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Hyperbole
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 1
Explanation and Analysis—Cora and Alice:
Cooper relies on imagery to amplify the fact that Cora and Alice are foils. For example, in Chapter 1, he introduces Alice with light imagery:
The flush which still lingered above the pines in the western sky was not more bright nor delicate than the bloom on her cheek[...]
Related Themes:
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—Sultry Landscape:
In Chapter 3, Cooper introduces Hawkeye and Chingachgook. Before he describes the two of them in detail, he uses a barrage of imagery to describe the riverbank where they are resting:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The vast canopy of woods spread itself to the margin of the river overhanging the water, and shadowing its dark current with a deeper hue. The rays of the sun were beginning to grow less fierce, and the intense heat of the day was lessened, as the cooler vapors of the springs and fountains rose above their leafy beds, and rested in the atmosphere.
Related Themes:
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Sounds in the Forest:
By the end of Chapter 4, Duncan is beginning to mistrust Magua (Le Renard Subtil), but he tries to stay calm as he insists that they stop to eat and rest. Cooper uses sound imagery both to emphasize Duncan's unease and to foreshadow the arrival of Chingachgook, Uncas, and Hawkeye in the nick of time:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“This is well,” continued Heyward; “and Le Renard will have strength and sight to find the path in the morning”; he paused, for sounds like the snapping of a dried stick, and the rustling of leaves, rose from the adjacent bushes, but recollecting himself instantly, he continued—“we must be moving before the sun is seen, or Montcalm may lie in our path, and shut us out from the fortress.”
Related Themes:
Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Melody and Shrieks:
In Chapter 9, the band of travelers hides in a cavern. David Gamut uses imagery and a simile to describe the eerie sounds of nature:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“There is melody in the fall of the cataract, and the rushing of many waters is sweet to the senses!” said David, pressing his hand confusedly on his brow. “Is not the air yet filled with shrieks and cries, as though the departed spirits of the damned—”
Related Themes:
