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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
Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Gods Lake:
Chapter 6 marks Saul’s arrival at Gods Lake with lush imagery. As Naomi guides the family out of their tent village, they return to a place that is at once stunning and sacred:
It was a great bowl of inkpot black sunk into the granite and edged with spruce, pine and fir. At its shoreline, as my grandmother had told us, were tall cedars, a tamarack bog and a wide shallow bay at the southern end, where manoomin grew in abundance. The air was still at first. But as we paddled toward the northern end, where the grey-white cliffs spilled their gravel down to form the beach, a breeze came up and we could hear bird sounds from the reeds and shallows.
Related Themes:
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Cloak-Wearing Boulders:
Personification, simile, and imagery bring the natural world to life in Chapter 10. During his journey out of Gods Lake with Naomi, Saul watches in wonder at their surroundings:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The humped shapes of boulders on the shore wore cloaks of white. Trees with new snow heavy in their branches looked like tired soldiers heading home from war.
Related Themes:
Chapter 56
Explanation and Analysis—Back on the Rink:
Indian takes to the ice again in Chapter 56 when he returns to Manitouwadge—a moment made poignant through imagery. What began as an evening game with his former teammates suddenly takes him back to his hockey-playing days:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I dressed on the bench. My head down lacing up my skates and my nose full of the smell of a rink. Wood. Sweat. Spit. Leather. When I stood and faced the ice itself, it was dazzling.
Related Themes:
