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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
Key Examples in The Things They Carried
The Things They Carried
Explanation and Analysis—Freedom Birds:
Toward the end of "The Things They Carried," O'Brien introduces the reader to one of the soldiers' shared fantasies: freedom birds. In a long paragraph, which teems with metaphor, simile, imagery, and alliteration, the narrator describes bird-like jets that carry the men away from Vietnam, "beyond duty, beyond gravity and mortification and global entanglements." While this fantasy clearly appeals to the soldiers for a number of reasons, it revolves around a core dream: that of being carried rather than carrying.
Related Themes:
Spin
Explanation and Analysis—Leaky Faucet:
In "Spin," the narrator recounts a series of short anecdotes to describe his multifaceted experiences during the war. It could be "almost" sweet, funny, restful, or monotonous. However, O'Brien emphasizes that boredom could be dangerous. Using a visceral simile and tactile imagery, he describes the sensation of boredom that the soldiers often felt while waiting around:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Even in the deep bush, where you could die any number of ways, the war was nakedly and aggressively boring. But it was a strange boredom. It was boredom with a twist, the kind of boredom that caused stomach disorders. You’d be sitting at the top of a high hill, the flat paddies stretching out below, and the day would be calm and hot and utterly vacant, and you’d feel the boredom dripping inside you like a leaky faucet, except it wasn’t water, it was a sort of acid, and with each little droplet you’d feel the stuff eating away at important organs.
Related Themes:
How to Tell a True War Story
Explanation and Analysis—Into the Light:
In a few of the stories in The Things They Carried, the narrator dwells on the moment just before someone is killed. Two such instances involve the given person stepping out of shade or fog and into the light, before evaporating or being lifted up. Developed alongside visual imagery, the transition from darkness to light—and, in parallel, life to death—becomes a motif in the collection. Although there's technically nothing supernatural going on, the force of the weapons that kill the men is described in almost magical terms. Additionally, O'Brien makes it seem as though time slows down, or even stops.
Related Themes:
Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong
Explanation and Analysis—Special Forces Hootch:
"Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" culminates in a rich, visceral scene in which Mary Anne sits in the Special Forces Hootch chanting in a foreign language. The passage in which O'Brien describes this scene—by way of Rat Kiley's voice—contains hyperbole, imagery, and simile. These literary devices come together to reinforce the strangeness of the scene and the mystery of Mary Anne's transformation.
Related Themes:
Speaking of Courage
Explanation and Analysis—Deep, Oozy Soup:
In "Speaking of Courage," Bowker drives around the lake in his hometown, thinking back to the night Kiowa died. He uses metaphor and imagery to liken the swampy field to a boiling soup. Throughout the story, the field in his flashback contrasts with the lake next to him. At times, the two seem to flow into each other, as past intermingles with present in Bowker's thoughts and in the narration.
Related Themes:
