Imagery language that appeals to the five senses

the five senses Sight Sound Smell Taste Touch

Sight stuff you can see “The light glitters in her eyes.”

Sound stuff you can hear “We heard rapid, high-pitched squeals.”

Smell stuff you can sniff “A powdered sweetness filled the air.”

Taste stuff you can taste “She felt the moist crumbles melt on her tongue.”

Touch stuff you can feel “Rough, jagged stones cut into his hands.”

Just because you can “see it in your mind” does not mean it is imagery. *Sometimes it lacks description. *Sometimes it is just plot. But it’s not all imagery.

Sure, you can “see” someone throwing a ball, but it is an action in the story and is not meant to give the reader a more real or vivid sense of things. “He threw the ball.” This is plot. Not imagery.

Now that’s imagery! It gives us more visual details about what the ball looked like. “He threw the ball, which was crusty and worn.”

Sure, you can “hear” her sighing and saying “blah,” but it is simply action, dialog. “‘Blah,’ she sighed.” This is plot. Not imagery.

Now that’s imagery! It gives us more auditory details about what the sigh sounded like. “‘Blah,’ she sighed, the air passing through her lips like air being let out gently from a balloon.”

We can make the following phrases that are not imagery into imagery by adding sensory details. He turned on the light. She screamed. He gave her flowers. She ate chocolate. He patted her back.

Added sensory details or imagery He turned on the soft, glowing reading light. She screamed a harsh, guttural cry from the pit of her stomach. He gave her flowers that smelled of an old, damp envelope. She ate sweet, creamy, melted chocolate. He patted her back roughly, causing tingling pins to surface under her shirt.

Aside from appealing to your senses, imagery can be used to create mood or elicit emotions. Imagery can do so much more!

He turned on the _______ light. soft, glowing reading harsh, bright white How does each light feel?

He gave her flowers that smelled like _______. an old, damp envelope a fresh morning spring How does each smell feel?

We can add sensory details to each phrase twice: making one positive and the other negative. He heard a voice. She felt her shirt. The sun shined.

Added sensory details or imagery He heard a voice floating on a breeze. She felt her soft shirt caress her skin. The sun shined golden on the clouds. He heard a voice screech like static. She felt her shirt scratch at her skin. The sun shined like knives in his eyes.

Imagery Language that appeals to the five senses Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch Language that paints a more vivid picture More than just plot or dialogue Language that can appeal to the emotions

Let’s find some imagery in the poem “Blackberry-Picking” 1. Read the poem 2. Look for imagery - descriptions that appeal to your five senses. Tell what sense it appeals to.

Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for Picking. Then red ones inked up and that hunger Sent us out with milk cans, pea tins, jam- pots Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots. Round hayfields, cornfields and potato- drills We trekked and picked until the cans were full, Until the tinkling bottom had been covered With green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned Like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered With thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeard's. We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre. But when the bath was filled we found a fur, A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache. The juice was stinking too. Once off the bush The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour. I always felt like crying. It wasn't fair That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot. Each year I hoped they'd keep, knew they would not.

Imagery language that appeals to the five senses Credits: Created by Jason Murphy © Pictures are the property of the original artists.