{"id":104,"date":"2020-03-24T04:47:04","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T04:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/chapter\/lesson-11-imagery-in-poetry\/"},"modified":"2022-08-19T16:13:04","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T16:13:04","slug":"lesson-11-imagery-in-poetry","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/chapter\/lesson-11-imagery-in-poetry\/","title":{"raw":"Lesson 11: Imagery in Poetry","rendered":"Lesson 11: Imagery in Poetry"},"content":{"raw":"Definition of Imagery<\/strong>\n\nWhat is imagery? Simply put, it's a word picture. A writer carefully selects words that create an image in the writer's mind when they read the words. Those carefully selected words are specific nouns and action verbs. Imagery is captured through the senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell.\n\nExamples of Strong Imagery<\/strong>\n\nFor example, read this opening excerpt from \"Preludes\" by T. S. Eliot:\n

Preludes\n<\/strong>Author<\/strong>: T. S. Eliot\n\u00a9 1910<\/p>\n\n

\n

The winter evening settles down\nWith smell of steaks in passageways.\nSix o'clock.\nThe burnt-out ends of smoky days.\nAnd now a gusty shower wraps\nThe grimy scraps\nOf withered leaves about your feet\nAnd newspapers from vacant lots;\nThe showers beat\nOn broken blinds and chimney-pots,\nAnd at the corner of the street\nA lonely cab-horse steams and stamps.\nAnd then the lighting of the lamps.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nLook again at the poem. Ask yourself these questions:\n

    \n \t
  • What specific nouns did Eliot use?<\/li>\n \t
  • What action verbs did Eliot select?<\/li>\n \t
  • What senses did Eliot awaken in the reader?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nNotice imagery is not directly stating feelings. However, a well-written image can evoke feelings in the reader. For example, read this excerpt from  the poem \"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock\" also by T. S. Eliot:\n

    The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock\n<\/strong>Author: <\/strong>T. S. Eliot\n\u00a9 1915<\/p>\n\n

    \n

    Let us go then, you and I,\nWhen the evening is spread out against the sky\nLike a patient etherized upon a table;\nLet us go, through certain half-deserted streets,\nThe muttering retreats\nOf restless nights in one-night cheap hotels\nAnd sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:\nStreets that follow like a tedious argument\nOf insidious intent\nTo lead you to an overwhelming question. . . .<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    Oh, do not ask, \"What is it?\"\nLet us go and make our visit.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nWhat feeling does Eliot call forth in this excerpt from \"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock\"? Notice it is not stated directly.","rendered":"

    Definition of Imagery<\/strong><\/p>\n

    What is imagery? Simply put, it’s a word picture. A writer carefully selects words that create an image in the writer’s mind when they read the words. Those carefully selected words are specific nouns and action verbs. Imagery is captured through the senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell.<\/p>\n

    Examples of Strong Imagery<\/strong><\/p>\n

    For example, read this opening excerpt from “Preludes” by T. S. Eliot:<\/p>\n

    Preludes
    \n<\/strong>Author<\/strong>: T. S. Eliot
    \n\u00a9 1910<\/p>\n

    \n

    The winter evening settles down
    \nWith smell of steaks in passageways.
    \nSix o’clock.
    \nThe burnt-out ends of smoky days.
    \nAnd now a gusty shower wraps
    \nThe grimy scraps
    \nOf withered leaves about your feet
    \nAnd newspapers from vacant lots;
    \nThe showers beat
    \nOn broken blinds and chimney-pots,
    \nAnd at the corner of the street
    \nA lonely cab-horse steams and stamps.
    \nAnd then the lighting of the lamps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    Look again at the poem. Ask yourself these questions:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • What specific nouns did Eliot use?<\/li>\n
    • What action verbs did Eliot select?<\/li>\n
    • What senses did Eliot awaken in the reader?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Notice imagery is not directly stating feelings. However, a well-written image can evoke feelings in the reader. For example, read this excerpt from  the poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” also by T. S. Eliot:<\/p>\n

      The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
      \n<\/strong>Author: <\/strong>T. S. Eliot
      \n\u00a9 1915<\/p>\n

      \n

      Let us go then, you and I,
      \nWhen the evening is spread out against the sky
      \nLike a patient etherized upon a table;
      \nLet us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
      \nThe muttering retreats
      \nOf restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
      \nAnd sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
      \nStreets that follow like a tedious argument
      \nOf insidious intent
      \nTo lead you to an overwhelming question. . . .<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

      \n

      Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
      \nLet us go and make our visit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

      What feeling does Eliot call forth in this excerpt from “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”? Notice it is not stated directly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"menu_order":10,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-104","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":85,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/104\/revisions\/105"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/85"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/104\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=104"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=104"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accintrotocreativewriting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}