Previous
Genre
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 Jasper Jones
Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Gatling Gun Rain:
In Chapter 6, Charlie and his parents play cards to calm down after Wesley helps stop a violent assault on An Lu. Charlie uses imagery to convey the tension he feels in the room, building on a metaphor his father introduces:
“I don’t think there’ll be any need [to add up points].” My dad tosses his cards onto the table. “This spells the end for us, Charlie. Time to surrender. We’ve been plundered. To bed with ye.”
I get up. And as I do, there are sudden Gatling gun pops on our roof. We all flinch and look up. It’s raining. Slow, then a heavy barrage. Fat silver sheets of it. I can see it through the kitchen window. It silences us for a time. “Hell’s bells,” says my father. “It’s really coming down.”
Related Themes:
Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Volcano:
In Chapter 9, just when everyone is celebrating Charlie's triumph of stealing peaches from Mad Jack Lionel's yard, they see smoke in the distance. The smoke, which Charlie describes with vivid imagery, is both real and a metaphor:
Unlock with LitCharts A+A pillar of smoke, dense and dark. A volcano is erupting. It is distant, but not too distant. It looks to be perilously close to the town center. And there is a moment where we all quietly take it in, that single column, climbing and writhing straight up. There isn’t a breath of wind. And we pay it due regard. This is a dark spirit with substance. Everyone in Corrigan knows there is something real here, that this is something to truly be afraid of, that this kind of smoke holds fire at its heart.
Related Themes:
