According to the poet Cecil Day Lewis, an image is ‘a picture made out of
words’. Imagery is the name of those descriptions in poems that help to create an image in the mind of the reader and appeal to their senses.
An image appeals to one or many of the reader’s senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell). A powerful image should leave the reader (or listener) with a vivid picture in their mind.
The next group of poems is about childhood. Think about your own memories of childhood. Decide on one strong memory and try to describe it using each of the five senses.
Poet Profi le
Name: Eavan Boland (1944–2020) Nationality: Irish
Fact: At her inauguration as President of Ireland in 1990, Mary Robinson included a quote from one of Eavan Boland’s poems.
