Examine the imagery in these lines of the poem "The Legend" by Garrett Hongo.

He is Asian, Thai or Vietnamese,
and very skinny, dressed as one of the poor
in rumpled suit pants and a plaid mackinaw,
dingy and too large.
He negotiates the slick of ice
on the sidewalk by his car,
opens the Fairlane's back door,
leans to place the laundry in,
and turns, for an instant,
toward the flurry of footsteps
and cries of pedestrians
as a boy—that's all he was—
backs from the corner package store
shooting a pistol, firing it,
once, at the dumbfounded man
who falls forward,
grabbing at his chest.

How does the imagery in these lines affect the reader’s experience of the poem? Check all that apply.

It creates a visual picture of the man.
It conveys what the scene sounds like.
It describes the actions of the boy.
It reveals the poet’s opinion of the characters.
It encourages readers to care for the characters.
It shows the resolution of a conflict.
It explains the reasons for the event.

The first, from the physical description of the man. The second, when it says the people screaming, and I'm sure we could guess sounds from the pistol being pulled out. Possibly the third, because the boy is walking out of the store firing a pistol. And the fifth, because the readers become concerned for those at the scene.

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KrystaCort KrystaCort · Answer 2 · 2018-10-18T08:46:59+02:00

After going through the poem, we can easily interpret what the poet wants to convey. However, we are given several options to choose from. The imagery utilized by the poet affects the readers in the following ways:

Opt 1- It definitely creates a visual of the skinny man.

Opt 2- It also conveys sounds to create a more engaging frame for the reader.

Opt 3- These imagery elaborates the actions done by the boy.

Opt 5- Following this, the imagery boosts the readers to care for the character.