Whitman's use of Imagery in His Poems
Whitman’s poetry contains a profusion of
images and it is truly perceived in almost any of his poems. Imagery means the
use of images or pictures in words to describe ideas or situations. An image is
something that can be perceived through one or more senses-sight, hearing,
smell, taste, and touch, the sense of motion or the sense of heat or cold.
Imagery is the pictorial quality of a literary work achieved through a
collection of images. It evokes a complex of emotional suggestions and
communicates mood, tone and meaning.
Whitman employs different types of
imagery in his poems- and they are galore-in order to create the desired
effect. All sorts of images crowd in his poems-images of the earth, the sea and
the sky, night and day, hills, mountains and rivers, nature and animals, images
of sex, energy and vitality. His long poems, like ‘When Lilacs Last in the
Dooryard Bloom’d’ or ‘Crossing Brooklyn Ferry’, seem to be made up of a number
of brief descriptions. At a glance they seem chaotic as they flash past the eye
in rapid succession. But in reality they have an implicit pattern. In the poem
‘When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d’ we see an abundance of images of the
earth, the sky, the sea and all that, moving in quick succession.
Whitman’s images are multi-faceted; they
function on more than one level. In all cases, he used images to carry the
reader from the world of sensory perception to the world of thought in which he
achieves some perspective. From the sensory he moves to the metaphysical level.
The images are, of course, continually becoming symbols whose meanings
fluctuate. The bird in ‘When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d’ is
grief-stricken by the death of Lincoln, but it pours songs whose themes tally
with the thoughts of the poet. The star symbolizes eternity. It is seen to be
brightly glowing in the western sky, signifying the immorality of Lincoln’s
memory and also the eternity of the soul.
Images of vitality and energy are
scattered through the works of Whitman. Whitman’s sensibility and response to
the visible world are expressed clearly through his images. He seems to be
specially fascinated by the essential dynamics of life, by the objects that
suggest energy and vitality. His sexual images or erotic images indicate his
quest for vitality.
Grass is a recurring image in Whitman’s
poetry. It represents democracy, individuality and kinship with all.
The image of the trinity suggests the
unity in the universe. All objects of the heaven and the earth are conceived of
as having formed a unity.
Whitman’s images are lively, vivid and
impressive.
So easy and effective. Thank you..
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