Imagery Quotations Flashcards
Study (6) Imagery quotes for the poem 'Visiting Hour'
Describe how the writer uses imagery in the phrase “nostrils / as they go bobbing along” to emphasise the hospital smell.
Synecdoche is used, since not just his nostrils are moving along, as the image would suggest. This emphasises the overpowering nature of “the hospital smell” since it has blocked out his other senses.
‘Synecdoche’, a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole.
Describe how the writer uses imagery in the phrase “white cave of forgetfulness” to emphasise the isolation of the woman and the poet’s exclusion from her.
Metaphor is used, suggesting the white curtains or sheets are cave-like (impenetrable). This conveys the isolation of the woman and the poet’s exclusion from her.
‘Metaphor’, a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
Describe how the writer uses imagery in the phrase “withered hand / trembles on its stalk.” to emphasise the state of the woman’s body and the poet’s love for her.
Metaphor is used, suggesting the woman’s body is brittle and frail, by comparing it to a dying flower. The image suggests the woman’s body has deteriorated but contains hope for regrowth (afterlife), as well as showing the love with which the poet looks on the woman for.
‘Metaphor’, a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
Describe how the writer uses imagery in the phrase “glass fang” to emphasise the poet’s grief and distress from the woman’s condition.
Metaphor is used, suggesting the intravenous drip is vampire-like. The horror in this image is shocking, which shows the poet’s grief and distress at seeing the woman’s condition, and being unable to help her.
‘Metaphor’, a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
Describe how the writer uses imagery in the phrase “black figure in her white cave” to emphasise the isolation of the woman.
Metaphor is used, referring to the universal image of death, as a physical entity. “figure” also suggests the woman’s blurred vision. This emphasises the isolation of the woman, as well as her impending and unavoidable death.
‘Metaphor’, a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
Describe how the writer uses imagery in the phrase “the round swimming waves of a bell” to emphasise the woman’s isolation and the poet’s isolation from her.
Synaesthesia is used, as a visual image that describes a sound (signalling the end of the visiting hour?) “swimming” could suggest the poet’s dizziness (confusion) or tears. This is from the patient’s point of view, so further shows her isolation and the poet’s isolation from her.
‘Synaesthesia’, refers to a technique adopted by writers to present ideas, characters or places in such a manner that they appeal to more than one sense (hearing, seeing, smelling, touching or tasting) at a given time.
