Purpose:
Visual Imagery appeals to a reader’s sense of sight and is the most common type of imagery used by writers as it enables them to vividly describe characters and scenery in a work of literature. Images elicit a strong emotional response from the reader and create a more vivid mental picture of what is happening. The use of visual imagery by the author can literally transport a reader into the scene being described. Visual Imagery is an important element of creative writing as it makes something that is abstract, such as an emotion, more tangible to the reader. The use of Visual Imagery in writing improves comprehension through the process by which the reader creates a mental image of the text or story.
Steps for Analysis:
Identify visual imagery as the technique being used by the writer
Interpret the effect that the use of visual imagery has on comprehending the passage or work
Does it aid in comprehension or make it more obscure/difficult to understand?
Link the technique and the effect to the overall mood/concept that the writer is attempting to convey in the work of literature.
Example from "Coming Soon to an American Cliff Near You: 'Via Ferrata' Routes":
I stood on a rock ledge, terra firma far below, and took in the panorama to my left. Against the horizon sat Fairchild Mountain — reaching just above 13,500 feet — and other peaks in the Mummy Range, a series of lofty summits in the northern part of Rocky Mountain National Park. In the foreground was a bright blue sliver of Mary’s Lake. In front of me, a sheer wall of stippled gneiss. It was the kind of vista that Tommy Caldwell, a renowned professional rock climber who lives in nearby Estes Park, Colo., likely experiences on a regular basis.
Hirschfeld, Cindy. "Coming Soon to an American Cliff Near You: 'Via Ferrata' Routes." The New York Times [New York City], 22 Aug. 2022. The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/travel/via-ferratas-in-america.html?action=click&module=card&pageType=theWeekenderLink. Accessed 7 Sept. 2022.
Analysis:
In her article, “Coming Soon to an American Cliff Near You: ‘Via Fernata’ Routes; Cindy Hirschfield uses visual imagery to vividly describe the scenery of rock climbing routes being installed on peaks and gorges in the United States. Hirshfield begins her article by stating, “I stood on a rock ledge…and took in the panorama to my left” (Hirschfield). The reader immediately senses the author’s physical position noting both the vastness (panorama) and precarious (ledge) nature of the location. Hirschfield positions the horizon against other “lofty summits” of the Mummy mountain range alluding to the vastness of her view. She continues her use of scenic visual imagery by writing, “In the foreground was a bright blue silver of Mary’s lake. In front of me, a sheer wall of stippled gneiss” (Hirschfield). The use of visual imagery, bright, blue, silver, sheer, and stippled aid the reader’s comprehension of this rock climbing adventure. The words silver, sheer, and stippled provide a “reach out and touch it” appeal to the reader while bright and blue set the tone of a daytime adventure. The technique of visual imagery is successful in persuading the reader of this New York Times travel piece to consider a rock climbing cause. The visual imagery of the scenic views invokes a sense of tranquility in light of the perilous nature of rock climbing. Hirschfield and her use of visual imagery encourage even the most inexperienced of climbers to consider a climbing adventure, if only for the views alone.