Directions: you have now seen how poetry is influenced by particular word choice and devices in order to establish tone and meaning. Find a poem that you think demonstrates a good example of imagery and post a link to that poem here (or type it up into your blog). Describe the gist of the poem and explain for your classmates how you believe the poet uses imagery in order to get those ideas across. Max. 200 words. Be clear and concise.
Due before class on September 17th.
Reply to classmate: read a classmate's blog and determine whether or not you agree with your classmate about the gist. If you do agree, point out the words and phrases that you think the author used to get those ideas across, and label them (ex. Olds uses the imagery of insects in order to show the animalistic nature of sex in her poem, "Last night." That imagery is metaphoric, because it shows an experience that is not the writer's exact experience (especially when she uses the metaphor the insect emerging from the chrysalis), but Olds also makes the act of love-making seem much more graphic with her metaphors). If you disagree, give your own gist, and then point out some words and phrases that cause your gist to differ from that of the original post.
Extra credit: Again, you can get up to five points of extra credit by responding to more than one blog (one point each) and/or answering the question posed by one of your classmates to clarify your meaning.
http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-imagery-poems.html
ReplyDeleteThe Shark by Edwin John Pratt
This poem is about a shark and how menacing it is. It uses imagery to draw its reader in and hold him/ her there. When I first started reading it I wondered if such a short poem about such a simple subject would even be able to hold my interest. But as I continued reading I started squirming in my seat as I felt the shark right next to me. The detail he goes into to describe the shark’s eyes paints a picture in my mind of its unforgiving windows to its soul. My favorite part is the ending about how the shark is worse than a wolf or vulture because its blood is cold which to me means its evil with no remorse.
I really like your interpretation of the ending, I didn't think about the coldness representing evil with no remorse but I completely get that. I agree with your gist, the poem is indeed short and very straight to the point but it wasn't boring. Some of his descriptions are very simple like "His body was tubular And tapered And smoke-blue," which did not do much for me in the imagery department but then there were quick little moments that did, like "And I saw the flash of a white throat,". This did a couple of things. Not only did it describe the belly of the shark and the color but by using words like "flash" it was like the shark swam quickly past, showing its speed and tendency to be swift and agile. That is when the image of the shark really came out of the text. This poem shows that in even short sentences the word choice is what matters in creating an image, not the volume of text.
DeleteYellowjackets by KAREN J WEYANT
ReplyDeletehttp://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/248816
In Karen J Weyants poem titled “Yellowjackets” the author observes her father trying to get rid of a yellowjacket’s nest. The reader is taken from the first sounds of the nest being disturbed, to watching the yellowjackets fly out and ultimetly landing on the author. The author makes a startling realization; she and the yellowjacket have something in common. The word choice draws in the reader by using sensory detail. Weyant draws in the reader with the sounds, sight, smell and feel of her experience. The reader can relate to her because of her use of detail, making her experience the readers experience too.
I agree with your gist. I especially like the word "swirling" she uses to describe the yellow jackets' movements because I can imagine them almost drunkenly flying about trying to figure out what's going on.
DeleteIn honor of my favorite holiday coming up…
ReplyDeleteAn October Night
By Chuck Audette
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/an-october-night-halloween-poem/
This poem is about a night in October and the dark and creepy things that seem to follow in this particular month with Halloween right around the corner. A lot of the word choice really stuck out to me and provided a crystal clear image of the cold fall quiet night. It brought a sense of intensity into occurrences that happen all year round by the way it is being described. “The wind whispers a wary warning” as if something bad is going to happen. “These primal urges are hard to fight an unholy diet a dark appetite” with this the word primal shows its some sort of animal, but the use of dark and unholy make you think a monster, werewolf or vampire? “The moon suffocates in ominous clouds” I can picture a dark night with fog looming around, creepy shapes hiding in the shadows. The whole poem does this for me, giving me the real feel of Halloween, a time of monsters, scary shadows, and wind and leaves leading into cold weather.
I really enjoyed this poem. You're right when you said it provides a dark night with fog looming picture around the reader. The stanza that really stood out to me was "red brake lights
Deletea car crawls by slow
the shadowy shapes
on my dark doorstep know"
This really sent chills up and down my spine.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSnow Day by Billy Collins
ReplyDeletewww.poetryfoundation.org/poem/176051
In the Poem “Snow Day”, by Billy Collins, he displays a strong collection of imagery. This poem is creative with many metaphors such as, “Today we woke up to a revolution of snow”, or “A sympathizer with the anarchic cause of snow.” The imagery is strong through out the poem. Billy Collins displays a wonderful way of exploring this winter scene, for example “It’s a white flag waving over everything” and “Not a single mouse to puncture the blankness.” While reading this poem, the entire time I could picture a cold and bitter snow day while sitting near the fire listening to the news cast listing all the school closures. He brings in the snowy atmosphere with his incredible descriptions. “The Government buildings smothered, schools and libraries buried, the post office lost under the noiseless drift.” The tone is a mixture between a bitter snowy day; however, it’s also relaxing. I enjoyed this poem very much and would recommend this for anyone looking for a calming read.
This poem has a very sincere perspective. Which is amazing for imagery! It felt like a timecapsle just reading line by line. Makes me miss being a kid. I agree that it's a good source for imagery.
Deletehttp://www.scrapbook.com/poems/doc/44673/211.html
ReplyDelete"Strawberry Jam" By: Adine Stephens Clark
In this poem I perfectly saw how she really used her words to express how she felt. I feel like this poem was about how she loved her grandmas cooking. She also perfectly described every detail in how her grandma made the jam. My favorite stanza that showed my senses the most was
"FRESH RIPE JUICY STRAWBERRIES
PICKED IN AN OLD DENTED DISH PAN,
PICKED, INSPECTED, AND WASHED
THEN PREPARED TENDERLY READY TO CAN."
This made me feel as if I was there with her seeing these amazing strawberries.
I found this poem very fun to read. I agree with your interpretation. Since Clark's grandmother passed away you can really see the love that she had for her grandma and her cooking! I think the author's love and yearning for those moments shows the most through the first and last stanza. You can tell the author took her time trying to emphasize the imagery, that shows the love she had for her grandmother as well. For me, the words "simmering," "aroma," "hot biscuits," and "sugar" really sold the imagery for me. I remember the memories I had with my grandmother when she would bake her homemade apple pie. This piece definitely helped me reminisce on those times! It is a very thoughtful poem!
DeleteAdine Stephens Clark's poem gave me a desire to make jam and hang out with an old lady! I thought it was interesting that she used CAPS, what do you think this signifies in her poem?
DeleteI really love this poem. Thank you for sharing it! For me personally, it create extreme imagery because I make jam every year with my mom, grandpa and sister. My grandpa passed away in May so this year we were without her. When the author says "Fresh ripe juicy strawberries," I can see myself and my family picking strawberries in the strawberry patches. By describing the strawberries as fresh, rip, and juicy the author creates more imagery than if the line were to just say "fresh strawberries." Can you relate to this poem personally? Do you have memories like these?
Deletehttp://www.theparisamerican.com/poetry.html
ReplyDeleteAbout a year ago, I came across the poem “Black Ice,” by Matthew Dickman. I think the imagery in this piece really makes everything stand out. Imagery is expected to evoke one (or all) of our physical senses. This piece talks about the author’s current emotions about a situation going on with a lover and his desire to be passionate with a woman after they have split apart. Dickman attempts to swoon the girl again with his usage of metaphors and similes. In the poem, the author explains that his night spent alone felt comparable to a night that he spent with a woman whom he loved. The author tells his audience about the intense desire he has to be with her. He uses words such as “vanilla” and “candy” to describe the feeling and or taste of her body. Towards the middle and end of the poem, the author sets a tone of regret. He tells of an apology through metaphors and explains how he feels bad about them not being together. Above all, the last sentence of the poem is gentle and puts emphasis on how bad he wants to be with her.
I read this and actually loved the poem! I was so captured with his detail. I could feel his passion for her in several ways. I definitely agree that this is a great poem for imagery! There were a few descriptions that I had a little trouble deciphering. Do you think imagery can, at times, be hard to figure out? I feel like imagery can be very perceptional. Like poets sometimes have a vision of what they're describing and it can often be misinterpreted or misunderstood because can't see exactly what they are describing.
DeleteI think that it all depends on how well the author can use the effect of imagery. It comes from the experience that the writer has. There are still areas in "Black Ice" where I have to stop and think about what he may have meant. As a creative writer myself, I find it very difficult to describe an image in my head through words, so I agree that things can often be misinterpreted; whether it is from the audience or from the writer when they look back at what they have written.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete“Nothing but Death” by Pablo Neruda
ReplyDeleteLink: http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/nothing-death
“Nothing but Death” tells the stories of death in passing and of death himself. Death (the condition) and death (the man) are presented in a way that makes both feel otherworldly and uncanny.
Neruda uses similes to describe death (the condition). The moment of passing is “like a shipwreck” and “as though we lived falling out of the skin and into the soul.” This catches my attention as it contrasts with the idea that our souls are freed when we die. After passing, the souls are carried in caskets up “a river of dark purple” with sails carried by the sound of death. This ethereal description makes death sound like another planet, not some reward for thriving or surviving in life.
My favorite use of imagery is the personification of death. Similes are used to relate him to things we know, but in a way that feels off. In this case, death is like “a suit with no man in it”, he arrives like “a shoe with no foot in it”, and speaks “with no mouth, with no throat” in a voice like rotting flower petals. Death here is alien in form and embraces the image of a lovecraftian monster.
http://allpoetry.com/poem/11414341-The-Go-Hard-Mentality-v1-by-Team-Go-Hard
ReplyDeleteThe Go Hard Mentality created an extreme amount of imagery for me because I was able to closely relate to it. The gist of this poem is explaining feeling you have when you are so determined to win a game, for me it was soccer. The poem explains the mindset you need to be in when you are entering the game. In the second stanza of the poem it says “The mentality it takes to Go Hard begins from within, But on the outside, you are poised, pierced lips, with no sign of a grin.” This creates imagery for me because I can go back to high school and see exactly what these lines portray. I have been in that situation countless of times and can imagine it perfectly. The author uses words such as “your torch” and “its fuel” which helps to portray the thought of keeping the fire inside of you going and never giving up. Other words such as rigorous, steady breathing, and victorious tear filled eyes help create imagery.
I enjoyed this poem and think it describes the feelings of any performer before he or she is about to perform. I was a competitive swimmer growing up and so the words that stuck out to me the most were the knot in the stomach. I could actually feel my blood pumping as I read through the poem as if I were about to start the biggest race of the year.
DeleteThis poem is so unconventional, I love it! It is both expository and inviting at the same time- as if extorting us to "go hard." Its use of anaphora coupled with imagery is very engaging.
Deletehttp://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/182194
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon this poem last week during a down day. So his use of metaphorical darkness really captured my attention "out of the night that covers me" in the first line. That alone makes me feel enveloped by this cloak of blackness. The rest of the poem becomes more human, illustrating words such as "I have not winced nor cried aloud". Human emotions alone are relatable, and brings me back to instances such as this. All this telling from William of actions, setting, and emotions brings imagery. Those are my supporting claims. The basic jist of the poem is the man's choice of fate. How a person goes about their life in question of their "judgment" day. Although people truly have no idea what's true of God(s) he chooses to risk his choice. With the strength that he already holds to himself.
I love this poem. I agree that it is about the author taking control of his life through his own strength, as shown by the words "My head is bloody, but unbowed" and of course the final lines, "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." He uses the metaphor of the captain of a ship, who directs the path of his vessel.
Deletehttp://www.poemhunter.com/poem/brother-and-sister/
ReplyDelete“Brother and Sister” by Lewis Carroll
I chose this poem because, having a younger brother, I relate to this situation quite well. In the poem, the brother begins by trying to assert his authority over his sister, but she will not have it. The threats of what they will do to each other escalate until the brother is running to the cook asking for a frying pan. This poem gives the reader an accurate image of a childhood with siblings who are always trying to claim power over the other through fear. The boy taunts his sister, and she “raised her beaming eye” and tells him she would like to see him try. Her brother accepts the challenge and “off to the cook he quickly ran.” It isn’t difficult to picture the little boy’s mischievous expression, the defiance in his sister’s eyes, and the raised brow of the cook being asked to lend a pan to make sister stew.
I enjoyed reading this poem and could definitely relate due to the fact I am the youngest of eleven and my parents do foster care so there were always a lot of children in the house. I especially like the first stanza where the brother and sister are challenging each other, both trying to be the boss. When the sister asks him "Do you want a battered hide?" I could picture her with her arms crossed and attempting to act like her brother's boss.
DeleteBeing the “upper middle” of six kids I can relate to this poem as well and found it to be very humorous. You are right on with the gist of this poem, from his first order of “sister, go to bed” to his final threat of making “Irish stew.” Do you feel the poem conjures more emotions than imagery?
DeleteIt is not a poem in the truest sense of the word, but it is my favorite piece of imagery in a non-prose fashion. I choose March to the Sea by Tyler Joseph. The poem is about a man (we can assume it is Tyler) narrating a march in to the sea. The march is comprise of people, people who act the same, may look the same, and never question the march. Even though it leads to there death. Tyler questions the line "why do I fall in line." Until he spots something out of the corner of his eye, and hear a voice in his head inviting Tyler to follow it. After debating with the other 'marchers' and his own head, Tyler decides to take off after this voice, only focusing on it. He asked to be taken up, he is sick of marching. But in the end, he is put back in his place "once again... In a march to the sea."
ReplyDeleteThis poem is very meaningful to me as a Christ-follower. The entire poem is imagery of how the Christian faith works. Humanity is in a long, dull march to our deaths. We are invited by Christ to follow him, to take a different way, one that will give us purpose. But at the end of the day our work is still to be here in the march, but to march differently. Disclaimer: I am not seeking to be preachy, I am merely stating what this poem means to me, and how I find imagery within it.
March to the Sea
There's miles of land in front of us
And we're dying with every step we take
We're dying with every breath we make
And I'll fall in line
A stranger's back is all I see
He's only a few feet in front of me
And I'll look left and right sometimes
But I'll fall in line
No one looks up anymore
'Cause you might get a raindrop in your eye
And Heaven forbid they see you cry
As we fall in line
And about this time every year
The line will go to the ocean pier
And walk right off into the sea
And then we fall asleep
And as we near the end of land
And our ocean graves are just beyond the sand
I ask myself the question
Why I fall in line
Then out of the corner of my eye
I see a spaceship in the sky
And hear a voice inside my head:
Follow me instead
Then the wages of war will start
Inside my head with my counterpart
And the emotionless marchers will chant the phrase:
This line's the only way
And then I start down the stand
My eyes are focused on the end of land
But again the voice inside my head says,
Follow me instead
Take me up, seal the door
I don't want to march here anymore
I realize that this line is dead
So I'll follow You instead
So then You put me back in my place
So I might start another day
And once again I will be
In a march to the sea
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174790
ReplyDeleteI Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (Daffodils) by William Wordsworth
I chose this poem because, first, I am in love with flowers, and, second, because this poem portrays a painting in the minds of readers. The narrator describes themselves as a cloud. When we envision a cloud, we think light, airy, drifting. This imagery sets the tone for the poem. He goes onto describe a picture, a vision of "golden daffodils" dancing by the sea. The way in which he describes the breeze, the daffodils playfulness, and the waves of the ocean shifts the mood of the poem into a dreamy, peaceful, bright one. He defines the magnitude of how far the daffodils stretch when he says that they are as "continuous as the stars that shine and twinkle on the milky way".The narrator then explains how when he is alone on his couch or in a vacant, possibly daydreaming, state of mind, he thinks to those daffodils. He dreams of that time because it had brought him so much joy and beauty. I couldn't help but feel like I was seeing the same seashore and the same dancing daffodils.
If I’m going to be honest here, I always thought that this was one of the most overdone, overused, and overheard poems out there. However, I’ve only thought that because I only heard the words and not the meanings behind them, and you’ve helped to remind me why this poem is one of simplistic beauty.
DeleteI think Wordsworth used the imagery of daffodils to portray the complexity and beauty of nature. Many times throughout the poem, the daffodils are referred to as dancers, and that he himself is watching a show. This metaphor likens the swaying and twisting daffodils as the striking choreography of nature. In addition, the words jocund, glee, and pleasure imply that that nature is enjoying itself; instead of worrying about disease or death, the daffodils dance through their lives and enjoy themselves.
Out of curiosity, do you think that author likening himself to a cloud merely sets the tone, or is it setting himself up as an observer for the spectacle below?
Reflections
ReplyDeleteInto the crystal pool I gazed to see
The fleeting glimpse of a white-tailed deer
So pure, so free
Beneath a sapphire sky with clouds
She emerges from a wooded glen
So cautious and delicate
With tiny fawn beside and cowering
While towering pines trembled and swayed
As if almost knowing
And a bold hawk perches and spies
A shimmering silver trout leaps
Graceful and splendid
His dive breaking my gaze into the water
And I glance again to see
Myself
- Mary O. Fumento, 1984
The gist of this poem is about a person looking at themselves in a lake or pond and being distracted by the beauty of nature, only to be brought back to their reflection by nature (a fish). Her use of words are simplistic in that they are easy to understand, but the images she conveys with those words are breathtaking. Anyone who has ever been to areas where these images can be seen knows exactly what the author is describing. However, if you had never had the opportunity to see in person what she is describing then her words would help you to visualize those occurrences, such as, “tiny fawn beside and cowering”, “towering pines”, and “shimmering silver trout.”
The imagery in this poem is beautiful, "Beneath a sapphire sky with clouds", makes me feel like I am gazing at the same sky. Do you think that the Author sees her own beauty in what she sees?
DeleteThe thought never crossed my mind, so I would initially answer no. However, after reading the poem again with the thought in mind I believe the last two lines suggest she coiuld be speaking of her own beauty, when she says “Into the crystal pool I gazed to see,” then she describes the beauty around her and she concludes “and I glance again to see Myself.” Possibly she was gazing at herself the entire time.
DeleteThe Vampire
ReplyDeleteFor I am death, the personification of pure evil,
The grand godfather, of legions of unnumbered generations.
Behold thy disciples, baptized beneath my crimson waters, Of blood.
Then reanimated as the living undead, in mine own image,
These are my forsaken children of the Night.
Kissed by the angel of death, I'm resurrections insurrection,
Spawned in hell a creature devoid of heart or soul, yet do I
Exist, biting at the exposed throat of humanity, leaving it
Drained completely dry.
Does not the white lily turn ember red, within this the
Valley of damnation.
My throne is a black coffin gilded in golden refinement,
Residing beneath the wooden lid, the beast sleeps,
Waiting to be embraced by the darkness of night.
Slowly, emerging from mine cryptic mausoleum,
I'm famished for the taste of the living essence
Of mankind.
A gentlemen reaper of the fallen, deeply do these
Fangs penetrate into the soft flesh of humanity,
Tis a dark blessing's supernatural gift, have I been
So given, to take life then to restore it.
Raw beasts of instinct, clinging to the ethereal
Moon, that hangs above illuminating this,
Our unholy abyss.
Welcome to a shadow nation of the unseen,
Whose roots extend backwards, to an older country’s
Unconsecrated soil, called Transylvania.
On mine legacies crest, a red dragon with talons
Extended reaches out, grappling for powers control.
For I am Dracula, born of royal blood in life,
But in death I am a king, let these castle walls
Bleed on forever, and the hounds of hell,
Sing outside my rod iron gates.
But beware mortal flesh if you so enter,
For I will enjoy every trespasser,
Whom dares to venture within my
Sacred territory, with a fiendish smile
Upon my hungering face.
BY: CHERYL ANNA DUNN
The gist of this poem is just basically describing a Vampire and how evil/terrifying he is. It uses imagery to draw you into his description and purpose in life. I can see the coffin in which he sleeps in and him rising out to greet the night sky thirsting for blood. I can picture Transylvania and a castle surrounded in mystery and legends of a blood sucking creature who would enjoy any trespasser into his domain, Dracula. I really enjoyed this poem and the detail given and felt that you could read this and have a clear picture of the Undead King.