IMAGERY IN POETRY BY KATOONSPEAKS

IMAGERY IN POETRY BY KATOONSPEAKS

A very resplendent evening to POETRY INVOICE and the occupants of this "abode"
I am Oladele Taiwo O (Katoonspeaks)
Imagery is a feature of written and spoken language and occurs whenever someone has chosen to use language in a non-literal way. Imagery is a way of describing something symbolically, using words to create a picture in the reader's imagination... Imagery frequently conveys more than just meaning.
Imagery is a broad concept and in divulging my very shallow knowledge I will crave the indulgence of anyone with more insights on the topic to start scribbling down their ideas for when we will call for questions and contributions.

Imagery is the conjuring of the metaphysical nature of words to appease and to appeal the reader
Imagery is the " how" a poet decides to let the reader see (without sighting), feel (without touching), hear (without the bang), taste (without the spice), smell (without the scent), get high (without the wine) "what" .Imagery is the name given to the elements in a poem that spark off the senses. Despite "image" being a synonym for "picture", images need not be only visual; any of the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell) can respond to what a poet writes.

There are several types of imagery as regards to the particular sense it appeals to and unique in the attributes.
The types of imagery are "Tactile, visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, gustatory and organic"
A last type of imagery is the spatial imagery

If I ask you as a poet to describe *_life_* in a poem as the space of your room ...how would you do this without the taking me to your room in the space of my mind????

Spatial imagery is imagery of spatial relationships. particularly if it is a three dimensional mental representation. This idea is related to that of cognitive maps, cognitive control.
This is the REALITY OF SOMETHING ABSTRACT.

Kinesthesia is a type of imagery which is used as a poetic device. It is a poetic device that gives a feeling of natural or physical bodily movement or action (like a heartbeat, a pulse and breathing). It also refers to tension along with the movement.

Since the word kinetic means motion or movement, kinesthetic imagery is the representation of the actions and movements of an object or a character. Famous authors William Shakespeare and William Wordsworth, respectively, wrote the following examples of kinesthesia:

“This sensible warm motion to become
A kneaded clod; and the delighted spirit
To bathe in fiery floods, or to reside
In thrilling region of thick-ribbed ice…”

The poet gave the feeling (warmth) a coursing movement...
Actually it is descriptive of the way heat surges thru the body

The point of Kinesthetic imagery is to give the mental spasm, and power to feelings

I have poems here and if need be, I will send them in to explain further.
*Function of Kinesthesia:
Kinesthesia is used in poetry and prose to describe the vivid physical actions or movements of characters and objects. It is used as a graphic and vibrant technique of scenes that appeal to the senses of the readers. Besides, it helps the imagination of a reader to envision the scenes and characters in literary works.
Kinesthesia could be used in two forms: descriptive and figurative. In addition, writers not only employ kinesthesia for physical movements, they also create images based on the intensity of feelings and depth of meaning.
I will run through the other types of imagery in a whiff and go back to spatial and Kinesthesia imagery.

TACTILE IMAGERY
Tactile imagery relates to the sense of touch. It is one of the seven types of sensory images used to create description in writing.

GUSTATORY- Imagery refers to mental pictures in your mind, or to words and descriptions that create mental pictures. Gustatory imagery, in particular, refers to imagery related to the sense of taste. In other words, gustatory imagery refers to words, descriptions or pictures in your brain that make you think of taste.

AURAL/AUDITORY- Poets create responses in the reader by using aural images, which have more of an impact on our hearing then our visual sense. The most common devices used to create aural images are Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance, and Onomatopoeia.

Regardless of the type of imagery the poet intends to achieve, one thing is paramount...

IF A POET CANNOT "VISUALIZE" IT THE READER CANNOT "VISUALIZE" IT...

And like a dead metaphor, the imagery already abstract becomes unrealistic and vague.
Imagine A POET AS A CHEF
He tries to write about a sandwich:

Save me, save me, save me
Save me, consume me, save me, I am stuffed
Between the stiffness of the palms of the chef
Tuna, salmon, onion and the crimson tomato
Imprisoned to bait your soul from your throat
To the longing of your bowels for a feel of the smoothness of bread....

Finally, I'd like to mention a few "nonconventional" ways of evoking imagery
Truth be told, I have never had a sandwich with all these ingredients in it...
However I got To save time, I did a freestyle...
1. Start from a realistic point of view
2. Get crazy (Creative)
3. Chew the idea for a while and paint all the scenarios in your head
4. Take down a note of the words that will enliven your poem
5. Let your heart synch with the pen and let it bleed
In this depending on your understanding, you will find at least 2 images.
Poetry is an expression to make an impression.*

How do you make an impression without letting it be felt or be seen or be heard.

If a poet writes about pain, the reader must feel it.
About war, the agony and the goriness of it...Poetry has many school of thoughts, believes.

But I Oladele Taiwo in my shallow understanding thinks poetry is dead without imagery.

*ABOUT THE TUTOR*

Oladele Taiwo Oluwaseyi (Katoonspeaks) with is a graduate of Animal Nutrition and Biotechnology from LAUTECH. He is currently serving in Kwara state. He is an unpublished poet who derives utmost pleasure in seeing people who by his counsel do exploits in poetry. Katoon's Nexus of Bards,  a thriving poetry WhatsApp and Facebook based platform initiated by Kartonspeaks.