The reader can see the sheen of a damp sunny day.įigurative imagery relies on language like simile and metaphors to evoke the senses. The language is straightforward (literal), but it is descriptive in a way that gives the reader a very clear image of the scene. There was bright sunshine, but it must have been raining earlier that day because I can remember how the sun was glinting on the muddy surface of the grass. Literal imagery appeals to the reader’s prior knowledge of something, describing it so precisely that the reader cannot help but feel (or see, hear, taste, or smell) the thing being described.įor example, look at this passage from Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro: There are two types of imagery: literal and figurative. What’s the difference between literal and figurative imagery? Alternatively, a writer can convey a sense of discomfort to the reader by describing the scent of rot or decay. When a writer describes the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the morning and the reader perks up, that’s an effective use of olfactory imagery.

Olfactory imagery is the imagery of scent. It is imagery that concerns taste-think about books with recipes, grocery shopping scenes, and dinner descriptions. Gustatory imagery makes your mouth water. The roughness of a sweater, the coolness of fresh sheets, and the softness of a kitten’s fur are all examples of tactile imagery. Any imagery that causes the reader to hear the scene is auditory imagery. This might be the whir of machinery or the rush of a river. Auditory imageryĪuditory imagery evokes sounds. Visual imagery is the most common form of imagery in writing because it is the best way for a writer to describe settings and characters. It is the colors, brightness, shape, and movement of something. Visual imagery is imagery that you can see in your mind’s eye. ” What are the types of imagery?Īlthough not everyone can experience all these senses themselves, writing that appeals to the senses can still spark their imagination: Visual imagery For example, the opening lines of Mary Oliver’s poem “At Black River” effectively send the reader’s imagination to the riverbank in a slim three lines:

Often, imagery in a poem generates a strong reaction using just a few words. Sometimes it only takes a couple of precise words to tap into the reader’s senses. Imagery doesn’t always require complicated descriptions. If every night is the deepest, blackest night the narrator has ever seen if every mango is the most succulent they’ve ever eaten if every wind is the iciest they’ve ever felt, then your reader might get fed up with the drama of it all if everything is special, then nothing is special. However, too much imagery can lessen the effectiveness of your writing. It also creates the feeling of weariness (which is another appeal to tactile imagery if you imagine the weight of your eyelids).

That might be a little dramatic, but amplification is all about drama. Or, using amplification, you can tell them the road before you stretched through space and time, jutting into a seemingly endless succession of nights and days that blurred together and deposited you collapsed on your doorstep. For example, you can tell your reader that you had a long drive home.

Amplification is a literary device that exaggerates or emphasizes a certain point. Poignant and direct verbs will bring your reader along for the ride.Īnother way to create imagery is through amplification. For example, using “shimmering” or “blinding” instead of “bright,” or “piercing” instead of “loud.” There is also a lot of potential for imagery in verbs since those are the words that move your narrative forward. One way to do this is through evocative adjectives.

Writers use imagery to generate a physical or emotional response in the reader. a harsher California, haunted by the Mohave just beyond the mountains, devastated by the hot dry Santa Ana wind that comes down through the passes at 100 miles an hour and whines through the Eucalyptus windbreaks and works on the nerves.”Ī passage with less imagery might depict the winds as being “hot and dry,” but Didion’s rich description goes farther, creating for the reader a feeling of roughness (appealing to touch) in the winds. Take the following passage from a 1966 article by Joan Didion titled “Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream.” In this passage, Didion uses imagery to talk about the region’s wind: Language can elicit a psychological or intellectual reaction in a reader, and imagery is just one more tool a writer has to connect with their audience through sensation and emotion. Imagery enhances writing by creating a physical response in the reader through sensory details. Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly What is imagery?

Auditory imagery in poetry