Can you describe auditory imagery? Look at the following paragraph:
The great clock strikes twelve, the chimes cutting through the noisy hustle and bustle of the city. The incessant honks of impatient drivers fill my ears whilst the faint melody from the guitar of a street busker sounds in the distance.
And... back to reality. This description really helps to transport you to a busy city, full of noisy objects and people doesn't it? Can you imagine all the sounds in your head? If so, this is something we call 'imagery', more specifically 'auditory imagery' (i.e. imagery that we 'hear').
What Is Imagery?
So what exactly is imagery in the English Language and English Literature and how does it relate to auditory imagery?
Imagery is a literary device (i.e. a writing technique) that uses descriptive language to create a mental image of a place, idea, or experience. It appeals to the reader's senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell).
'The tall trees loomed over me, lightly swaying in the breeze. I could hear a rabbit scurry across the forest floor and feel the crack of the twigs underneath my feet.'
In this example, there is plenty of descriptive language that helps to create a mental image of a forest. The extract appeals to the sense of sight ('tall trees loomed'), the sense of touch ('crack of the twigs underneath my feet'), and the sense of sound ('hear a rabbit scurry').
Think of imagery as a tool used by writers to fully engage the reader in the story. It can evoke certain feelings or emotions. make us sympathise with a character, or let us experience the world from a character's point of view.
Our mental image in our head is completely unique to us. Other people may imagine the same people, objects, ideas etc. but how their mental image of these will differ from person to person. The vividness and detail of this mental imagery will also differ; some people may experience rich, vivid images whilst others experience duller, less detailed images.
The different types of imagery
There are five different types of imagery, each describing the sense that the imagery is appealing to. These are:
Visual imagery (what we 'see' in our mental image)
Auditory imagery (what we 'hear' in our mental image)
Tactile imagery (what we 'touch' or 'feel' in our mental image)
Gustatory imagery (what we 'taste' in our mental image)
Olfactory imagery (what we 'smell' in our mental image)
A writer can use multiple types of imagery across the full text to fully engage the reader and create a full, sensory experience.
In this article, we will discuss auditory imagery examples, i.e. what we 'hear'.
Auditory imagery: definition
Auditory imagery refers to the mental images or representations that are created in a person's mind when they hear sounds or words. It is a type of mental imagery that involves the sensory experience of hearing.
Auditory imagery: effect
Descriptive language can create a mental image of sounds, even when there is no external stimulus (i.e. no 'real-life sound'). This could be music, voices, or general noises that we hear.
Imagine the following sounds: the chirping of birds, glass shattering onto the floor, waves crashing onto the shore, the bark of a dog, complete silence, and your friend calling your name.
Can you hear them in your mind? If so, that is auditory imagery!
Auditory imagery: examples
Now that we know what auditory imagery is, let's take a look at some auditory imagery examples in literature, poems, and everyday life.
Auditory imagery in literature
Writers can use auditory imagery examples to transport the reader to the setting of their story. This may be a description of a character's voice, the movement of objects in the room, the sounds of nature, and so much more.
Let's look at an example from one of Shakespeare's famous plays called 'Macbeth'. In this scene, there is a persistent knocking at the door and the porter imagines what it would be like to answer the door in hell. He feels that he would be very busy due to all of the bad people in the world (with the main character 'Macbeth' being one of them!).
“Here’s a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of
hell-gate, he should have old turning the key. Knock
Knock, knock, knock, knock! Who’s there, i’ the name of
Belzebub?
- Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Act-II, Scene-III, Lines 1-8
The 'knock knock' sounds are examples of onomatopoeia and are associated with the sound of someone hitting a door (onomatopoeia refers to words that imitate the sound that it describes e.g. 'bang' or 'boom'). This helps to create auditory imagery as the reader hears the knocking in a similar way to the character.
Fig. 1 - Can you hear someone knocking at the door?
Auditory imagery in poetry
Are there any examples of auditory imagery in poetry? Of course! Poetry is a type of literature that often appeals to the senses, using plenty of creative and descriptive language to create rich imagery.
Take a look at the following extract taken from the poem 'The Sound of the Sea' by poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
The sea awoke at midnight from its sleep,And round the pebbly beaches far and wideI heard the first wave of the rising tideRush onward with uninterrupted sweep;A voice out of the silence of the deep,A sound mysteriously multipliedAs of a cataract from the mountain’s side,Or roar of winds upon a wooded steep.
In this example, the poet uses descriptive language to create an auditory image of the sound of the sea. We can imagine the ocean 'waking up', a sweeping sound cutting through the silence and getting louder and louder.
The writer uses figurative language in his poem to bring the ocean to life. This is language that goes beyond the literal meaning to express something deeper. In this extract, we see a type of figurative language called 'personification' (personification refers to giving human characteristics to something which isn't human).
The sound of the ocean is described as 'a voice out of the silence of the deep' which gives the ocean the human quality of a 'voice'. The sound of the wind is also described as a 'roar', something that we often associate with a fierce lion! This language creates auditory imagery and helps us to imagine the sounds in a more vivid and creative way.
Fig. 2 - Can you hear the sea?
Auditory imagery in everyday life
Examples of auditory imagery aren't just used in literature and poems. We may also find ourselves using auditory imagery in everyday situations such as describing how beautiful some music is, the horrible sound of a screaming child on a plane, the sound of snoring keeping you awake at night, and so on.
'He snored so loudly, it sounded like there was a steam train coming into the station!'
In this example, auditory imagery is created using the adjective 'loudly', which describes the volume of the sound. The simile 'it sounded like a steam train' helps us imagine the sound of the snore by comparing it to something else (a simile compares one thing to another to compare similar qualities). This exaggeration creates a more vivid image of the sound as it emphasises the loudness.
How do we create auditory imagery?
As we have seen in the auditory imagery examples, there are many creative ways to create auditory images and describe sounds in a rich, detailed way. Let's look at the specific techniques and features of auditory imagery in more detail.
Figurative language
One of the main techniques used to create imagery (including auditory imagery) is called 'figurative language'. This is language that is not literal in its meaning. Instead, it goes beyond the ordinary meaning of the word or phrase to express something deeper. This is a creative way to express ourselves and can create a more vivid image.
For example, if we were to say 'Jeff is a couch potato' this does not mean that there is a potato called Jeff sitting on the couch. Instead, it goes beyond the literal meaning to describe a person who is lazy and spends too much time watching TV!
Figurative language is made up of different 'figures of speech'. Let's look at some examples- you probably recognise some of them!
- Metaphors- metaphors describe a person, object, or thing by referring to it as something else. For example, 'Jemma's words were music to my ears'. This metaphor leads us to associate the nice sounds of music with the pleasant words said by Jemma.
- Similes- similes describe a person, object, or thing by comparing it to something else. For example, 'Abby tiptoed as quiet as a mouse'. This simile creates an auditory image of Abby's quiet tiptoeing.
- Personification- personification refers to describing something which isn't human using human-like qualities. For example, 'the wind howled'. This example of personification creates an auditory image of the sound of the wind. We can imagine a gust of wind passing through objects creating a howling sound, much like the howl of a wolf.
- Hyperbole- hyperbole refers to a sentence that uses exaggeration to add emphasis. For example, 'you can hear Joe's laugh from a mile away!'. This example of hyperbole creates an auditory image of Joe's laugh. The exaggeration emphasises how loud and unique Joe's laugh is which creates more vivid auditory imagery.
Figurative language helps us to imagine sounds and even explain unfamiliar sounds that we might not have heard before. We are able to compare the qualities of the two things and create richer imagery using the different figures of speech. Figurative language is therefore a great way to add imagery to your writing!
Adjectives and adverbs
Descriptive language is vital when creating good imagery. Specific vocabulary such as adjectives and adverbs give further detail, helping the reader to visualise what is being described.
Adjectives are words that describe the qualities or features of a noun (a person, place, or thing) or a pronoun (a word that replaces a noun). This could be qualities like size, quantity, appearance, colour, and so on. For example, in the sentence 'I could hear the calm, melodic music from the kitchen' the words 'calm' and 'melodic' describe the sound of the music in more detail. This allows us to create an auditory image of the sound.
Adverbs are words that give more information about a verb, adjective, or another adverb. For example, 'she sang softly and quietly to the baby'. In this example, the singing is described using the adverbs 'softly' and 'quietly' which helps to create more detailed auditory imagery.
Auditory Imagery - Key Takeaways
- Imagery is a literary device that uses descriptive language to create a mental image of a place, idea, or experience. It appeals to the reader's senses.
- There are five types of imagery: visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory.
- Auditory imagery is the use of descriptive language to create imagery that appeals to our sense of hearing. In other words, it refers to what we 'hear' in our mental image.
- Writers can use auditory imagery to transport the reader to the setting of their story. This may be a description of a character's voice, the movement of objects, the sounds of nature, and so on.
- We can create imagery using figurative language. This is language that is not literal in its meaning. Instead, it goes beyond the ordinary meaning of the word or phrase to express something deeper.
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