Lesson 3: IMAGERY Was split open like a coconut!

And a great white burst of light

The Village of Round and Square Houses Rose like the sun!

(Excerpts) Then the voice of our Mother Naka

By Ann Grifalconi Thundered out all over:

BOOM! BA-BOOM! BA-BOOM!

It was not until I was almost full-grown;

And the people cried out to Naka,
And left my village
And prayed where they were lying down,
That I found our village was like no other.
Hands pressing the earth, asking
For the men live in square houses,
“What have we done to so anger you?”
And the women, in round ones!
All through the night
To me, this seemed the natural order of things.
Old Naka spoke to them
“But what is it like?” You ask.
Shouting her anger to the skies
I will tell you how how it was – and is – for me.
As red rivers of lava flowed down her sides.
When the sun rose
I grew up in my grandmother’s farm
The people lifted their heads and looked about!
In the village of Tos that lies Everything was covered with ashes—
At the foot of Mother Naka Even themselves!
In the Bameni hills of West Africa. Everyone looked like gray ghost-
We planted yams and corn and tobacco Trembling with fear
And the finest coffee grown in the Cameroons. But grateful to be alive:

Our village was always happy and peaceful- Naka had spared them!

A good place for boys and girls to grow up

Still covered with ashes—

Then one peaceful night The men, women and children

Before anyone alive remembers, Faced the mountain together,

Went back to claim their homes.
Old Naka began to groan and rumble
But when they came to the burned-out village
And awoke from a long sleep!
Only two houses were left standing:
The villagers were frightened
One square - and one round
And ran out of their houses
And so it was done.
And hid in the bushes
At the foot of the mountain.
“What?
Where?
Suddenly, the black night
Why?
How are we…?”
But the village chief She took me by the hand
Had no time to answer for such questions – And turned back to the round house.
And he called them together: And now that is
“We must begin to rebuild our village now!” How our way came about
He pointed to the ash-covered people: And will continue—
You! Tall gray things!
‘Till Naka speaks again!
You go live in the square house!
Answer the following questions”
And you! Round gray things –
1. Who is Mother Naka? What were some of the
Go live in the round house! things that she told the villagers?
2. What image do the fourth and fifth stanzas
And you small gray stones
create in your mind? Illustrate that picture.
Go out to the fields 3. Who are the following?
So we can plant our crops again. a. Tall gray things
b. Round gray things
c. Small gray stones
The women lived in the round house with the children 4. Reread the bracketed lines. Why did grandma
tell this story to her granddaughter? Give one
And the women talked and laughed— possible reason.
Preparing food for everyone. IMAGERY/SENSORY IMAGES – are mental pictures
The men stayed in the square house created by words that describe what we see, hear,
touch, taste, and smell.
And told each other tall stories
I. Types of Imagery
And planted yams and corn
Here are the five most common types of imagery
Each day, in the new, rich soil.
used in creative writing:
And the children made a game
a. Visual Imagery(see)
out of the clearing, the field of small gray stones
Visual imagery describes what we see: comic book
and went swimming and fishing in the long images, painting or images directly experience
afternoons… through the narrator’s eyes. Visual imagery may
and no one forgot to thank Naka include:

for sparing their lives Color, shapes, size, pattern (stripe, zig-
zagged etc.)
and giving the back such fine crops b. Auditory Imagery(hear)
from her good earth.
Auditory imagery describes what we hear, from
“And we still play and swim in the afternoon music to noise to pure silence. Auditory imagery
may include:
But we bring home the fish we catch for supper
 Enjoyable sounds, such as: beautiful
And we all get together then!”
music, birdsong, and the voices of chorus.
“So you see, Osa,  Noises, such as: the bang of a gun, the
sound of the broom moving across the
We live together peacefully here
floor, and the sound of broken glass
Because each one has a place to be apart shattering on the hard floor.
 The lack of noise, describing a peaceful
And time to be together…” calm or eerie silence.
 c. Olfactory Imagery(smell) Imagery using taste:

Olfactory imagery describes what we smell. The candy melted in her mouth and swirls of
Olfactory imagery may include: bittersweet chocolate and slightly sweet but salty
caramel blended together on her tongue.
 Fragrances, such as perfumes, enticing
food and drink, and blooming flowers. Imagery using touch:
 Odors, such as rotting trash, body odors,
After the long run, he collapsed in the grass
or a stinky wet dog.
with tired and burning muscles. The grass tickled his
d. Gustatory Imagery(taste)
skin and sweat cooled on his brow.
Gustatory imagery describes what we taste.
Gustatory imagery can include:
 Sweetness, such as candies, cookies and
The following lines suggest sensory images. Identify
desserts.
the senses to which each line appeals.
 Sourness, bitterness, and tartness, such as
lemons and limes. A.
 Saltiness, such as salsas and curries.
1. For men live in square houses and the women
 Savoriness, such as a steak dinner or thick
in round ones.
soup. 2. And the finest coffee grown in the Cameroons
e. Tactile Imagery(touch) 3. One peaceful night, Old Naka begins to groan
Lastly, tactile imagery describes what we feel or and rumble
4. A great white burst of light rose like the sun
touch. Tactile imagery includes:
5. The voice of Mother Naka thundered out
 Temperature, such as bitter cold, 6. As red rivers of lava flowed down her sides
humidity, mildness, and stifling heat. 7. Still covered with ashes, everyone looked like
 Texture, such as rough, ragged, seamless, a gray ghost trembling with fear
and smooth. 8. She took me by the hand
9. And when they came to the burned village
 Touch, such as hand-holding, one’s in the
10. Boom! Ba-Boom! Ba-Boom!
grass, or the feeling of starched fabric on
one’s skin.
 Movement, such as burning muscles from
B.
exertion, swimming in cold water, or
kicking a soccer ball. 11. “The thunder clapped loudly, shaking the
house.”
12. “There is a place where the sidewalk ends and
before the street begins, and there the grass
Examples of Imagery
grow soft and white.”
Imagery using visuals: 13. “He shrieked and screamed and rolled
around.”
The night was black as ever, but bright stars 14. “There’s a Polar Bear in our Frigidaire—He
lit up the sky in beautiful and varied constellations likes it ‘cause it’s cold in there.”
which were sprinkled across the astronomical 15. “And he lets out a roar. If you open the door.”
landscape. 16. “Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too, Over the
sun and beyond the blue,”
Imagery using scent: 17. “And then one day he took a bit, And started
She smelled the scent of sweet hibiscus chewing with delight, But found his mouth
was stuck quite tight From the last bite of
wafting through the air, its tropical smell a reminder
peanut-butter sandwich,”
that she was on vacation in a beautiful place.
18. “I tried on the summer sun, Felt good. Nice
Imagery using sounds: and warm—knew it would,”

Silence was broken by the peal of piano keys

as Shannon began practicing her concerto.