Imagery Questions - Formula
Imagery: an author's use of vivid and descriptive
language to add depth to their work
** YOU MUST FIRST DECONSTRUCT THE IMAGE
AND THEN EXPLAIN THE EFFECT **
1. Quote the image and identify technique used
(simile, metaphor or personification)
2. State the literal meaning of the image
3. Explain the effect of the connotations of the
image in relation to the passage
You should assume that you are aiming to achieve six ticks per use of imagery
formula:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Quoting
Specific technique in brackets
“Just as”
Accurate explanation of literal meaning of image
“So too”
Accurate explanation of effect of connotations in relation to the passage
This is where you link your response back to the question/task. It will be
easier to complete the imagery formula if you first identify the key
words of the question/task.
Examples
• My love is like a red, red rose, that is newly sprung in
June.
• Reading that book kindled my interest in literature.
• Like a skein of loose silk blown against a wall,
she walks by the railing of a path in Kensington Gardens.
• All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women
merely players.
• “My love is like a red, red rose” (simile)
• Just as a red rose is an attractive flower which
is often given as a romantic gesture
• So too this has connotations of beauty and
romance and suggests that the object of the
speaker’s affections is a delicate and beautiful
person, towards whom he feels great
affection.
• “Reading that book kindled my interest in
literature” (metaphor)
• Just as to kindle something is to set it alight or
start a fire with it
• So too this connotes the fast-paced beginning
of something and suggests that the reading of
a certain book has created an interest in
literature, for the speaker, that will continue
to grow.
• “Like a skein of loose silk blown against a wall”
(simile)
• Just as a skein is a thread of material and
loose silk is a delicate, pleasant feeling fabric
• So too this has connotations of delicacy,
sophistication and beauty and suggests that
the subject, although very attractive, has a
slight frame and is perhaps emotionally
vulnerable.
• “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely
players” (metaphor)
• Just as a stage is a structure upon which dramatic productions
are performed and players are actors who play a part in a
dramatic production
• So too this suggests that all our lives are merely there for
entertainment and are not to be taken too seriously, although
they may be enjoyable, like a stage show. The idea that we are
all playing parts suggests that we are all guided by fate or
destiny and have no say in what happens to us.