Warm-up:

Take a picture from the pile on your way in.

Please sit down at your desk, take out a piece of paper, and begin writing.

Your task is to describe the scene in front of you in as much detail as you can. Use all five senses.

Be ready to share.

Please take notes in your Writer’s Notebook as we go along.

Question #1:

What is Imagery?

It is description. Factual (what is actually there)

i.e.: the gritty wet sand under her bare feet

Figurative (an object is described when compared to another noun) i.e.: the armies of sand grains advancing

across the wood floor of the beach house

What is Imagery?

It USES ALL 5 SENSES, not only visual cues. Sight Sound Smell Taste Touch

What is Imagery?

It inspires imagination in readers. Your reader should be able to see, hear,

smell, taste, and touch people, objects and scenes that are not physically present.

“Images are seductive in themselves, but they’re not merely scenery, or shouldn’t be. An image, when it’s doing its full work, can direct a reader toward some insight, bring a poem to an emotional [height], embody an idea.”

– Kim Addonizio

Question #2:

Which line contains the image?1. It is best to consider

consequences before proceeding.

2.Look before you leap.

Which line contains the image?1.Have you hugged your

child today?2. It’s important to reassure

your offspring of your affection.

Which line contains the image?1.Wag the dog.2.The situation is being

manipulated by peripheral interests.

Which line contains the image?1. I will do everything in my

power to over turn this unjust verdict.

2. I will fall like an ocean on that court! (Arthur Miller, The Crucible)

Which line contains the image?1. They are not pigs, they are

not even fish, /Though they have a piggy and a fishy air— (Sylvia Plath, “Stillborn”)

2. The verses I am writing have no vitality; they are unattractive and stale.

Question #3:

1. Slow down your writing.

In other words, add more detail.

Make sure each word is included on purpose.

Be certain your reader can imagine what you’re describing.

2. Avoid clichés.

Fits like a glove Fight for your life Walk on eggshells Jump for joy Eat your words Flesh and blood Not my cup of tea

3. Avoid…

Abstractions (ideas/concepts that cannot be experienced directly through one of our five senses) Anger, love, hate, criticism, intelligence, greed,

death Generalizations (can only be vaguely

visualized because they include too many of a given group) Creatures, something, kitchen equipment,

everything Judgments (telling the reader instead of

showing them) Suspiciously, beautiful, insidious

Abstractions -> Images

Describe love or death using one of the five senses… without using a cliché.

Generalization -> Image

Domestic animal Dog Mixed-breed Shepherd Old Sammy asleep on the red rug,

his haunches twitching in his dream

Writing Exercise (in W.N.) Take the word and generalization

“food” and turn it into something specific, something you’ve said on purpose.

4. Show, don’t tell.

Let your writing be: Concrete ( there is an image,

something that can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched)

Detailed (there is a degree of focus and specificity)

Significant (the specific image also suggests an abstraction, generalization, or judgment)

Judgments -> Images

Name something that is beautiful. You have just passed judgment.

Explain what makes this person/place/thing beautiful.

5. Try figures of speech

Metaphors A comparison made without using “like”

or “as” Similes

A comparison made using “like” or “as” Personification

Giving human qualities to inanimate objects

Writing Exercise (in W.N.) Choose one of the following

statements and turn it into an image:1. My room is a mess. 2. The car is cool.3. The party boring.4. That girl/guy was fine!

I’ll ask for volunteers to share.

“The more you practice with imagery—recording it in as much vivid detail as you can—the more likely it is that your poetry will become an experience for the reader, rather than simply talk about an experience. We are surrounded by images daily. Pay attention to those images, and use them to make your [writing shine].” – Kim Addonizio

Homework: (See the Ning) Bring in an object that is important to you. Read Annie Dillard’s short piece of creative

nonfiction in which she describes a single observation during a nature walk.

I’ve posted it in the Class Discussion section of the Ning.

Respond to the discussion by commenting on one of the questions I’ve posed and/or by responding to one of your classmates.

Your response should be detailed and specific. Don’t cop out!