Imagery+-+Poetry+3


 * IMAGERY - representation through language of a sensory experience (techniques help weave sensory perceptions in through language)**


 * Kinesthetic imagery** - //imagery that involves movement or physical tension, referring to actions or motions.//

In "The Whitsun Weddings" by Philip Larkin:

//Struck, I leant More promptly out the next time, more curiously, And saw it all again in different terms//

The use of kinesthetic imagery in "The Whitsun Weddings" engages the reader with the speaker, allowing the reader to see what exactly the speaker is doing in reaction to what he sees. By describing the reader's actions through kinesthetic imagery, the reader is able to deduce that the speaker is curious about what he sees, as he leans out again. Whereas if Larkin simply described the speaker's thoughts, the reader would not be able to imagine the scene and be able to visualize it in a similar way. The employment of kinethestic imagery in "The Whitsun Weddings" connects the speaker with the reader.


 * Organic imagery -** //imagery describing internal sensations (such as hunger, thirst, fatigue, fear)//

In "Reference Back" by Philip Larkin:

//I shall, I suppose, always remember how The flock of notes those antique negroes blew Out of Chicago air into A huge remembering pre-electric horn//

Larkin's use of organic imagery conveys the speaker's thoughts. The organic imagery in "Reference Back" expresses the speaker's wistfulness towards the past and his sense of reminiscence. The speaker's "internal sensations" also contribute to the overall tone of the poem, expressing remorsefulness and an air of nostalgia. By directly communicating the speaker's thoughts using imagery, the reader is able to understand the speaker's feelings and adopt a similar nostalgic mindset when reading the rest of the poem. The meaning of later lines becomes clearer to the reader when the tone has already been set.