Homer’s Imagery

Homer’s Imagery

Imagery can deeply trigger feelings by appealing to the human senses. To affect the mood his story, Homer uses imagery. He uses imagery to set the mood of settings, action scenes, and to set the mood of death.

Homer uses imagery to give the feel of the setting. He may not even describe the setting and the reader can feel the mood of the setting through imagery. An example of this is: “Odysseus in one motion strung the bow./ Then slid his right hand down the cord and plucked it/ so the taut gut vibrating hummed and sang/ a swallow’s note” (1376-1379). The reader can feel the silence in the room as the string is plucked. This creates a great mood of suspense. It gives the reader a feeling that something big is about to happen.

Homer also uses imagery to show immense emotion in action scenes. Homer writes, “Then crying hoarse and loud/ he hurled himself at Odysseus. But the kingly man let fly/ an arrow at that instant, and the quivering feathered butt/ sprang to the nipple of his breast as the barb stuck in his liver” (1485-1488). This demonstrates Odysseus’ attacker, Eurymachus’, emotion in the last moments of his life. This passage gets the reader