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Hyperbole
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
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Oiled Voices:
In Chapter 4, Angelou recalls a time when Bailey would come to her defense, standing up to the older women in their community who commented negatively on Angelou's appearance. In the following passage from that chapter, Angelou utilizes auditory/sensory imagery to describe Bailey's tone of voice during these encounters:
[Bailey] would allow the old ladies to finish wondering how on earth I came about, then he would ask, in a voice cooling like bacon grease, "Oh Mizeriz Coleman, how is your son? I saw him the other day, and he looked sick enough to die."
Aghast, the ladies would ask, "Die? From what? He ain't sick."
And in a voice oilier than the one before, he'd answer with a straight face, "From the Uglies."
Angelou describes her brother's voice as "cooling like bacon grease" and "oil[y]," lending its sound and timbre a distinct quality in the reader's mind. A voice with the tonal quality of oil might sound slippery or mischievous, indicating Bailey's contrarian intentions in these conversations. Similarly, a voice that cools like bacon grease transitions from liquid to solid, implying a certain hardness or harshness that manifests in Bailey's tone. All of this "oiliness" is in response to the old ladies' mockery of Angelou, implying a certain disdain on Bailey's part, on his sister's behalf.
Related Themes:
