There are many examples of imagery in “To Helen.” For instance, in the first stanza, the speaker uses a simile to compare Helen’s beauty to “those Nicean barks of yore,” which are ships, that brought the “weary way-worn wanderer” back to “his own native shore.” In the second stanza, the speaker uses a metaphor to express how he has roamed “On desperate seas” for a long time, which means his life felt futile and forlorn until he met Helen, and her “hyacinth hair, thy classic face” and her “Naiad airs” brought him home to “the glory that was Greece And the grandeur that was Rome.” Here, the speaker means Helen’s beauty and her attitude akin to a divine water-nymph brings him to a happier place in his life.
Imagery means to use figurative language to compare one object to another object. An example that stood out to me was on lines 60-61,” He slid from their grasp like a rotten banana peel” (Rodriguez). I believe that this is an example of imagery because it is making an image in the reader’s mind comparing how his brother fell to a rotten banana peel. Another example that I would like to point out is on line 35, “ this abdomen of land” (Rodriguez). This line contains imagery because the use of the word abdomen is a metaphor and is comparing the middle of the land to the abdomen of a body. These examples helped clarify the statement and convinced me that this poem has
Parents cling to their children wanting them to stay young forever, wanting endless memories and nothing to change, yet they must be able to part from these feelings to allow the child to grow. In the story “A Private Talk with Holly”, the author, Henry Felsen, uses symbolism to convey the central idea that if you love someone you have to let them go. When Holly, the main character of the story, talks to her Dad about changing her plans, he is faced with a difficult decision, but in the end he allows Holly to chase her dreams for her own good.
Each of the poems relies heavily on imagery to convey their respective messages. Often throughout each of the poems, the imagery is that of people. However, each uses similar imagery to very different, yet effective ways to explore the same
In the story "The Chrysanthemums," by John Steinbeck, imagery is important in the development of his characters. The man who drives the wagon and fixes things is a perfect example of imagery. "His worn black suit was wrinkled and spotted with grease. The laughter had disappeared from his face and eyes the moment his laughing voice ceased. His eyes were dark, and they were full of the
The novel My Antonia uses imagery and figurative language to help communicate the theme of the novel to the readers. The character Jim Burden is headed west to Nebraska to his grandparents from Virginia after his parents have died. Jim is playing the role of Manifest Destiny by moving West to Nebraska. On his way Jim sees how raw the earth is, relating that it is not yet a country, but rather the material that countries are made of. Looking at the land this way is very much like Manifest Destiny. The author uses imagery many times throughout her novel to give the readers a better understanding and view to pinpoint the theme.
The varying structures in the third stanzas emphasize the differentiating views of Helen. The style and structure of “To Helen” contribute to the persona’s romantic notion of Helen of Troy. The stanza is set up like the rest with five lines that illustrate her beauty. She is an “agate lamp” (Poe, line 13) which shines light on Greece and she is “Psyche, from the regions”, “which Are Holy Land!” (Poe, lines 9 and 10). However the unmoved speaker uses just a simple sentence as the last stanza and lacks the exclamation points and a rhyme scheme which portrays the cold disapproval she were laid,
Another example of imagery in the story is when the author used it to describe Emily when she ask for poison to the druggist.“still a slight woman, though thinner than usual, with cold, haughty black eyes in a face the flesh of which was strained across the temples and about the eyes ockets as you imagine a lighthouse-keepers face ought to look”. The author makes emphasis in Emily’s face and eyes meaning that she is lost in her own world and foreshadows that Emily would use the poison for something wrong.
The author uses imagery in the poem to enable the reader to see what the speaker sees. For example, in lines 4-11 the speaker describes to us the
As evident by the title of this poem, imagery is a strong technique used in this poem as the author describes with great detail his journey through a sawmill town. This technique is used most in the following phrases: “...down a tilting road, into a distant valley.” And “The sawmill towns, bare hamlets built of boards with perhaps a store”. This has the effect of creating an image in the reader’s mind and making the poem even more real.
Figurative language is very important within a piece of writing, but specifically in this passage imagery creates so much more detail within the character’s emotions. The first big piece of imagery would be when Granny thinks about all the time and work she has put in with the upbringing of her children and how they resemble her in many ways. Later on in the passage, the author talks about when Granny worked digging post holes and the hardships women had to face. This brings out the overwhelming emotion given off by Granny of all the hardwork she has given within her life and the fact she feels confident and wanting to show off all the work if she had a chance. We see how Granny really feels about John and how she wants to “brag” about her life and all the good things that she accomplished. Even at the end of the passage when she says “It made her feel like rolling up her sleeves and putting the whole
Another good example of imagery is Scannell's use of metaphors. The use of metaphors in this poem helps intensify the imagination of the reader by linking objects and actions in a familiar manner. For example, the metaphor "roundabouts galloping nowhere” is used to describe the continuous motion of the carousel ride. This metaphor is very effective as it not only describes the ride in detail but also refers to the endless struggle, disappointment and dismay those who work at travelling fairs face, their lives and careers "galloping nowhere".
"Thy love is such I can no way repay,..." is another example of imagery (9). Symbolizing how great her love is for her husband, she is expresses there is no way to purchase or pay for true love.
Similes are a small part of the poem, but give larger meaning behind each verse in which it was used. In “Facing It”, there are few verses that use simile, but those verses have important meaning. The Vietnam Memorial has 58, 022 names on the black surface, and the speaker says, “I go down the 58, 022 names,/ half-expecting to find/ my own in letters like smoke.” (14-16) Line 16 uses simile to describe the letters as being smoke. The white on black of the memorial gives a fog or smoke-like appearance when quickly scanning over names. All those names were of someone who died, and they become a blur. “My clouded reflection eyes me/ like a bird of prey…” (6-7) is used to describe how the speaker’s reflection is staring back at him. The names are on the wall, and as he stands there, he most likely feels very overwhelmed. His own reflection stares him down. His reflection and expectation of finding his own name among those lost
These three lines are perfect examples of the imagery within the poem because they contain an image of a river with its small peeks and waves trembling and glistening in the afternoon sun. All the while it equates the natural beauty of the river to the beauty that the young man sees in the youthful maiden.
In this research, the researcher discusses the figurative language based on Perrine’s perception. According to Perrine (1977:61-109), figurative language consists of 12 kinds, they are: simile, metaphor, personification, apostrophe, synecdoche, metonymy, symbol, allegory, paradox, hyperbole/overstatement, understatement, and irony.