IMAGERY

1. Write a descriptive paragraph of one of the following places from the perspective of a blind person:
railway station, bookshop, café, seaside, forest, mountain top.

It's morning and I can't hear the noise of a big, crowded city anymore. The wet ground with morning dew,
slips under my feet and my cheeks warms up as the gentle rays of the sun penetrate the trees. Nature is
awake. All around me, the hum of butterflies, the hammering of woodpeckers and the song of birds break the
silence of the forest. A dry tree crackles beneath my foot as I walk to the song of a softly murmuring river.
Juicy and fragrant blackberries are melting in my mouth and the cold water is cleaning my hands, giving me
chills.The breeze spreads rich and dizzying scents around. Flowers? Many disasters have passed over the
forest in front of me and yet, how resilient, though fragile, it is. It is quiet in the forest, and yet, far from
home, I can hear its voice and understand his uninterrupted rustle, feeling like home.

Definition:

IMAGERY = descriptive language that appeals to one or more of our senses and which helps create and
impression or mood. TYPES: visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile (kinesthetic, organic – see below).

2. Read the paragraph you wrote and underline the examples of imagery you used.

3. Determine what type of imagery is used in the following sentences, i.e. visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile,
gustatory:

 He was nearing home; he could feel it in the touch of thin air on skin. (Charles Frazier)-tactile
 It must be on charcoal they fatten their fruit. I taste in them sometimes the flavour of soot. (Robert
Frost)-gustatory
 Her voice is full of money ... that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it.
(Scott Fitzgerald)- auditory
 The stench of death massaged my skin; it didn't wash off for years. (James Wilde)-olfactory
 The tavern was worn down with age, the wooden bar chipping away, the floors looking black from
the dirt, and the ceiling carrying dark brown stains from water damage.-visual
 The scream she let out was bloodcurdling.- kinesthetic
 The familiar tang of his grandmother’s cranberry sauce reminded him of his youth.-gustatory
 The animal let out a shrill meow of hunger. -auditory
 The perfume she sprayed reminded her of the sweet and calming scent of mangos and vanilla.
-olfactory
 The shadows crisscrossed the rug while my cat stretched languidly in one of the patches of sun.
-kinesthetic
 The first bite he took filled his mouth with a spicy kick from the jalapeños, and so he drank the
sweet and fruity drink he had been given. -gustatory
 The blanket was as soft as cotton and as smooth as silk. -tactile/kinesthetic
 I was awakened by the strong smell of a freshly brewed coffee. -olfactory
 The woods are lovely, dark and deep. (Robert Frost)-visual
  While swimming for the shore, Mark unintentionally took a gulp of the briny, bitter mass, causing
him to cough and gag. -gustatory/organic
 The concert was so loud that her ears rang for days afterward. -auditory
 The sun was bleeding its last over the cursed city. -visual
 The tree bark was rough against her palms. -tactile
 She ran through the dark, gloomy passage until she could see the exit. -visual
 Finally, he was able to get into bed and he exhaled happily as he stretched under the soft
comforter.-kinesthetic
 The warm, sweet chocolate drink made her happy on that winter day. -gustatory
 It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. (George Orwell)-kinesthetic
Kinesthetic imagery allows the reader to envision the movements and actions of a character or object.
An example of kinesthetic imagery is: "His body moved fluidly throughout the obstacle course, dodging
every object thrown at him with agility and grace while speeding down the path."

Organic imagery allows the reader to feel what the character feels, such as thirst, hunger, or fatigue.
An example of organic imagery is: "He was completely drained of energy, his knees buckling from
carrying his own weight and eyes drooping from exhaustion."

4. Find examples of kinaesthetic and organic imagery in the sentences above (ex.3).
Bloodcurdling, The shadows crisscrossed, patches of sun, soft ,smooth, briny, bitter, happily,soft,cold.
5. Read the description below and underline the examples of imagery, also paying attention to the types
that predominate. What type of imagery is least utilized? How unusual is that for the description of a
restaurant?

Everything in the restaurant smacked of old England: heavy beamed ceiling, dancing fires in all three
fireplaces, dark brown creaking tables with ages-old initials carved in their tops. One had only to look
about, sink back into one of the sumptuous green leather easy chairs that surrounded the tables, and feel
an overwhelming sense of mellow contentment. This would soon be replaced with anticipation, however,
as the smells of the kitchen pervaded the atmosphere. Few would fail to be stirred by the rich earthiness of
the roast haunch of venison with red-currant jelly and chestnut puree, let alone the chicken cooked in red
wine with mushrooms or the trout poached in white wine with shrimp and mussels. And as waiter after
waiter moves from kitchen to table, the easy anticipation is replaced by impatience. Taste buds at
attention, knife and fork at the ready, the cozy room seeming to be getting too warm, a little voice – inside -
begins to murmur, “Where’s mine?”
I think the least imagery utilised is the gustatory one wich is odd for the description of a restaurant.