When writing descriptive poetry it becomes increasingly necessary to review exactly what imagery is and its innate relevance to poetry as an art form.
If you are a fan of music, then imagery surrounds you in songs. Many people agree that songs are but poetry set to music.
If you consider this statement to be true, then it could be said that the verses in your favorite song (that may be stuck in your head) are a good place to start when you are looking for samples of imagery in everyday works. Whether you like hip-hop, pop, rock and roll, country or soul, music is as good a place as ever to find good samples of imagery.
Take a look at the following example and see if you can better understand its use of imagery:
On a starry winter night in Portugal
Where the ocean kissed the southern shore
There a dream I never thought would come to pass
Came and went like time spent through an hourglass
-Teena Marie, “Portuguese Love”
The sample above was taken from soul, songstress of the 1980s, Teena Marie’s hit love song entitled “Portuguese Love.” Did you notice how descriptive the lyrics are? In this sample alone, the imagery is increasingly apparent to the reader. Even though this is a portion of the lyrics from a song, if you read it, you can almost feel the sand of the beach beneath your feet.
Another famous poem that contains imagery is "Daffodils" by William Wordsworth. As you read through the poem, he paints a wonderful picture of daffodils such that you can almost picture them in the breeze:
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way
While poems and songs can paint a vivid picture since they are longer mediums, imagery can be found in just a single sentence as well. Consider the following imagery examples:
Here is another example of imagery in music.
She wears a long fur coat of mink
Even in the summertime
Everybody knows from the coy little wink
The girl's got a lot on her mind
She's got big thoughts, big dreams
And a big brown Mercedes sedan
What I think this girl, she really wants
Is to be in love with a man
-Sheila E., “Glamorous Life”
In this illustration, the imagery gains momentum with each line. It starts out slow, yet always building momentum through its vivid description of the mystery girl in the “long fur coat of mink.”
Have you ever been in a situation where an instructor mentioned the catch phrase, “Be as descriptive as possible?” In short, imagery can best be defined as descriptive language.
If you take that definition one step further and apply it to the five human sense, then the definition simply becomes, descriptive language that has the ability of appealing to the five human senses. That does not necessarily mean that imagery applies to all five human senses collectively. It merely means that imagery is the use of descriptive language that can be appealing to one or more of the five human senses.
Although most often used in poetry, imagery can be used in just about any form of writing. Whether fiction or nonfiction, imagery is what provides the color, or what a reader can see in his or her mind’s eye about a particular written work. Contemporary examples of imagery in action include stories in the newspaper, crime scene reports and of course, works of fiction.
Imagery is also used in songs, movies, television shows and everyday reports. It is the way in which the writer or author of a particular work conveys texture and vividness to the reader. It is also the way in which the writer shows the reader the intended image of the work, instead of telling them.
If you ever find yourself wondering where you can find good imagery examples, you can turn on your radio, mp3 player, or even pull out a book, and you will find many examples.
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