"Frankenstein"- Imagery

Throughout the novel, imagery is constantly present, playing a large role in the mood and meaning of the work. For instance, on page 92, while describing the imagery of the mountains, Frankenstein begins by describing it as calm and serene, saying, "the unstained snowy mountaintop, the glittering pinnacle, the pine woods, and ragged bare ravine, the eagle, soaring amidst the clouds-- they all gathered round me and bade me be at peace" (page 92). This imagery serves to set a peaceful tone and also serves to contrast the imagery in the next section. Directly after this imagery is presented, Frankenstein tells of how he fell asleep and also describes the scene he awoke to. He says, "all of soul-inspiriting fled with sleep, and dark melancholy clouded every thought. The rain was pouring in torrents..." (page 92). The sudden change in imagery here serves a specific purpose. It serves to hint that something bad or seemingly bad is going to happen. It allows the reader to know that something is going to happen which will damper Frankenstein's short-lasting peaceful spirits which were brought on by the beautiful nature. This event which brings him back down is his unexpected encounter with the monster. When he encounters the monster, all of his furry and rage is brought back to the surface and he is once again reminded of his guilt for the deaths of William and Justine. The imagery serves as a for-warning for what is about to come.

"I felt a Funeral, in my Brain" by: Emily Dickinson

To me, this poem (like most) was exceptionally difficult to comprehend. I have always found ambiguous writing confusing because it is hard to decide what another person was thinking when the wrote something if they don't directly tell you. I picked up on the comparisons to a funeral right away because these were easy to see (or hear since there was not any sight in the imagery). In the first stanza, I saw mourners processing through a church to the front. Next, I heard the mourners sitting down and waiting in the second stanza. In the third, I heard a casket being carried down the aisle in the church slowly and steadily. I then heard bells ringing; possibly during the funeral service. Finally, I heard the casket being lowered into the ground to its final resting place.

While these comparisons were understandable to me, the symbolism of it was only clear as mud. I had no idea where to even start. During class discussions I was given the idea that it is a mental breakdown which I now see. This became clear to me when on the 17th line the speaker says, "Plank in Reason, broke." To me, this sounds like a person who has finally lost all control and went insane.

"Those Winter Sundays" by: Robert Hayden

To me, this was one of the most understandable poems. I saw the central theme to be the father's hard work during the winter for the family and the families failure to thank him. This poem was more of a narrative poem rather than a figurative poem. I enjoyed it because I like reading stories that are more straight up with a definitive meaning.

I also enjoyed the plethora of imagery: "blueblack cold," "cracked hands," "fires blaze," cold splintering," and "chronic angers." All of these images brought the situation of the speaker and the father closer to me. It also caused me to have some sympathy for the father who worked hard in the extreme cold, with cracked hands until he had fulfilled his duties for his family. It also seemed that all the father did for his family was work. He never shared his love in other ways, which caused tension and indifference toward him. It seems that his work was the only way in which he knew to express his love, but nobody else realized this or thanked him.