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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—Brand’s Memories:
After all of the men leave Brand to tend the lime kiln alone, he begins to reflect on what his life was like before he got lost in his search for the Unpardonable Sin. The narrator uses imagery in this moment to communicate all that Brand has lost, as seen in the following passage:
He remembered how the night-dew had fallen upon him—how the dark forest had whispered to him—how the stars had gleamed upon him—a simple and loving man, watching his fire in the years gone by, and ever musing as it burned. He remembered with what tenderness, with what love and sympathy for mankind, and what pity for human guilt and woe, he had first begun to contemplate those ideas which afterwards became the inspiration of his life.
Here, the narrator uses imagery in order to highlight the positive experiences that Brand was once able to have before losing himself in his search for knowledge. The descriptions of “the night-dew [falling] upon” Brand when he was a young kiln laborer, the “dark forest whisper[ing] to him,” and “the stars gleam[ing] upon him” all engage different senses—feeling, hearing, and seeing, respectively. Here readers can experience these enjoyable sensory experiences alongside Brand and understand just how much he has lost since starting his search for knowledge.
The rest of the passage establishes for readers how Brand’s search for the Unpardonable Sin initially came from a place of “love and sympathy for mankind.” It was only after pride set in that he lost himself in his pursuit, transforming him into the devilish and isolated character that appears in the story.
Related Themes:
