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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 7: Idyll on a Terrace
Explanation and Analysis—Among the Flowers:
In Chapter 7, in which María Clara and Ibarra have an "idyllic" conversation on the porch of Tiago's house, María Clara enters into a memory of their childhood together. The description of this memory includes physical imagery that helps characterize both María Clara and Ibarra when they were young:
We were still children; your mother would take us to swim in that creek in the shade of the sugarcane. So many flowers and plants grew on the banks, and you would recite their names to me in Latin and Castilian [...]. I was more interested in chasing the butterflies and dragonflies that hold in their bodies as fine as thread all the colors of the rainbow and the prisms of mother-of-pearl, which would swarm and pursue one another among the flowers.
María Clara describes how, as children, the pair would spend long days together, playing games, talking, and exploring nature. María reminds him, "Unlike you, I haven't traveled"—so she still remains especially connected to these memories of childhood. In the memory of flowers near the creek, imagery illuminates the children's personalities. Ibarra, well-educated and analytical, recites the names of the plants in this Filipino landscape in "Latin and Castilian." Latin shows Ibarra's commitment, even then, to academic learning, as he knows the flowers' scientific names. Castilian, in the 19th century, was the dominant dialect of the Spanish language in the Iberian peninsula. Here, through Ibarra's very erudite method of "play," Rizal foreshadows Ibarra's academic lifestyle and Spanish allegiances.
María Clara, on the other hand, delights in following the animals and observing the plants. This fits her more emotional disposition, which will become more important later in the book in her sickness and convalescence. The particular nature of this memory, and the imagery with which María Clara describes it, aligns with the characters even at a young age.
Chapter 16: Sisa
Explanation and Analysis—Less from Coquetry:
Sisa is one of the most sympathetic characters in the novel, as a poor young mother who longs to keep her family together. In Chapter 16, which is named for Sisa, the narrator describes her as she waits morosely for her sons, Crispin and Basilio, to return from work at the church. The description includes visual imagery that helps to describe the woman and her life's history:
She was young then and must have been beautiful and charming. Her eyes, which her soul bestowed on her sons, were handsome and deep, with long lashes. Her nose was straight, her pale lips like a beautiful drawing, as the Tagologs say, kayumanging-kaligátan, which means brown, but a clean, pure shade. Despite her youth, her cheeks were drawn, from hardship and hunger, perhaps. Her abundant hair in other times enhanced her elegance and beauty. Now if it stays combed it is less from coquetry than habit: a simple bun, without pins or combs.
Sisa's face is beautiful with strong features. She has a "straight" nose and a "clean" brown face. The inherent features of her face reflect her fundamental qualities, that she is persistent and brave. But on top of these features, the narrator describes her drawn cheeks and tied bun. These features show how life has strained her thoroughly over time. Using Sisa's face and appearance, the narrator describes how Sisa has righteous and honorable fundamental qualities, but her life has gone astray over time. Her descent to insanity over the course of the book will warp her appearance further.
Chapter 40: Right and Might
Explanation and Analysis—Eyes Like These:
There is a large theatrical performance in San Diego in Chapter 40, attended by many in the town. While everyone else watches the show, Salví stares at María Clara. The narrator describes how Salví morosely stares at his love, and the appearance of his face is described using imagery:
They were all eyes and ears, except Father Salví. He seemed to have come only to look at María Clara, whose melancholy gave her beauty such an ideal and interesting tone that one had to view it with enchantment. But the Franciscan's eyes, sunk deep in their sockets, did not say enchantment. In the somber expression one read something desperately sad. With eyes like these, from so far away, Cain would contemplate Paradise, while his mother described its delights.
As Salví stares at María Clara, she seems to become more beautiful because of her melancholy. This reflects how Salví's love for María Clara is amplified by the fact that it is forbidden. (She is probably looking so "melancholy" because she is ill, as is shown later in the chapter; on multiple occasions in the novel, María Clara's illness is perceived by men as beautiful emotional suffering.) But Salví's eyes are "sunk deep in their sockets." This physical detail emphasizes how sternly and intently Salví stares at María Clara, as his vision is darkened and obscured by his sunken eyes, reflecting his grim but earnest love for her.
Salví does not look at her "with enchantment," as the narrator implies he must instead look at her like Cain. The narrator compares Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, "contemplating" the Garden of Eden after his parents were expelled from it in the Fall of Man, as described in the Book of Genesis. Cain is typically used in literature as a representative of evil, as he committed the first murder in biblical history. Here, though, Rizal uses Cain because he was the first human being born outside the Garden and thus longs from afar for a paradise he will never have. In this way Salví's eyes resemble Cain's. This biblical allusion strengthens the visual imagery of Salví's eyes.
Related Themes:
