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Idioms
Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Key Examples in A Streetcar Named Desire
Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Delicate Beauty:
When Blanche first appears on the scene in New Orleans, Williams uses visual imagery that aligns her with a pale, delicate insect. He does so to portray her as both out of place and fragile within the gritty environment of the French Quarter. The stage directions explain:
[Her delicate beauty must avoid a strong light. There is something about her uncertain manner, as well as her white clothes, that suggests a moth [...] ]
Related Themes:
Scene 3
Explanation and Analysis—STELL-LAHHHHH!:
After the harrowing scene where Stanley drunkenly beats Stella during the poker game, he has an abrupt emotional turnaround when he realizes Stella may leave him. Williams makes sure the importance of this moment is clear using auditory imagery in his stage directions and in Stanley's words (or, rather, word). Standing outside their apartment, Stanley screams for his wife:
Unlock with LitCharts A+STANLEY [with heaven-splitting violence]:
STELL-LAHHHHH!
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Lurid Brilliance:
When Williams first describes Stanley and Stella's apartment during the poker game in Scene 3, the stage directions evoke the visual imagery of primary colors and unrefined, direct light for the play's reader or director:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The kitchen now suggests that sort of lurid nocturnal brilliance, the raw colors of childhood's spectrum.
Related Themes:
