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Genre
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
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Serving Girls/Men:
In Chapter 1, the narrator observes the various (all-male) scholars who flit around Oxbridge's campus. She utilizes imagery rather curiously to describe these men, crafting comparison for the purpose of satire:
Certainly, as I strolled round the court, the foundation of gold and silver seemed deep enough; the pavement laid solidly over the wild grasses. Men with trays on their heads went busily from staircase to staircase.
Note that in the above passage, the narrator describes these scholars as "men with trays on their heads." These "trays" are not actual trays, but rather the square, flat-topped caps worn by elite scholars. Associating these scholarly hats with trays draws to mind an image of serving girls, scurrying around transporting platters of food on their heads. This imagery functions as a form of satire, critiquing these scholarly men who consider "women's work" beneath them. As an instance of figurative language, this passage also comments on women's relative poverty within a male-dominated society, juxtaposing the jobs women are allowed to take (secretarial work, domestic work, teaching) with the work men can engage in (scholarship, science, writing, politics). The narrator's use of imagery in the above excerpt both elevates women and challenges the elitist presumptions of upper-class men.
Related Themes:
