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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 The Emperor Jones
Scene 4
Explanation and Analysis—The Invisible Shovel:
In Scene 4 of The Emperor Jones, Eugene O’Neill uses controlled staging and props to enhance the visual imagery at play. The appearance of the uniformed, whip-wielding prison guard and small gang of Black convicts bearing picks and shovels is contrasted with Jones’s dishevelment and empty hands—an image all the more striking for Jones’s near zombie-like bodily imitation of his hallucination:
[The PRISON GUARD points sternly at JONES with his whip, motions him to take his place among the other shovelers. JONES gets to his feet in a hypnotized stupor. He mumbles subserviently.] Yes, suh! Yes, suh! I’se comin’. [As he shuffles, dragging one foot, over to his place, he curses under his breath with rage and hatred.]... [As if there were a shovel in his hands he goes through weary, mechanical gestures of digging up dirt, and throwing it to the roadside.]
Related Themes:
