VIEW THE FOLLOWING SLIDES. RESPOND TO THE PROMPTS IN A WORD DOCUMENT WHICH YOU WILL EMAIL WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED. BE PREPARED FOR A QUIZ ON THIS MATERIAL!

IMAGERY AND DETAILS

M A K I N G C O M PA R I S O N S

IMAGERY

WHAT IS IMAGERY?

• Imagery is language that appeals to the senses. We also call this sensory detail.

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EXAMPLES OF IMAGERY

• Touch The surface of the eggplant felt smooth and cool under my fingers.

• TasteAs I bit into the peach, a burst of sweetness hit my tongue.

• Hearing Bells jangled discordantly in the background as the heavy door creaked open.

• Smell A heavy, floral scent wafted over us as we passed the rose garden.

• SightThe clouds were so thick, we could barely make out the faint circle of the sun.

IMAGERY AND DESCRIPTION

• Imagery allows a writer to create vivid descriptions of• settings• characters• gestures and actions

The young man stopped suddenly, a slight frown creasing the middle of his forehead, his half-open umbrella dangling forlorn and forgotten from his hand as the rain slicked down, darkening his hair and winter coat.

IMAGERY AND EMOTION

• Imagery often evokes emotion in a reader.• Imagery can help convey mood and

atmosphere.• Imagery can also help a reader to

identify an author’s tone, or attitude.

The moonlight spilled palely over the room. Cai could barely make out the skeletal forms of the chairs and the chandelier, whose branches were draped with wispy cobwebs.

SAMPLE PASSAGE

The whining buzz of the timer along with the sweet scent of blueberry pancakes told Caroline breakfast was ready as she strode into the tidy kitchen. Her mom had laid out Caroline’s favorite plate, bright yellow like the sun, a crisp, starched cloth napkin perched jauntily at its side. She picked up her fork and began to eat her breakfast. Today was the morning of the swim meet, and she could almost smell the sharp scent of chlorine already.

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

• Be careful not to go overboard with imagery. Too much imagery can• be distracting• be confusing• make a passage unreadable

The fuzzy, black and yellow bumblebee slowly and heavily flew towards the bright pink, velvet-petaled flower. The bumblebee’s droning buzz filled the perfume-scented air, mingling with the far-away, raucous sounds of colorfully dressed children.

IMAGERY

Backing out of the drivewayThe car lights cast an eerie glowIn the morning fog centeringOn movement in the rain slick street.• Find the images. What

kind of imagery is used in these lines? What kind of feeling is created with these images?

Backing out of the drivewayThe car lights cast a warm glow In the morning sunshine centeringOn the movement in the rain slick street.• How does the feeling

change when some words are changed?

IMAGERY

• Write a 4 line poem about a friend that is heartbroken.

• Use imagery to create a feeling of sadness.

IMAGERY

He had bathed regularly in the lake, but not with soap and he thought how wonderful it would be to wash his hair. Thick with grim and smoke dirt, frizzled with wind and sun, matted with fish and bird grease, his hair had grown stuck and tangled and grown until it was a clumped mess on his head. • List (words) all the imagery you see in this

passage. What image do you see in your mind?

• Write a paragraph describing a really messy room. Use lots of detail in your paragraph.

DETAILS

DETAILS

• Writers provide details to conjure strong mental pictures in reader’s minds, to create a certain feeling or mood, and to support the points they try to make in their writing.

• Details can be vivid descriptions or plain facts

I used to like going to have my hair cut. I liked the mirrors in the room and all the smells of lotions and shampoos. I like to sit there – young and fresh and pretty – and see what the women were having done, to make themselves look younger and prettier. I liked the way my mother’s hairdresser teased me about boyfriends and dances. Not anymore, though. Somebody held the door open so my mother could wheel me in, and a few people who had met me came around to say how sorry they were.

1.List the details support the attitude that the narrator used to like having her hair done. Are they effective? Why or why not?

 2. What detail changes the direction of the passage? Note that the narrator’s reason for not liking haircuts anymore is not explained. Nevertheless, you know what happened. What effect does that have on the reader?

DETAILS

• Write a paragraph using the details to capture the reasons why you like a particular sport or activity. Don’t say you like the sport. Instead, use details to show the reader what you like about the sport.

• Need help getting started….”When I walk on the field/court, I feel…..I love….The smell of…..The sound of….etc.”