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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
Imagery
Explanation and Analysis—Waiting for Clay:
When describing the experience of waiting in the dark bank cellar for the criminal Clay (and his accomplice), Watson uses imagery, as seen in the following passage:
My limbs were weary and stiff, for I feared to change my position; yet my nerves were worked up to the highest pitch of tension, and my hearing was so acute that I could not only hear the gentle breathing of my companions, but I could distinguish the deeper, heavier in-breath of the bulky Jones from the thin, sighing note of the bank director. From my position I could look over the case in the direction of the floor. Suddenly my eyes caught the glint of a light.
Watson’s imagery here engages several different senses at once. Readers can feel Watson’s “weary and stiff” limbs and nerves “worked up to the highest pitch of tension,” hear the different kinds of breathing of the men around him, and see the “glint of light” that appears when the criminals make their way through the underground tunnel.
All of these sensory descriptions combine to help readers understand the tension that is building as this group of men sits silently in the darkness for 75 minutes, as well as Watson’s growing “weariness” as he waits, wondering if Holmes will be right about Clay’s imminent arrival. The imagery encourages readers to likewise wonder if all of this will be worth it, if Holmes’s logic and deductive reasoning will help the police solve a crime once again.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Holmes the Musician:
When reflecting on his time with Holmes at a classical music concert, Watson uses imagery and a metaphor, as seen in the following passage:
My friend was an enthusiastic musician, being himself not only a very capable performer but a composer of no ordinary merit. All the afternoon he sat in the stalls wrapped in the most perfect happiness, gently waving his long, thin fingers in time to the music, while his gently smiling face and his languid, dreamy eyes were as unlike those of Holmes, the sleuth-hound, Holmes the relentless, keen-witted, ready-handed criminal agent, as it was possible to conceive.
Watson uses imagery here in order to bring readers more closely into the scene, describing Holmes as “wrapped in the most perfect happiness” as he “wav[ed] his long, thin fingers in time to the music” and displayed a “gentle smile” and “languid, dreamy eyes.” From these descriptions, readers are able to hear the music of the concert, visualize Holmes’s dreamy and happy demeanor, and feel the happiness emanating from the man.
These descriptions, as Watson himself notes, are quite counter to the metaphorical “sleuth-hound” persona that Holmes takes on when he is solving a case. (Like Holmes, the sleuth-hound dog breed is known for its tracking abilities.) Here, Watson demonstrates that Holmes is not the single-minded rational investigator that much of London society considers him to be—he also loves music and has moments of peace and ease.
Related Themes:
