Imagery is a collection of images. It is the usage of details and descriptions in order to create a sensory experience for the reader. Imagery is the elements in a literary work used to evoke mental images, not only of the visual sense, but of sensation and emotion as well. While most commonly used in reference to figurative language, imagery is a variable term which can apply to any and all components of a poem that evoke sensory experience and emotional response, whether figurative or literal, and also applies to the concrete things so imaged.
In essence the types of imagery are:
1. Auditory (Hearing): What the character hears.
Example: Her laughter thrilled like a thousand little silver bells, all chiming with soft clarity.
2. Visual (Sight): What the character sees.
Example: Through the window he could see the ocean, its waves dancing along the blue horizon.
3. Gustatory (Taste): What the character tastes.
Example: The soda bubbled on his tongue like a million little explosions of sugar and caffeine, burning pleasantly.
4. Kinesthetic (Touch): What the character feels.
Example: His fingers curled around the pen, holding it tightly, nails digging into the smooth rubbery grip while cold plastic rested between thumb and fore finger.
5. Olfactory (Smell): What the character smells.
Example: The scent of cookies wafted through the air filling the room with the sweet smell of chocolate and warmth.
Imagery can be utilized in different ways as well. Here are some examples as to how.
You can blatantly say how something is: The leaf was green.
You can use a metaphor: The leaf was as green as the softest grass on a perfect spring day.
You can use a simile: His eyes were green like the dark shadow of a leaf at night.
 DamnBlackHeart · Sat Mar 26, 2011 @ 09:10pm · 0 Comments |
