Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

Assignment on Imagery in the stories ‘Fire On The Mountain’

& ‘The Rocking Horse Winner’.

Course Name: HUM 123

Submitted by
Name: REFAT BIN SULTAN
Dept.: MME
Student ID: 2211041

Date of Submission: 18/02/2024

IMAGERY: Imagery refers to language that stimulates the reader’s senses
Types of imagery:
 Visual Image
 Auditory Image
 Gustatory
 Olfactory
 Tactile
 Kinesthetic

1) Visual Image: A visual image is a description that stimulates our mind’s eye.
Fire On The Mountain:
Jack slammed his knife into a trunk and looked around challengingly. By reading this, Readers
can visualize the savagery in Jack’s character.
There was a mention of their plane carrying them being shot. A war was going on and they were
trying to go to a safe place. In the middle of their journey, the plane was shot down in flames. It
is an example of a visual image.
While describing the island, Ralph and his friends mentioned rocks, blue flowers, and many
more things that are presented on the island. Reading the story, readers can easily visualize an
image of the island in their minds.
‘Beastie’, a snake thing, was seen by a six-year-old boy. The boy proposed to do something
about the snakes, but Ralph and his friends ignored it by saying that there was no such thing on
the island. It’s a visualization of the dominance of Ralph and his peers.
Ralph mentioned that his father was in the Navy. He also mentioned the Queen’s big room being
full of maps of islands. So, he imagined that soon his father’s ship would anchor on the island
and they would be rescued.
The Rocking Horse Winner:
At the beginning of the story, there is a description of a pleasant house with a garden, people
living there had discreet servants which made them superior to anyone in the neighborhood. By
reading this a reader can visualize an image.
Hearing the unspoken phrase, the children would stop playing and they would look into each
other’s eye as it was a matter of surprise for them. It was assumed that the rocking horse, the big
doll, and the foolish puppy also could hear it. It produces a visual image in the reader’s mind.
While the boy was talking to her mother about luck, her mother mentioned about his father being
unlucky. At this point, he looked at his mother with unsure eyes which basically displays his
curiosity.
Paul thought that the rocking horse could find him the way of luck. So, he would ride the horse
and command it to take him to where there was luck.
Paul mentioned to his uncle of their house that whispers for money. This image is created in
Paul’s mind and it is a visual image. This symbolizes that they were not taken care of properly
and they grew up in an improper environment.
At the end of the story, when Besset entered the room to meet Paul, he touched his imaginary cap
to Paul’s mother. He did this to show respect for Paul’s mother. It is a visual image.

2) Auditory Image: When we can hear the sounds of nature, machinery, or someone’s
voice in our mind that stimulates the ear is known as an auditory image.
Fire On The Mountain:
At the beginning of the story, Ralph’s blowing the conch is mentioned. It represents an auditory
image because one who will read the story, if he has experience of hearing the sound of a conch
before, will be able to hear the sound in his mind.
Whee—oh, Wacco, Bong, and Doink are some sounds that were made by the crowds attending
the meeting after Ralph had talked about the rules. It refers to an auditory image.
Because of the silence, the crowd could hear the unevenness of Piggy’s breathing.
After Ralph had mentioned his father’s being in the Navy and the possibility of their leaving the
island, he could hear the sounds of cheerfulness and a better heart. Spontaneously they began to
clap and applauded him. It will produce an auditory image in the reader's mind.
The noise of the errant assembly faded up the mountain. It broke the equilibrium of the forest
and created a mass. One can easily visualize the chanting made by the crowd. It will create an
auditory image.
The Rocking Horse Winner:
The children could hear an unspoken phrase: There must be more money! There must be more
money! They heard it in their mind and it represents auditory image.
When Paul decided to bet three hundred pounds, his uncle burst into a roar of laughter. It
produces an auditory image.
When Paul’s mother received the money given as a birthday gift by Paul, the voices in the house
suddenly went mad, like a chorus of frogs on a spring evening. The situation really frightened
Paul that produced an auditory image in his mind.

3) Gustatory Image: Gustatory imagery is a description that stimulates the tongue.

Fire On The Mountain:
In the middle of the story, Jack seized the conch from the little boy, refused the existence of the
beastie, and mentioned hunting pigs. Later on, they will eat it and satisfy their hunger. It’s an
example of a gustatory image.
The Rocking Horse Winner:
There is a mention of Paul’s mother having her breakfast. It produces a gustatory image in the
reader’s mind.

4) Olfactory Image: Olfactory image is a description that stimulates the nose.

Fire On The Mountain:
While making fire, Ralph noticed a thin trickle of smoke rose up and made him cough. One can
easily smell the smoke so, it is an example of olfactory image.

5) Tactile Image: Tactile image is a description that stimulates our sense of touch.
Fire On The Mountain:
There was a mention of breeze, little air moving over the mountain.
On one side, the air was cool but on the other side, the fire thrust out a savage arm of heat. This
temperature difference helps readers produce a tactile image in his mind.
Again, the boys felt the evening wind on their damp faces. It produces a tactile image.
 6) Kinesthetic Image: Kinesthetic image refers to a description of motion.
The Rocking Horse Winner:
The rocking horse creates a kinesthetic image in the reader’s mind. It symbolizes a wooden horse
moving to and fro.
In the story, there is a mention of a horse race. It refers to a kinesthetic image that will form in
the reader’s mind.