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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 Wide Sargasso Sea
Part 1
Explanation and Analysis—Octopus's Garden:
Early in Wide Sargasso Sea, Antoinette acquaints the reader with Coulibri Estate as it looked and felt in her childhood. In a rich passage, Rhys uses allusion, simile, and imagery to make the garden come alive. As in many of Antoinette's memories, uneasiness and hostility lurk beneath the lush and fragrant beauty.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Hour of Our Death:
As she describes her teenage years, Antoinette relies on a mixture of visual imagery and religious diction to conjure up the atmosphere of the convent. Some of her religious diction draws on allusions, to both traditional prayers and the Bible. Of the settings in the novel, the convent is the one that is described in the most decisively positive terms. Antoinette may feel ambivalent about the religious lessons that are taught there, but life is safe, clean, and orderly during this period of her life.
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Part 3
Explanation and Analysis—New Home:
In the third part, Grace Poole and Antoinette describe Thornfield Hall for the reader. Whereas Grace describes the house in positive terms, Antoinette describes her new home using bleak imagery and a stark metaphor. The women's contrasting descriptions of the house shed light on their varying levels of information. Grace is employed and knows what her role is at Thornfield; Antoinette has no idea where she is and even has a tenuous grasp on who she is.
In the italicized portion that opens the third part, Grace gives the reader some context about her role in the narrative. She metaphorically describes Thornfield as a "shelter," and uses imagery to describe the orderly grounds and inviting rooms.
Unlock with LitCharts A+After all the house is big and safe, a shelter from the world outside which, say what you like, can be a black and cruel world to a woman. [...] The thick walls, she thought. Past the lodge gate a long avenue of trees and inside the house the blazing fires and the crimson and white rooms. But above all the thick walls, keeping away all the things that you have fought till you can fight no more.
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