Imagery Construction

An Overview

Imagery

• Imagery is the use of descriptive narration to create a visual image of the scene in the reader’s mind. Imagery appeals to the senses.

Adjectives

Adjectives, descriptive words that enhance nouns, are a core element of imagery. They range from the basic to the hyperbolic

Example

• The starry, placid night sky• The Midnight Blue sky• The pink-orange sunset• The glittering night sky• The immense mountain• The snow-blanketed Earth

Metaphor

• Metaphor is often employed to convey imagery without overuse of adjectives. A metaphor compares to unlike things without using “like” or “as”.

Example

Quote taken from my own work, Goldilocks and the Band of Brigands: “Her mother used to brush her hair till it became molten gold…”

Comparing Goldilocks’ blonde hair to molten gold.

Simile

Imagery utilizes simile to give a more literal description of an object or scene. Unlike a metaphor, a simile uses “like”, as, and “of” to compare two unlike things.

Example

Quote from my poem, Her Saintly Company: “Her eyes, luminous blue, like the birth canal of stars.”

Utilizing Adjectives

It is important to remember that different adjectives carry different connotations. “Big” versus “Monolithic”, “Small” versus “Quantum”. As well, one cannot simply add more adjectives before one word and call it descriptive.

Utilizing Adjectives Cont.

Example: “The star-strewn night sky” is acceptable, however “The immense, impending, blue, starry, streaked, night sky” is what we call “Purple Prose”.

Utilizing Metaphor

Metaphor cannot use “like” or “as” and should compare two unlike things in a manner to where they are actually similar.

Utilizing Metaphor Cont.

As I said, the two unlike things must be alike in some manner. Although a girl’s long blonde hair is not literally made of molten gold, it bears a resemblance to it.

Utilizing Simile

As previously stated, simile offers a more literal description of something. To quote my essay, Winter’s Keep:“By night, beautiful auroras dance in the sky like great polychromatic ribbons let loose from some fair maiden’s hair.” The auroras in question are described as looking like ribbons, not as ribbons.