IMAGERY - Rebecca Belew

Getting this out in the open: I really did not understand a lot of what was happening in this iambic pentameter, mini-epic poem. I did, however, recognize this...

IMAGERY. LOTS AND LOTS OF IMAGERY.

Pope does a very good job of showing the reader a mental image of what he is describing. He uses other literary devices, like personification, to achieve this. "The sun obliquely shoots his burning ray," is an example of this personified imagery (line 20, Canto III). As Pope writes an exaggerated narrative of Belinda, the most beautiful woman any creature has ever laid eyes on, he creates a tone of adoration and an image of lustful gazes and actions in order to display her beauty in words as "ev'ry eye was fix'd on her alone" (line 6, Cantos II). Throughout the whole first half of the piece, many times were there stops to describe the scene of the Sylphs and Nymphs and Gnomes. Pope's use of imagery created an inclusive atmosphere in which one could see themselves in the presence of his characters, meaning that his work achieved the goal he was attempting.

P.S. I commented on Caroline and Drew's posts

Comments

Jamie Peters said…
Thank you so much for pointing this out; you were one of the only people to focus on anything other than how the characters are portrayed (guilty). I immediately fell in love with the imagery too, and I think it really adds to the wonder and romance to the piece as a whole. This is something that both men and women could read, although at that time it would have been for different purposes.
Rachael Gregson said…
Yes, I caught onto this too Rebecca! As someone who is an adamant reader, I really enjoy when writers take on vivid descriptions. I just wish in Pope's case, that he could have cut back just a teensy bit to help me understand better. Fancy words mean nothing if they don't get the author's point across or if the reader walks away from the book confused. Hopefully, we will decode the symbolism in class tomorrow.
Logan Turner said…
I actually like the imagery in the story. It serves to make the minor incident seem much more meaningful when it is written the way it is. The imagery allows him to exaggerate everything in the story, and makes it all the more ridiculous and laughable.
Gabby Strahan said…
I am right there with you sis. This reading confused the daylights out of me and I did not quite catch many details about it at all, BUT I definitely caught onto Pope's stunning use of imagery. He phrased subtle things in such eloquent detailed language, you could visualize it, so yes your conclusion drawn of his achieved goal is absolutely correct. Great post and P.S. I love you <3