Imagery

            What is imagery?:

One of the most difficult parts of poetry, is understanding imagery contained within verse. Poetry deals with two types of images or concepts.  Most poems are about an abstract idea, image, or concept.  Abstract notions are not tangible.  They do not stimulate the senses.  Most poems however, do not write in terms of these abstracts but rather, use concrete images to represent these abstractions.  In order to represent a poem, you must be aware of all the senses and how they may be stimulated through images.  These images can then introduce abstract concepts through their sensory stimulation.

    concrete- Images that stimulate one of the senses.

        examples: a blue bird, two puppies licking each other, a howling wind, the scent of roses

    abstract- Abstract concepts are things that humans have an understanding of but are not things that can be sensed.

        examples: Truth, Justice, Happiness, Love, Sorrow

                Sensory Images (concrete):

In order to determine what type of image you are dealing with and what function it plays in the poem, it helps to be aware of the senses that poets deal with. These include the typical five senses that we all are familiar with, and several other senses that we contain, but are not aware of necessarily.

    visual- This is the sense of sight.  Many images can stimulate the visual sense with colors, patterns, shapes, etc...

        Examples: a dog walking, a bluebird, a round and shiny apple

    auditory- This sense deals with sounds.  Words describing things you might hear and onomatopoeias stimulate your hearing.

        Examples: a singing siren, BOOM, a crash, a crying baby

    gustatory- This is the sense of taste.  Foods generally stimulate this sense.

        Examples: delicious apple pie, tasty potato, sour apple, sweet sugar, cinnamon, salty steak

    olfactory- This is the sense of smell. 

        Examples: perfume, the scent of roses, a sour wind, rotting meat

    tactile- The sense of touch.

        Examples: A smooth surface, rough edges, soft fur

    kinesthetic- This sense deals with sensations of the body.  This goes beyond the sense of touch however.  Feelings of nausea, a sense of gravity, or a sense of balance all stimulate your kinesthetic sense.  These are sensations that you can feel, but are not describable by the five major senses.

        Examples: walking on a tightrope, feeling dizzy,

    synesthetic- This is a word to describe an image that stimulates two or more senses.

        Example: a soft, brown, crying, baby bear