Imagery Blog

“He from forth the closet brought a heap Of candied apple, quince, and plum, and gourd;
With jellies soother than the creamy curd, And lucent syrups, tinct with cinnamon;
Manna and dates, in argosy transferr’d From Fez; and spiced dainties, every one
From silken Samarcand to cedar’d Lebanon.”
John Keats, “The Eve of St. Agnes”
www.john-keats.com/

This excerpt from “The Eve of St. Agnes” by John Keats is an extremely effective piece of literature because its imagery appeals to the numerous senses of the reader. In general, imagery is a type of figurative language which provides an alternative and more successful way to convey your thoughts and feelings on paper. In this excerpt, Keats uses imagery not only to illustrate the great feast but, also, to give each reader a “taste” of the delectable treats.

Keats is able to succeed in his writing through his regular use of strong adjectives. Words such as creamy, lucent, candied, and sliken make these foods appear more desirable than they might be in real life. Normally, these fruits are plain and boring, but the use of descriptive adjectives makes the fruit almost heavenly. These adjectives entice the reader to look, touch, and smell the scrumptious foods. How about taste? Keats purposely leaves the actual eating of these foods out of his poem to let the reader crave his “delicacies”.

Another essential style, in this excerpt, is Keats use of a run-on sentence. He does this purposely in order to combine the powerful adjectives and normal fruit into one large mouth watering heap for the readers. The overall effect and tone of his poem would be much different if the punctuation of the poem were corrected. Readers would, most likely, forget some of the fruit which, in return, would make the poem less pleasurable for their senses. In this excerpt, Keats use of the run-on sentence is a vivid example of his poetic license – or the ability of the poet to do whatever he chooses.

So, in conclusion, it is the imagery and diction that Keats uses that allows the reader to become involved and “hungry” in his poetry.


“The young man walked into the Sparks Center and could instantly smell the sweet aroma of the roast beef and mash potatoes. His attention was then caught by the roar of the popcorn maker, and the whizzing of the ice cream. However, he was soon won over by the bright, glowing colors of the fruit section. “
Nick Curosh