Imagry

A detailed Summary of Imagry

Imagery is an important-perhaps the most important-device used to communicate meaning in poetry. Where other forms of literature can sometimes be over a thousand pages long, poetry is usually much shorter. The poet must get his or her point across in only a few pages, and one of the best ways to condense a long story (or message) is to use imagery. The possible uses for symbolism and imagery in poetry are endless, and a talented poet can use a single image to make many different statements. An example of this kind of versatility can be seen by comparing two poems that use similar images. Aphra Behn's "The Disappointment" and Walther Von Der Vogelwiede's "Dancing Girl" both use the image of a girl, in very different ways, to deliver similar messages.

Much of the time, figurative imagery is used by the poet to speak some underlying meaning, as in symbolism. However, it is much easier for the reader to understand this type of imagery if the context of the poem is clear. This can be accomplished through the use of another type of imagery called descriptive imagery. Descriptive imagery is not necessarily symbolic, but is used by the poet to describe physical sensation, the state of mind of the poet, season and time of day,

(Has) damned (Lysander) to the hell of impotence.

In the first stanza of "Dancing Girl," the poet gives the girl a garland of flowers to wear. Vogelweide goes on to describe the girl as pretty, and reinforces this by saying that she is worthy of the "lovely flowers" as well as "priceless stones." He describes her shining eyes and gracious movements. The poet also conveys a sense of innocence and purity by comparing the girl to "a gently nurtured child" and describing her shy demeanor. In the third stanza, it appears that the poet and the dancing girl are alone together lying in the grass, with flowers raining down on them from the trees. These images describe not only the beauty of the girl, but also the beauty of the setting and the blissful state of the narrator's mind before he awakens from his dream.

This stanza emphasizes the passion of young love, and demonstrates Cloris's and Lysander's frenzied state. Behn describes Cloris as "panting in (Lysander's) arms" and "abandoned by her pride and shame." Lysander also seems to be quite ready to comply as he is seen silently groping Cloris. Using incredibly suggestive language (especially for 17th century poetry), the poet leaves the reader with the impression that the air is charged with their sexual energy.

Both "The Disappointment" and "Dancing Girl" end somewhat tragically for the men involved. This can be seen by examining the symbolism behind the image of the girls in both poems. In "The Disappointment," Lysander is so overwhelmed by his own emotional and mental arousal that he suffers physically and is not able to sustain an erection, effectively destroying his

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Approximate Word count = 1109
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English