Imagery

1
Imagery
2
Impression, soleil levant by Claude
Monet

3
What is imagery?
Imagery is used in literature to refer to
descriptive language that evokes a sensory
experience. Such images can be created using a
figure of speech such as similes, metaphors,
personification, or assonance. Imagery can also
invoke the use of onomatopoeias that trigger
images in the reader's mind.
From The Widow's Lament in Springtime
...masses of flowers load the cherry
branches and color some bushes yellow
and some red...


4

Your assignment
In groups, read the poem aloud. You may need to
read the poem aloud two or more times. After
reading the poem aloud, find any images that
jump out at you from the text. What lines and/or
words in the poem make you 'see' this image? What
mood do these images create? Why do you think
the poet chose to include these images in the
poem?


5
DawnEcstatic bird songs pound the hollow
vastness of the sky with metallic clinkings--
beating color up into it at a far
edge,--beating it, beating it with rising,
triumphant ardor,-- stirring it into warmth,
quickening in it a spreading change,-- bursting
wildly against it as dividing the horizon, a
heavy sun lifts himself--is lifted-- bit by bit
above the edge of things,--runs free at last
out into the open--!lumbering glorified in full
release upward-- songs cease. William Carlos
Williams





6
The Tulip BedThe May sun--whom all things
imitate-- that glues small leaves to the wooden
trees shone from the sky through bluegauze
clouds upon the ground. Under the leafy trees
where the suburban streets lay crossed, with
houses on each corner, tangled shadows had begun
to join the roadway and the lawns. With
excellent precision the tulip bed inside the
iron fence upreared its gaudy yellow, white and
red, rimmed round with grass, reposedly.
William Carlos Williams
7
Spring and All By the road to the contagious
hospitalunder the surge of the bluemottled
clouds driven from thenortheast -- a cold wind.
Beyond, thewaste of broad, muddy fieldsbrown
with dried weeds, standing and fallenpatches of
standing waterthe scattering of tall treesAll
along the road the reddishpurplish, forked,
upstanding, twiggystuff of bushes and small
treeswith dead, brown leaves under themleafless
vines --Lifeless in appearance, sluggishdazed
spring approaches --They enter the new world
naked,cold, uncertain of allsave that they
enter. All about themthe cold, familiar wind
--Now the grass, tomorrowthe stiff curl of
wildcarrot leafOne by one objects are defined
--It quickens clarity, outline of leafBut now
the stark dignity ofentrance -- Still, the
profound changehas come upon them rooted
theygrip down and begin to awaken William Carlos
Williams
8
Write a 8-12 line poem in any form in which
you use visual imagery to create a specific mood.
(You may write about anything as long as it is
school appropriate and create any mood you would
like for your poem.) Then, write a ½ page
paragraph explaining what images you used, what
mood you were trying to create, and why you chose
those specific images to help create this mood
for your readers. You will be sharing these poems
and reflections in small groups on Monday.