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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
Book 1
Explanation and Analysis—Like a Stranger:
After defending Odysseus at an assembly of the gods, Athena dons her winged sandals and travels to Ithaca, where Odysseus's family has long awaited his return. When she arrives in Ithaca, she disguises herself as an old man, and the poem uses sharp imagery and a simile that describes her as being "like a stranger" to the whole world:
She seized the rugged spear tipped with a bronze point —
weighted, heavy, the massive shaft she wields to break the lines
of heroes the mighty Father’s daughter storms against.
And down she swept from Olympus’ craggy peaks
and lit on Ithaca, standing tall at Odysseus’ gates,
the threshold of his court. Gripping her bronze spear,
she looked for all the world like a stranger now.
Throughout the poem, Athena often assumes a disguise in order to conceal the involvement of the gods in mortal affairs, only revealing her true identity when necessary. In Ithaca, she assumes the form of Mentes, a friend of Odysseus's father, Laertes. The poem describes her with visual detail as she flies down from "Olympus' craggy peaks" and arrives, "standing tall," at the gates of Odysseus's property, "gripping her bronze spear." "She looked," the poem states, "for all the world like a stranger now." This simile emphasizes the effectiveness of her transformation. Though all mortals in the poem are familiar with Athena, a powerful goddess, she is completely anonymous in Ithaca.
Related Themes:
Book 5
Explanation and Analysis—Calypso's Island:
The poem uses rich imagery when describing the island of Calypso from the perspective of Hermes, who has come to the island to order the release of Odysseus on behalf of the council of gods:
A great fire
blazed on the hearth and the smell of cedar
cleanly split and sweetwood burning bright
wafted a cloud of fragrance down the island.
Deep inside she sang, the goddess Calypso,
lifting her breathtaking voice as she glided back and forth
before her loom, her golden shuttle weaving.
Thick, luxuriant woods grew round the cave,
alders and black poplars, pungent cypress too [...]
And round the mouth of the cavern trailed a vine
laden with clusters, bursting with ripe grapes.
Four springs in a row, bubbling clear and cold.
Here, the poem invokes multiple different senses in its depiction of the island as a lush and tempting environment. Arriving at the island, Hermes is greeted by "the smell of cedar" and a "cloud of fragrance" that blows through Calypso's territory. He hears her "breathtaking voice" as she sings inside her dwelling, weaving on her loom. The wildlife is similarly lush, with "thick, luxuriant woods" and vines "bursting with ripe grapes." This imagery emphasizes the sensory pleasures of the island where Odysseus has spent several years in captivity. His desire to return to Ithaca despite the temptations offered on the island, including those of the beautiful goddess Calypso, underscores Odysseus's strong sense of loyalty to his family.
