Over the course of time beauty has been compared to the moon and sun for centuries. The most famous poems written in literature are of romance and death. In the William Shakespeare’s “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day” and “When You Are Old” by William Butler Yeats, both poets use imagery and different styles to say that external beauty does not last forever.
Imagery is a series of words that refer to the five senses such as; auditory, tactile, and visual. In A Handbook to Literature says, “often without the conscious knowledge of author or reader, are sometimes taken to be keys to a deeper meaning of work.” (285) When an author creates a piece, they want the reader to interpret in their own way. The idea expressed and the identity of the author combined is referred to as style.
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Yeats poem is lyrical that introduces a different style from English sonnet. He uses more of a visual sense when comparing his love to her older self. Yeats writes, “When you are old and grey and full of sleep/And nodding by the fire, take down this book” (1-2, “When You Are Old”). The reader visualizes his lover old and dozing off by the fireplace reading his poem reminiscing in the past. He goes on to write about how she should remember how soft her eyes once were when she was younger.
In the poems written by both Shakespeare and Yeats, the message they write is that beauty and age decline as time goes. Yeats writes, “But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you/And loved the sorrows of your changing face” (7-8, “When You Are Old”). He says that everyone will love her for her beauty but he loved her soul. Both authors loved their lover though they aged as time went on. Yeats lets the reader interpret his words as they would say that he loved his lover because of her devotion to a cause. He also wants the reader to remember that he loved them and they missed what could have been true
The ability to make the reader immersed in the story and the main character is the best thing to have when writing a piece. It helps the reader decide whether to keep reading or not. This ability is known as imagery. Imagery is writing with metaphors and the five sense, which creates a scene for the reader. Imagery is basically the way the author shows the reader what the main character or narrator is seeing. Janet Burroway, author of “Imaginative Writing”, which is a book about writing and the components of it, states that Image is, “An image is a word or series of words that evokes one or more of the five senses.” (Burroway, 15) Imagery is very important and good authors know how to use it to add more meaning and power to their literature.
Imagery plays a big part in the success of a novel. Different writers have different styles. The good thing about imagery is it makes room for the reader to put things together. The reader is allowed to interpret the story the way that they like. "Ragged Dick", Horatio Alger, Jr. did a great thing with imagery. While reading the novel readers had a change to envision many things that were mentioned in each chapter. Algar interconnected the appearances of the main character to his living arrangement. He also connected these things with the character's attitude.
Imagery is made up of the five senses, which are sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. The first sense of sight is seen throughout the whole poem, specifically in the first two lines, “I had the idea of sitting still/while others rushed by.” This sight she envisions is so calm and still and the perfect example of appreciating the little things that life has to offer. Through the use of these terse statements, she allows it to have more meaning than some novels do as a whole.
Imagery is when the author uses detail to paint a picture of what’s happening. This is shown when Kendra is looking out of the window, “...fixed her gaze on a particular tree, following it as it slowly approached, streaked past, and then gradually receded behind her..” (1). This is imagery because you can imagine the tree flying past. These literary devices help deepen the plot of the
Sense imagery is very important to convey an author’s message. Two poems that are a prime example of how to use sensory imagery are “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke and “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen. The use of sensory imagery in literature is a tool for the author to provide the audience a realistic description of his/her work. The reader can not only interpret the words, but can visualize, smell, hear, taste and touch the author’s intent.
Imagery is when the author presents a mental image through descriptive words. One prime example of imagery that the author uses is in paragraph 3; where she tells of a moment between a man and a woman. In this narration she states the time, year, outfit of each character described, and what the female character was doing. These details might come across as irrelevant, or unnecessary, but this is Didions way of showing what the blueprint of notebook it. Using imagery reinforces the foundation of the essay, and what the essay’s mission was.
When You are Old, by William Butler Yeats, represents and elderly woman reminiscing of her younger days. A past lover whispers to her as she looks through a photo album. Basically, Yeats is showing that as the woman gets older, she is alone, but she does not have to be lonely. She will always have her memories for companionship.
Imagery is a way to describe objects, scenarios, scenes, etc. by using language that would appeal to physical senses such as; smell, sight, touch, taste, and sound. For example, “Then the darkening firs And the sudden whirring of water of the knifed down a fern-hidden Cliff and splashed unseen into mist in the shadows.” (II. 5. 3-4) This quote is explaining how the day is turning into night, the trees are darkening, the water is swaying with the wind, and the trees vanishing behind the thick fog. “we slogged Through the
The writer uses imagery, because he wants to let the readers into his mind. By describing the scene for the readers, makes the readers fell like they were there. Therefore, it gives us a better ability to emphasize with him.
Unrequited love is a common theme in poetry. Nature, death, wars, religions are all significant themes but love is the most important. It gives the reader an insight to the author’s inner feelings. “When You Are Old” by William Butler Yeats is no exception. Yeats reflects upon his unconditional love for a woman who was not ready for a serious relationship.
Imagery is a key part of any poem or literary piece and creates an illustration in the mind of the reader by using descriptive and vivid language. Olds creates a vibrant mental picture of the couple’s surroundings, “the red tiles glinting like bent plates of blood/ the
Imagery is the use of symbols to convey an idea or to create a specific atmosphere for the audience. Shakespeare uses imagery in Macbeth often, the most prevalent one, is blood. I believe he uses this as a way to convey guilt, murder, betrayal, treachery and evil, and to symbolize forewarning of events.
While Lord Byron's poem enhances the beauty of love, Keats' does the opposite by showing the detriments of love. In “She Walks in Beauty,” the speaker asides about a beautiful angel with “a heart whose love is innocent” (3, 6). The first two lines in the first stanza portray a defining image:
This themes of beauty is closely related to the overall immortality theme. Sonnet Eighteen is ultimately a response to the question posed in the first line. “The speaker answers this question in the negative, suggesting that the object of his affection is ‘more lovely and more temperate’ than a mere summer’s day. Though summer days are pleasant, they are neither perfect nor everlasting. Their finiteness and propensity for bad weather make them, the speaker argues, as poor comparison with the object of his affection (Napierkowski and Ruby).” The speaker’s use of ‘temperate’ spoken in three syllables is significant, because he will continue to praise the qualities of endurance and consistency over those of change. The speaker uses extreme to emphasize the beauty of the subject: ‘more lovely,’ ‘all too short,’ and ‘too hot,’ but at no point describes the subject’s actual physical features. We are never told any specifics about the subject’s appearance, instead we are told that their beauty is greater than that of a summer’s day and the sun. Then, the speaker gives us a twist by stating that the subject is not as good as a summer’s day, but even better. Shakespeare continues to reinforce this by listing the flaws of summer; the season that has ‘too brutish winds to shake the darling buds of May.’ We are also told how summer is ‘too short,’ thus enforcing an impending mortality in contrast to the immortality being extended to the subject who is being immortalized within the poem. Beauty can fade by chance or through the course of nature. The repetition of ‘fair’ highlights fate’s inescapable hold over everything that possesses beauty. The speaker reaffirms that his subject’s beauty will never fade, but will be preserved within this poem. This self-assured claim leads us to the point that this poem was not actually to pay a beloved a
During the Renaissance period, most poets were writing love poems about their lovers/mistresses. The poets of this time often compared love to high, unrealistic, and unattainable beauty. Shakespeare, in his sonnet 18, continues the tradition of his time by comparing the speakers' love/mistress to the summer time of the year. It is during this time of the year that the flowers and the nature that surround them are at there peak for beauty. The theme of the poem is to show the speakers true interpretation of beauty. Beauties worst enemy is time and although beauty might fade it can still live on through a person's memory or words of a poem. The speaker realizes that beauty, like the subject of the poem, will remain perfect not in the eyes of the beholder but the eyes of those who read the poem. The idea of beauty living through the words of a poem is tactfully reinforced throughout the poem using linking devices such as similes and metaphors.