Imagery: Imagery is one
of the most important elements of poetry, especially modern poetry.
Since much of modern poetry is free verse and has no set rules of rhyme
or meter, imagery is one of the key points that set poetry apart from
prose, which is normal writing in sentence format. Although the word
"imagery" contains the root word "image," it includes all the senses,
such as taste, smell, sight, touch, and hearing. Vivid use of imagery
will give the reader a more vivid reading experience. A lot of times,
imagery is executed through the use of similies
and metaphors.
A very good example is:
The town does not exist
except where one black-haired tree slips
up like a drowned woman into the hot sky.
The town is silent. The night boils with eleven stars.
--Anne Sexton, "The Starry Night"
In her description of the painting by Van Gough, Sexton compares the tree to a drowned woman and
describes it as being "black-haired." Although this is sort of a
strange comparison, the reader can visualize the tree very clearly, its
long stringy leaves being pushed up and floating slightly in the air,
almost as if there is water cushioning them. The words also give the
sense that the tree is a weeping willow, since it is "black-haired" and
only willows have the long veils of leaves. The words "hot sky" and
"night boils" give the sky the image of being red, seething, and full
of a supernatural fury even though Sexton does not use those specific
words. With a few simple phrases, Sexton creates an extremely complex
and vivid image.
Abstractions: An
abstraction is basically anything that cannot be seen, tasted, felt,
smelt, or heard. It's the opposite of imagery, because while imagery is
concrete images that make the subject matter more clear, abstractions
are shadowy ideas that confuse readers. While using abstractions in
poetry, it's good to keep in mind that your reader will most likely not
have a good idea of what you are talking about. Most abstractions are
not very specific and are not good when used for description. In
general, abstractions are bad and should be taken out of poetry unless
the writer uses them with extreme care.
For example, the following is filled with abstractions:
Moonlight filtered over the dreamlike landscape,
Pooling like sorrow and tugging
Me down until my soul drowned in it,
Like yesterday's tears that never bled away.
This is a very bad poem that is overwrought with abstractions. First of
all, "dream" is an abstraction. What is a "dreamlike landscape?" Was it
supernaturally beautiful, did it flicker in and out of focus like a
dream, were there things in the landscape that would never make sense
in reality? These are only three of a million different interpretations
of one unspecific description. "Sorrow" is another abstraction. To say
that the moonlight "pooled like sorrow" explains nothing about what the
moonlight really looks like because no one knows how sorrow pools.
Because sorrow does not pool, this is a terrible comparison. Yet
another abstraction is "soul." What does it mean to have a "soul
drowned?" Has someone killed the writer's morals or is the writer
filled with extreme sadness? What does moonlight have to do with any of
this? Once again, there can be a million interpretations. If you read
the poem over, you will realize that it doesn't make any sense.
Finally, remember that revision is
just as important in poetry as it is in fiction! Whether you want to
add imagery, take out abstractions, or do a number of other things to
your poem, revision is always a handy tool. With that said, have fun
writing!
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