The Longest Memory
by Fred D’Aguiar

The Longest Memory: Imagery 2 key examples

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 Longest Memory

Chapter 12: Great Granddaughter
Explanation and Analysis—Mouth Into a Spring:

In Chapter 12, Whitechapel's great-granddaughter has a dream of Africa that she describes with a metaphor and imagery:

A pot on the fire in the center of the hut gives off a smell of pepper and spices that turn my mouth into a spring. Where people once stood, they sit, ready to eat. I have to swallow every few seconds to stop myself from dribbling over the contents of this pot. A steaming, heaped clay plate is thrust into my grip and I am pushed from my feet to the ground.

Explanation and Analysis—Knuckles Round as Stones:

In Chapter 12, Whitechapel's great-granddaughter describes his dead body with imagery, simile, and metaphor: 

He lies half-curled. His skin is already cold. I start at his head, his face, neck and behind his ears; wiping the slack skin in his neck to catch a streak of water, wiping the set creases at the corners of his mouth.[...] I uncurl the fingers which have the resistance of the dead in them and wipe the palms with their pathways of an ant’s nest. His knuckles are round as stones. His nails are as dark brown as his skin. 

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