not a happy child”.  This implies that he was sad. One piece of information can be applied by giving another. “They painted the garden shed blue.” We can infer from this that they had a garden. 

Similarly, writers can make their views and feelings clear without openly stating them. “I would rather work down a mine than sit through another maths lesson.” This implies that the writer does not like maths. When you infer meaning and explain what you have inferred, you are ‘interpreting’ implicit informational ideas. Sometimes we infer a writer’s views or feelings by putting together a number of pieces of ‘evidence’. “I find dogs are troublesome. They often bark and cannot be left in the house alone. They are costly and need a lot of attention.” The writer doesn’t say that he doesn’t like dogs, but by reporting negative feelings and experiences, we can assume, he does not like dogs. 

Explicit information is clearly stated in short sentences. He was an unhappy child. They had a garden and in that garden a shed that they painted blue. I dislike maths and would say I would rather work in a coal mine  than have a day of maths classes. I have never owned a dog, but my friends have dogs and I would not like to look after them. 

Wendy Stokes https://wendystokes.co.uk