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Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Part 1, Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Corn:
Beloved employs rich sensory imagery throughout the novel to immerse the reader in the experiences and emotions of the characters and draw the reader’s attention to certain themes. One example of this is in Chapter 2 after Sethe's sexual encounter with Paul D makes her recall her first time having sex with Halle:
It had been hard, hard, hard sitting there erect as dogs, watching corn stalks dance at noon. The water running over their heads made it worse. Paul D sighed and turned over. Sethe took the opportunity afforded by his movement to shift as well. Looking at Paul D’s back, she remembered that some of the corn stalks broke, folded down over Halle’s back, and among the things her fingers clutched were husk and cornsilk hair...As soon as one strip of husk was down, the rest obeyed and the ear yielded up to him its shy rows, exposed at last. How loose the silk. How quick the jailed-up flavor ran free.
The novel uses descriptions of the look, feel, and taste of the corn as a proxy for describing the sexual encounter between Sethe and Halle without invading the intimacy and privacy of that moment. For example, instead of describing Sethe running her hands through Halle's hair, she clutches at husk and cornsilk. Sethe's sexual shyness is likewise displaced onto the ear yielding up its rows. This displacement conveys the tender feelings of this encounter while still letting Sethe preserve the memory's sacredness. The writing's consideration of their privacy contrasts the reality of this scene since the two are exposed in a cornfield in the daytime where many others can watch their private moment. The sensory descriptions use the contrasting language of freedom and imprisonment to convey this conflict. Diction such as "loose" and "free," as well as the personification of the dancing rows, emphasize Sethe and Halle's personal feelings of freedom and pleasure. However, the broken stalks and the corn's "jailed-up flavor" highlight how this freedom is compromised by the confines of their enslavement.
Related Themes:
