Imagery in "Chimes of Freedom"

Literary and poetic terms are used in every day life in various forms of writing. One literary and poetic term is imagery, which is when words and phrases are used to recreate vivid sensory experiences. Imagery can be found in song writing, more specifically in Bob Dylan's song "Chimes of Freedom." Through Bob Dylan's descriptive words, the reader can recreate scenes of what is being read.

There are several examples of the use of imagery in "Chimes of Freedom." One phrase showing Dylan's use of this literary term is "Far between sundown's finish an' midnight's broken toll." From reading this, the reader can imagine the time between sundown, where the sky is beginning to become darker, and the black sky of midnight. Another example is "As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin' rain," where Dylan describes the bells as wedding bells, which the reader can understand to be deep, low tones, which are echoing. Bob Dylan also further describes the rain as blowing rain, which the reader can imagine as if there is a wind. "Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail" is yet another example of imagery, allowing the reader to imagine harsh hail that is hammering against roofs, windows, and cars. Finally, an exemplary example of imagery in "Chimes of Freedom" is the phrase "a cloud's white curtain in a far-off corner flashed/An' the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting/Electric light still struck like arrows." The reader can imagine a "white curtain" of clouds in a corner of the sky as he or she is reading the lines, though when continuing to read the verse, is then able to imagine a rising mist; by the end of this phrase, the reader is thinking of lightening bolts ripping across the sky as if they were arrows. Throughout the song, the reader is constantly being led to imagine different scenes in order to heighten the experience of listening to the song.

Though the use of imagery is prevalent in song writing, such as in Bob Dylan's song "Chimes of Freedom," it can also be found in other forms of writing. Newspaper articles, for example, uses imagery to recreate a scene from the news, whether it be a high school football game or a car accident. Authors also use imagery to catch the reader's attention as well as to keep his or her interest. Imagery is found in everyday life and used for innumerable reasons.