Imagery
Imagery
Imagery
2 September 2016
ABSTRACT
Understanding literature is important in learning a language. Literary work have some types;
fiction, drama, prose, poetry, etc. Poetry is an idea of poet's feeling and perception in one way
communication, so that readers can find a lot of methapor, imagery, symbolism, and the others
figurative languages uses by poets to show and express their feeling, thought, mind, and
perception. One intrinsic element of poetry is imagery. Imagery is the use of language to represent
actions, persons, objects, and ideas descriptively. There are five types of imagery; visual, auditory,
oflactory, gustatory, and kinesthetic imagery. This thesis purposes to analyze imagery used in
Gary Soto’s poem; Oranges and Ode to La Llorona, and to find the relation between his poem and
his life background. Descriptive qualitative and library research are the method used in analyzing
data. The study shows that mostly types of imagery found in Soto’s poem is visual imagery. Using
the combination of tactile, kinesthetic, visual, and auditory imagery, the poet features the
appearance of La Llorona and through Oranges, he gives a vivid description about the places
where he lives, the circumstances and the weather when he recounts his experience dating with a
girl. Those two poems are a reflection of his childhood in Fresno, California.
ISSN: 1979-4975 65
PROGRESSIVE VOL XI. No.21 September 2016
and Ode to La Llorona, and to find the sense. For example, the word “fire” gives us
correlation between Soto's poem and his life an image of a red hot thing that can burn
background by the research in which entitle woods, can be used to cook, even can kill
"Imagery Analysis of Gary Soto's Poems people. The images itself exist in our mind.
Based on Biographical Perspective". It recalls human sense and memory that
evoke the picture. It is our sense memories
Statement of the Problem that bring a poet's words to life to form an
This study is to analyze the following image. We can see, hear, taste, touch, or
research questions; smell what the poet intended to convey
1. What are types of imagery that mostly through their poem in our mind's eye, ear,
used by Gary Soto in Oranges and tongue, hand, or nose. As said by DiYanni,
Ode to La Llorona? When such specific details appear
2. How are the relation between Gary in poems they are called images.
Soto's poems; Oranges and Ode to An image is a concrete
La Llorona, and his life background? representation of a sense
impression, feeling, or idea. Images
appeal to one or more of our
II. THEORETICAL REVIEW senses-or, more precisely, they
trigger our imaginative reenactment
A. IMAGERY of sensory experience by rendering
feeling and thought in concrete
Twe word imagery is adopted from details related directly to our
the Latin “imago” and “imitari” in which physical perception of the world.
means “to image” , and “to imitate”. (Rae, (DiYanni, 2007: 429)"
1998:55). Imagery refers to image produced
in the mind by language, whose words may DiYanni’ argues that when spesific
refer either to experiences which could details appear in poem they called image.
produce physical perceptions, were the Image, based on DiYanni is a concrete
readers actually to have those experiences or representation of feeling, idea, and sense of
to the sense impressions themselves. (The impression in details related to our
Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and perception of the world. It recalls our
Poetics, 1993: 506). Definition of imagery is sensory experience by rendering feeling and
given by Madden as follow; thought in concrete details by which related
An image is a mental picture to our own physical perception of the world.
prompted by words. Images result Image may occurs in a single word, a phrase,
from concrete language that appeals a sentence even in an entire short poem, as
to our senses. "Nice image," we've said by Kennedy “An image may occur in a
heard people say about particularly single word, a phrase, a sentence, or, as in
striking words or phrases. But this case, an entire short poem. To speak of
images do not exist in words on a the imagery of a poem-all its images taken
page. They exist in our minds. The together-is often more useful than to speak
words on the page may prompt the of separate images. The image asks to be
images in our minds, but it is our seen with the mind's eye.” (Kennedy,
own senses and memories that 1987:481). In addition, as you form mental
evoke the pictures. Experiments pictures from a writer’s images, you also
have shown that we use the same respond with appropriate attitudes and
parts of our brains when we see or feelings. (Robert, 1995:108). Images can be
hear the word for an object as we classified into visual, auditory, oflactory,
do when encountering the object tactile, and kinesthetic. (Robert, 1995:109).
itself. It is our sense memories that llustration of each types explain by DiYanni
bring a poet's words to life to form as follow;
an image. We can see (hear, taste, Poems are grounded in the concrete
touch, or smell) them in our mind's and the specific-in details that
eye (ear, tongue, hand, or nose). stimulate our senses-for it is
(Madden, 2002:62) through our senses that we perceive
Madden interprets image as a mental picture the world. We see day-light break
prompted by word. The image is as a result and ...tade...: we hear dogs bark and
from concrete language that appeals to our children laugh: we feel the sting of
66 ISSN: 1979-4975
PROGRESSIVE VOL XI. No. 2 September 2016
a bitterly cold wind: we smell the disclosure of feelings such as hunger, thirst,
heavy aroma of perfume: we taste fatigue, drunkenness, etc.
the ..bartness of lemon and the
sweetness of chocolate. Poems The next type of imagery is
include such details which trigger oflactory and gustatory. Gustatory imagery
our memories, stimulate our is imagery that portrayed the experience of
feelings, and command our our sense of taste, a taste of thing. Things
response.” like sweet, bitter, sour, tasteless are some
Tactile images of heat and examples of words that indicate gustatory
cold inform Hayden's "Those imagery. Meanwhile olfactory imagery is the
Winter Sundays" (page 396), in imagery associated with our sense of smell.
which the speaker's father wakes up Things that can be described based on the
early "in the blueblack cold" to experience of smell from your nose are
make "banked fires blaze" Visual example of olfactory imagery, such as for
and tactile images appear in Frost's example: the smell fragrant, smells fishy,
"Stopping by Wood," (page 399), in etc. As said by Robert “An oflactory image
which the speaker has stopped refers to smell, gustatory image to taste,
"between the woods and frozen and tactile image to touch.” (Robert,
lake" to listen to "the sweep of easy 1995:109). The last classification of
wind" and watch the fall of imagery is kinesthetic imagery. Kinesthetic
"downy" flakes of snow. (DiYanni, imagery is the imagery produced from an
2007:429) experience that form of movement. Robert
gives a brief explanation about this type of
Based on the theory above, it can imagery as follow;
be inferred that visual imagery is type of “IMAGES OF MOTION AND
imagery that can be gained from the ACTIVITY. References to
experience of the senses of sight. As said by movement are also images. Images
Robert (1995:109) “.... to things we can of general motion are kinetic
visualize either exactly or approximately- (remember that motion pictures are
visual imagery”. For example: we can see also called “cinema”), and the term
the sky turn red, we can see the green trees kinesthetic is applied to human or
the daylight, and so on. Meanwhile, tactile animal movement. Imagery of
imagery is directly related to our sense of motion is closely related to visual
touch. Tactile imagery can be seen from the images, for motion is most often
description of feelings such as feeling hot, seen. Masefield’s British coaster,
cold, smooth, rough, and anything that can for example, is a visual image, but
be felt to be touched. Robert argues that when it goes “Butting through the
“Tactile imagery of touch and texture are not channel,” the motion makes it also
common because touch is difficult to render kinetic. When Hardy’s skeleton’s
except in terms of effects.” (Robet, sit upright at the beginning of
1995:110). Robert gives example of “Channel Firing,” the image is
kinesthetic imagery in “Patterns” poetry by kinesthetic, as is the action of Amy
Lowell. Lowell’s speaker walking in the
garden after hearing about her
Beside visual and tactile, there is fiance’s death.” (Robert, 1995:110)
also auditory imagery. Robert (1995:109)
states that “Auditory images trigger our Based on Robert, kinesthetic
experiences with sound”. Furthermore he imagery is closely related to visual imagery.
states “.... auditory images evoke Because motion of human or animal is thing
corresponding sounds in our imaginations that can be seen. For example, the word
and help us experience the poem.” Auditory “Jump!”. Jump is the activity that move the
imagery is the element of imagery associated body up and down. It is kinesthetic,
with the sense of hearing. For example; the meanwhile the activity can be seen through
dog barking, people laughing, the kids visual. So, that is way Robert said that
crying, etc. The other type of imagery is kinesthetic imagery closely related to visual
organic imagery. Organic imagery is type of imagery. By using imagery, the poet not
imagery that emerged from our minds. only create vividness but also influence and
Organic imagery can be seen in the control the attitudes of their reader.
ISSN: 1979-4975 67
PROGRESSIVE VOL XI. No.21 September 2016
68 ISSN: 1979-4975
PROGRESSIVE VOL XI. No. 2 September 2016
So, in stanza 1 line 3 and 4, the poet the one whose porch light burned yellow
used tactile imagery to illustrate the weather both at night and day again in any weather.
and thing inside his jacket. It can be Soto used visual imagery to make the
concluded that stanza 1 line 1-4 , contains 2 readers can imagine how the girl’s house
tactile imagery which can be found in line 3 looked like, how the girl’s porch had burned
and 4. yellow. So, line 9-11 contains 3 visual
imagery, because it appears in each line.
Stanza 1 (Line 5-8):
December. Frost cracking 5
Beneath my steps, my breath 6 Stanza 1 (Line 12-15):
Before me, then gone, 7 A dog barked at me, until 12
As I walked toward 8 She came out pulling 13
At her gloves, face bright 14
In line 5-8, Soto showed With rouge. I smiled, 15
the readers how cold the weather was at that
time. By reading line 5 until 8, readers can Type of imagery in line 12 are
draw a conclusion that this story happened combination of auditory imagery and visual
on a day in December with typically winter imagery. Auditory imagery of this line can
season. Line 5 and 6, Frost be seen in phrase A dog barked . Sound of a
cracking/Beneath my steps, Soto used dog that barked when Soto had arrived at his
auditory imagery. He wanted readers to girlfriend’s house indicates auditory
imagine the sound of frost that cracked imagery. Whereas A dog barked at me
because he had stepped on it. Meanwhile, it indicates visual imagery. There was a dog,
also indicates visual imagery. Frost which and that dog barked to me, poet, not to
was cracking can be seen through visual. So, anyone else. So, line 12 contains 1 visual
it can be concluded that “Frost imagery, and 1 auditory imagery.
cracking/Beneath my steps” is type of
auditory and visual imagery. Then, line 6 Line 13 and 14 are more complex.
and 7, my breath/Before me, then gone,/As I That lines are combination of visual
walked toward, is type of visual imagery. imagery, tactile imagery, and kinesthetic
Soto described in a good diction about how imagery. Visual imagery are in; She came
cold the weather was at that time. When out pulling/ At her gloves, face bright, while
people breathe in a very cold day, espesially both tactile and kinesthetic imagery is in;
in the winter, it makes a steam in front of us. She came out pulling/At her gloves. Writer
That is why Soto said “my breath/Before me, thinks, Soto wanted to figure the condition
then gone,/As I walked toward”. It is type of when the boy had arrived at his girl’s friend
visual imagery because it can be seen. This house. When he had arrived, a guard dog
is also indicates kinesthetic imagery. The barked because of his arrival. It was a signal
motion of the breath which was gone, my for his girlfriend. The dog was still barking
breath/Before me, then gone, and the until his girlfriend came out, then made it
movement of Soto, As I walked toward, is quiet. So, there are two imagery in here.
kinesthetic. So, it can be concluded that line Tactile imagery, sense of touch in pulling,
5 until 8 contains 1 auditory imagery, 4 and kinesthetic imagery, images of motion
visual imagery, and 2 kinesthetic imagery. and activity when the girl came out and she
Auditory imagery appears in line 5 was pulling her gloves. Then visual imagery
otherwise visual imagery appears in all lines, in She came out, her gloves, face bright used
line 5-8, then kinesthetic imagery appears in by Soto because he wanted the readers feel
line 6 through 8, because “my breath/Before and imagine that at that time the boy saw her
me, then gone,/As I walked toward” are part girlfriend was coming, saw her gloves, and
of line 6, 7 and 8. saw her bright face. It can be inferred that
line 13 and 14 contains 3 visual imagery, 1
Stanza 1 (Line 9-11): kinesthetic imagery, and also 1 tactile
Her house, the one whose 9 imagery.
Porch light burned yellow 10
Night and day, in any weather. 11 Line 15 contains two types of
imagery, visual imagery and kinesthetic
Line 9-11 describe the girl’s house. imagery. Soto made the reader to visualize
Her house, based on the poem above, was the girl’s cheek which bright with rouge.
ISSN: 1979-4975 69
PROGRESSIVE VOL XI. No.21 September 2016
70 ISSN: 1979-4975
PROGRESSIVE VOL XI. No. 2 September 2016
the poet informed the readers how the boy That was so bright against 10
respond the girl’s with no sound. The gray of December 11
That, from some distance, 12
Stanza 1 (Line 35-42): Someone might have thought 13
I took the nickel from 35 I was making a fire in my hands. 14
My pocket, then an orange, 36
And set them quietly on 37 Stanza 2 line 5-14 consist of visual,
The counter. When I looked up, 38 kinesthetic, and tactile imagery. The poet
The lady’s eyes met mine, 39 used kinesthetic and tactile imagery in line
And held them, knowing 40 5-9, I took my girl’s hand/In mine for two
Very well what it was all 41 blocks,/Then released it to let/Her unwrap
About. 42 the chocolate./ I peeled my orange, those
lines explain the motion of the boy and the
Line 35-38 is combination of tactile girl. Meanwhile visual imagery appears in
kinesthetic and visual imagery. In I took the all lines.
nickel from/My pocket, then an orange,/And
set them quietly on/The counter, the poet From the analysis of Oranges, the
desribed how the boy tried to pay the writer found it contains full of imagery. Soto
chocolate that cost a dime with a nickle and used a good vivid description to portray his
an orange. He set them quietly on the first love story by the setting of his
counter so that her girlfriend did not know childhood, with its poverty and the conflicts
that he had no money to buy that chocholate. of growing up in a bicultural household,
using a combination of visual, kinesthetic,
Line 38-41 contains of tactile tactile, and auditory imagery. He tried to
kinesthetic and visual imagery. Visual picture his childhood and the culture of his
imagery can be found in line 38-40, whereas country in readers mind. The writer found
line 40 is a combination of tactile, that mostly, type of imagery that used by the
kinesthetic, and visual imagery. The poet in his poem is visual imagery.
saleslady touched (tactile) the nickel and the
oranges as a payment to change a chocolate B. Biographical Perspective
that cost a dime then held them (kinesthetic).
Those activities can be seen visually. The poet used a good language that
appeals to the five senses in order to
describe and help the readers imagine the
Stanza 2 (Line 1-4): situation, the weather, his feeling, and his
Outside, 1 thought through this poem. From imagery
A few cars hissing past, 2 used by the poet, setting of Orange poem
Fog hanging like old 3 can clearly be pictured in readers mind.
Coats between the trees. 4 Stanza one briefly informs readers that the
story was settled in December. The poet
All of lines above, line 1-4, are illustrated that the weather at that time was
visual imagery. The poet used visual sight very cold where frost could be seen in the
sense to illustrate the condition outside the street and fog was hanging in the air. Not all
drugstore. Beside visual imagery, this four country in the world has winter season. Soto
lines also contains auditory imagery. lived in Fresno, California which has four
Auditory imagery appears in line 2, A few seasons and winter is one of them. Fresno is
cars hissing past, the sound of car which a country famous by its fog, even not only in
was hissing is indicated as auditory imagery. the winter but fog can also be seen in this
It can be concluded that stanza 2 line 1-4 country at any weather.
contains 4 visual imagery and 1 auditory (www.theweatherprediction.com/weatherpap
imagery. ers/067/index.html). The poet described that
condition of foggy day using visual imagery
Stanza 2 (Line 5-14): of personification in stanza two, exactly line
I took my girl’s hand 5 three and four, as fog was hanging like old
In mine for two blocks, 6 coats between the trees. It can be infered that
Then released it to let 7 in Oranges there is a connection between the
Her unwrap the chocolate. 8 place where the poet lived and setting of the
I peeled my orange 9 poem.
ISSN: 1979-4975 71
PROGRESSIVE VOL XI. No.21 September 2016
72 ISSN: 1979-4975
PROGRESSIVE VOL XI. No. 2 September 2016
In the first line, They say she weeps, So, in line 5-9 the poet used
he used auditory imagery to illustrate how combination of auditory and visual imagery
people were realizing La Llorona’s vision. to illustrate La Llorona. Writers found there
Her vision is marked by the sound of are both 3 visual and auditory imagery
wailing. Then in the next line, line 2-4, the through this line.
poet used visual imagery to figures the
appearance of La Llorona. He illustrated it Stanza 1 (Line 10-13):
as “Knee-deep in the river,/The gray of They say she calls 10
dusk/A shawl over her head”. Visually, Children, offering 11
readers can potrait the figure of La Llorona Them candy 12
as a mysterious gloomy woman with a shawl From her sleeve. 13
over her head. She looked just knee-deep in
the river while weeping. Line 10-13 in stanza 1, They say
she calls/Children, offering/Them
So, in stanza 1 line 1-4, the poet candy/From her sleeve, are combination of
figured the vision of La Llorona to readers visual, auditory, and kinesthetic imagery.
mind using visual sight and auditory The poet used those types of imagery to
imagery. Writers found there are 4 visual show how La Llorona enchants the children
imagery and 1 auditory imagery through this by offering them candy through her sleeve
line. as a substitution of her died children.
Auditory imagery is used by the poet to
Stanza 1 (Line 5-9): illustrate how La Llorona calls the children.
She weeps for her children, 5 Whereas kinesthetic imagery and visual
Their smothered faces 6 imagery depicts the motion of how she
Of sleeping angels... 7 attracted children by offering them candy
Normaaaa, Marioooo, 8 from her sleeve.
Carloooos. 9
ISSN: 1979-4975 73
PROGRESSIVE VOL XI. No.21 September 2016
So, it can be concluded that line 10- When no rain has fallen. 5
13 contains visual, auditory, and kinesthetic
imagery. Auditory imagery can be found in In stanza 3, type of imagery used
line 10, meanwhile kinesthetic and visual by the poet is visual and tactile imagery. The
imagery found in line 11, 12, and 13. “dripping water” could be seen by visual
sight and could also be felt by sense of
Stanza 1 (Line 15-18): touch. Line 5, rain has fallen, also indicating
Point a long finger, 15 visual imagery and tactile imagery. The
Gnarled root of evilness, 16 falling rain could be seen through visual and
And stare a soft 17 the rain itself could be felt by sense of touch.
Hole in your lungs: 18 So, in the last stanza, the poet warned the
readers about the vision of La Llorona using
The scariest thing about how La visual and tactile imagery.
Llorona is explained in line 15-20. Using a
combination of visual, tactile and kinesthetic Based on those analysis, it can be
imagery, the poet illustrated the appearance infered that through this ode, the poet seems
of La Llorona whose finger was long and to retell the rumor of La Llorona in poetic
gnarled pointed to her victim. Her eyes language by using the third-party point of
started to the victim’s lungs, then suddenly view. Using combination of tactile, visual,
there was a hole in the lungs of the victim. kinesthetic, and auditory imagery, he
Kinesthetic imagery appears in line 15, featured the appearance of La Llorona in
Point a long finger, whereas tactile imagery readers mind. Types of imagery that mostly
appears in line 17 and 18, And stare a used by the poet to illustrate the vision of La
soft/Hole in your lungs:. The the word “soft” Llorona is visual imagery.
in line 17 is tactile imagery because it can be
felt by sense of touch. B. Imagery Analysis
74 ISSN: 1979-4975
PROGRESSIVE VOL XI. No. 2 September 2016
ISSN: 1979-4975 75
PROGRESSIVE VOL XI. No.21 September 2016
Peck, John and Martin Loyle. 1984. Literary Sommervile, Johann Peter. 2000. Language
Term and Criticism. London: and Culture. Durham: Duke
Macmillan Education, Ltd. University Press
Preminger, Alex & T.V.F. Brogan. 1993. Strachan, John, and Richard Terry. 2000.
The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry: An Introduction. New York:
Poetry and Poetics. New Jersey: New York University Press
Princeton University Press.
Taylor, Richard. 1981. Understanding the
Rae, Gail. 1998. Guide to Literary Term. Elements of Literature. London. The
New York: Research & Education Macmillan Press, Ltd.
Association.
Wellek, Rene and Austin Wallen. 1982.
Robert, Edgar. 1995. Writing about Theory of Literature. London:
Literature (Eighth Edition). New Pinguin Books.
York: Prentice Hall.
www.garysoto.com/faq.htm. Access on June
School of Foreign Language STBA Nusa 17, 2013.
Mandiri. 2012. A Guide to Write
Thesis: FOR STRATA ONE (S1) www.notablebiographies.com/news/Sh-
STUDENTS OF STBA NUSA Z/Soto-Gary.html. Access on June
MANDIRI. Tangerang: Random 17, 2013.
76 ISSN: 1979-4975