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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 13
Explanation and Analysis—Pendulums and Seabirds:
Chapter 13 ends with Brown describing the first varsity race at the Pacific Coast Regatta—where University of Washington faces off against the University of California—using imagery and simile:
As they flew down the last few hundred yards, their eight taut bodies rocked back and forth like pendulums, in perfect synchronicity. Their white blades flashed above the water like the wings of seabirds flying in formation. With every perfectly executed stroke, the expanse between them and the now exhausted Cal boys widened. In airplanes circling overhead, press photographers struggled to keep both boats in the frame of a single shot.
Related Themes:
Chapter 18
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Living Thing:
Brown describes the American crew's rowing at the very end of the 1936 men's eight final with simile and imagery:
Unlock with LitCharts A+In a daze, believing they were finally bearing down on the line, the boys threw their long bodies into each stroke, rowing furiously, flawlessly, and with uncanny elegance. Their oars were bending like bows, the blades entering and leaving the water cleanly, smoothly, efficiently, the shell’s whale-oil-slick hull ghosting forward between pulls, its sharp cedar prow slicing through dark water, boat and men forged together, bounding fiercely forward like a living thing.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Wild Wind, Flapping Flag:
Early in the 1936 race for gold, Brown uses alliteration and imagery to describe the adverse conditions the American rowers face:
Unlock with LitCharts A+As they moved out into the widest part of the Langer See, the winds grew even stronger. White, frothy waves began splashing over the small American flag that was flapping wildly [...].
Related Themes:
