write an essay on Dylan Thomas' s use of images in his poetry
Answers
Dylan Thomas attached great importance to the use of
imagery, and an understanding of his imagery is essential for
an understanding of his poetry. Thomas's vivid imagery
involved world play, fractured syntax and personal
symbolism. Thomas' poetic imagery shows the use of a
mixture of several techniques, the most prominent being the
surrealistic, imagistic and metaphysical. But the Bible, his
study of Shakespeare, English poets also laid under
contribution. Thomas as a resourceful "language-changer" like
Shakespeare, Dickens, Hopkins and Joyce shaped the English
language into a richly original mélange of rhythm, imagery
and literary allusion.
Dylan's imagery has been criticized for its obscurity and
incoherence. His images are obscure and difficult to
understand. There is ambiguity in his style but his images are
familiar subject to study. His imagery is fascinating and
attracting. He used many techniques throughout his poetry. He
used natural imagery, death imagery, sexual imagery, imagery
of destruction & creation (growth or decay, imagery of
subconscious, Freudian imagery and religious imagery. So he
attached great importance to the use of imagery. Except
imagery he used symbolism also. His poetry is highly
symbolic and full of wonderful vivid and refreshing images.
In this reference he rejects the norms and traditions of 20th
century and followed Romantics.