Mrs. Dowling's Literature Terms

Study Guide

At the end of this unit you will be able to:

• define imagery
• point out examples of imagery in selected writings and explain why they were usedg

To make an imaginary world seem real, an author often makes use of words and phrases that appeal to the senses. These words and phrases, called images. help a reader mentally experience what the characters in the literary selection are actually experiencing.

A well-written description should arouse a particular response or emotion in the reader's imagination.

Look at the following selection. Try to pick out words that appeal to your senses of:

sight
smell
taste
touch
sound

The hot July sun beat relentlessly down, casting an orange glare over the farm buildings, the fields, the pond. Even the usually cool green willows bordering the pond hung wilted and dry. Our sun-baked backs ached for relief. We quickly pulled off our sweaty clothes and plunged into the pond, but the tepid water only stifled us and we soon climbed onto the brown, dusty bank. Our parched throats longed for something cool--a strawberry ice, a tall frosted glass of lemonade.

We pulled on our clothes, crackling underbrush, the sharp briars pulling at our damp jeans, until we reached the watermelon patch. As we began to cut open the nearest melon, we could smell the pungent skin mingling with the dusty odor of the dry earth. Suddenly, the melon gave way with a crack, revealing the deep, pink sweetness inside.

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