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Hyperbole
Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Imagery
Explanation and Analysis—After Jimmy’s Release:
After Jimmy is discharged from prison, the narrator uses imagery to capture his post-release priorities, as seen in the following passage:
Disregarding the song of the birds, the waving green trees, and the smell of the flowers, Jimmy headed straight for a restaurant. There he tasted the first sweet joys of liberty in the shape of a broiled chicken and a bottle of white wine—followed by a cigar a grade better than the one the warden had given him. From there he proceeded leisurely to the depot.
This passage opens with the narrator using imagery to encourage readers to hear the birdsong, see the “waving green trees,” and smell the nearby flowers as Jimmy exits the prison, while noting that Jimmy himself “disregard[ed]” all of these sensory experiences. While readers may expect someone who has been locked up for 10 months to notice such things, Jimmy doesn’t, an indication that his time in prison did not change or affect him much. This proves to be true when, immediately upon returning home, he goes back to his safe-cracking ways.
The other example of imagery in this passage is the narrator’s description of Jimmy “tast[ing] first sweet joys of liberty in the shape of a broiled chicken and a bottle of white wine” and a fancy cigar. It is notable that Jimmy ignores the joyful sounds and sights of nature but deeply enjoys this gluttonous experience. Here, at the start of the story, the narrator is painting a picture of Jimmy as a self-centered man (in opposition to the caring and open-hearted man he becomes by the end).
Related Themes:
