Imagery Analysis

Imagery Analysis

Images can be divided into types based on the sense to which they appeal. Visual images present pictures of people, places, objects, or events that appeal to our sense of sight, while auditory images appeal to our sense of sound and bring the memory of a sound into our consciousness. Tactile images, gustatory images, and olfactory images appeal respectively to our sense of touch, taste, and smell. By helping us recreate pictures or sensations in our imaginations, images make a work more real, more concrete.

Since an author usually relies primarily on his sense of sight to perceive elements in his environment, most of the imagery in a work tends to be visual in nature. The author helps us “see” his work; he doesn’t simply “tell” us what happens next. Sometimes he will use a single image to convey an idea, but most often he will use a series or cluster of images that all relate to one main idea or concept.

Imagery and Atmosphere or Mood

When an author uses imagery in his or her work, he or she does so because imagery can produce several important effects in a work of literature. One of its effects is to produce an appropriate atmosphere or mood for the situation presented in the work. The atmosphere is generally described by adjectives, and it is created by the types of images the writer employs.

Imagery and Emotion

A writer usually tries to produce a particular emotional effect in the reader, and if the reader is imaginatively responding to a work of literature, the chances are good that he or she will experience some emotion. These emotional effects may range from joy and happiness to pity and fear depending on the nature of the subject matter and the writer’s theme. Imagery helps to make these emotions more real by relating them to sensory impressions.

Imagery and Character

The images that an author chooses can help us determine the personality traits of a character in fiction or drama or of the speaker in a poem. Images help us see how characters in literature perceive the world and what is important in it. Since their character shapes their perceptions, analyzing them can help us get into the mind and heart of fictional beings.

Imagery and Theme

Each work of literature communicates an idea about some aspect of life. As the author writes his or her work, he or she arranges its elements to bring that idea to the reader. One of them is imagery. It appeals to the reader’s senses by helping him to visualize the scene, to imagine himself a part of it. This involvement helps the reader perceive the message.  

Writing about Imagery

As you prepare to write your imagery analysis essay, try to follow these steps:

1. When selecting a work to analyze, choose one that contains words or phrases [images] which appeal to your five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Begin by circling all the images you can identify.