A Beautiful Picture

1437 Words6 Pages
Mrs. Jones English 151-01 27 March 2012 A Beautiful Picture Most figures of speech cast up a picture in your mind. Those pictures are known as imagery. Imagery is known as a visually descriptive or figurative language. To fully participate in the world of poetry we must truly understand how the poet uses imagery to convey more than what is said or meant in actuality. We talk about imagery as a literary element of poetry, evoking a rather visual feel. Imagery refers to the "pictures" which we perceive with our mind's eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, and through which we experience the "duplicate world" created by poetic language. Imagery evokes the meaning and truth of human experiences not in abstract terms, as in philosophy, but in more perceptible and tangible forms. This is a device by which the poet makes his meaning strong, clear and sure. The poet uses sound words and words of color and touch in addition to figures of speech. As well, concrete details that appeal to the reader's senses are used to build up images. Imagery in poetry is of the utmost importance because of its power to inspire emotions, its power to captivate, and is the essential aspect of the analysis of poetry. (Liu.) Poetry is all about inspiring feelings and conveying a message to the audience. In Shakespeare’s Sonnets, “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day,” and “Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments, he is already using imagery to foreshadow what the poem will be about just by the title. He uses the qualities of a perfect summer day to paint a picture of the woman he loves. Comparing her to a “summer’s day,” causes the visualization to your mind of sunshine, warmth, beauty, and a gentle breeze; while all of which are associated with happiness and peace. (Liu) The imagery throughout is simple and unaffected, with the “darling buds of May” giving way to the “eternal summer”,

More about A Beautiful Picture

Open Document