Imagery

Imagery is used in poetry to convey meaning through pictures. Where concrete words alone fall short of providing the meaning the poet wants to convey, images are used so the reader can better envision the subject. For example, the “baby on the ramp” is an image that the poet uses to imply the baby’s isolation. Another image comes in the simile of the man, whom the narrator describes as “gathered into himself like an Artic bird.” This same man is also “aloof as an element,” the narrator states. Here, the poet defines an emotional state with a scientific term. In creating this image, the poet emphasizes the man’s singleness. What could be more separate than an element, a fundamental form of matter? The poet creates a similar image in the phrase “alone as earth or air.&rdquo...