The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is: hopes and aspirations
Explanation
The connotative meaning of a word refers to the emotional, cultural, and personal associations it evokes, which extend beyond its literal dictionary definition, known as its denotation. While the denotative meaning of “dreams” is the series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep, its connotative meaning is far richer and more powerful.
The most common and significant connotation for “dreams” is hopes and aspirations. This meaning is deeply embedded in our culture and language. When we speak of “following your dreams,” achieving a “dream job,” or living the “American dream,” we are not referring to the act of sleeping. Instead, we are using the word figuratively to represent our deepest desires, ambitions, and goals for the future. This connotation imbues the word with a sense of possibility, inspiration, and profound personal yearning. It transforms a simple biological function into a symbol for the highest potential of human achievement and happiness.
This concept is famously captured in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, where “dream” powerfully symbolizes a collective hope for freedom, equality, and a better future.
While “dreams” can also have other connotations, such as fantasy, unreality (“it was all a dream”), or mystery, the association with hopes and aspirations is its most potent and widely understood figurative meaning. It is this connotation that gives the word its emotional weight and makes it a cornerstone for motivational and inspirational communication. Therefore, in the context of language and literary analysis, “hopes and aspirations” is the primary connotative meaning of dreams.
