Daniel Hague
Kailey Alyssa Tucker
English 1191
3 November 2014 Descriptiveness
William Carlos William’s “The Use of Force” and Sandra Cisneros “Eleven” utilize imagery and sensory language to display the emotions of the doctor and Rachel in the respective stories. However, as imagery and sensory language are both used, each author derives different emotions from the two craft elements. This craft analysis will focus on how each author make use of descriptive craft elements in order to demonstrate separate emotions between protagonists. Williams’ “The Use of Force” portrays how imagery and sensory language can be used successfully to describe two emotions, admiration and frustration, from the doctor. The doctor is called to help aid a small girl whom he grows fond of because of her adversity to his attempts of providing aid. He describes his admiration, reflecting how he “had already fallen in love with the savage brat… Her tongue was cut and she was screaming in wild hysterical shrieks” (The Use of Force 1299). The descriptive imagery utilized by Williams’ aids in the depiction of the doctor who admires his young patient, Mathilda, because she is the scapegoat for his anger and frustration. Had Williams’ not described Mathilda with detail one would assume the doctor’s indifference towards the young girl. However, Williams’ use of imagery allows the doctor to be viewed as someone who has a high regard toward to his young patient’s determination. Imagery allows the doctor to seem admirable while sensory language displays the doctor’s frustration.
Williams’ applies sensory language in order to describe the doctor’s frustration towards his patient. The doctor describes tearing apart his the young girl, “ I could of have torn the child apart in my own fury and enjoyed it… My face was burning with it” (The Use of Force 1300). Sensory language allows Williams’ to illustrate the doctor’s strong sense of hatred and aggravation towards the young girl who he is attempting to help. Sensory language is used by Williams’ to describe the doctor’s exasperation in a far more impactful manner than if regular descriptive wording was employed. Williams’ describes how he attempts to pry open the patients jaw, “She fought, with clenched teeth, desperately! But now I had also grown furious-at a child! ”(The Use of Force 1299). Williams’ description of Mathilda, and the doctor’s discontent towards her are clearly evident because of sensory language. The implementation of the craft element, allows the doctor to seem much more frustrated than one would originally perceive. The emotional response of the doctor expresses the impact of effective sensory imagery.
Cisneros’ “Eleven” is able to convey the emotions of hatred and sadness by utilizing imagery and sensory language. A young girl Rachel is forced to claim an embarrassing, old, red sweater, and ponders “how long till I can take the red sweater and throw it over the schoolyard fence, or leave it hanging on a parking meter, or bunch it up into a little ball and toss it into the alley” (Eleven 256). By utilizing imagery Cisneros is able to clearly describe the protagonist’s distaste for the red sweater she is forced to take possession of. Cisneros’ imagery is how the emotion of hatred can be clearly shown because it allows for the character to seem more vulnerable and upset through the use of highly descriptive wording. The images are clear and concise allowing for the protagonist’s hatred to be evident throughout the short story. Rachel moves her possessions away from the dreaded sweater, describing how “I move my pencil and books and eraser as far from it as possible. I even move my chair a little to the right. Not mine, not mine, not mine.” (Eleven 265). Rachel’s resentment towards the piece of clothing can only be expressed because of the imagery provided in the piece. Cisneros creates an image that is believable and highly visual by describing every minute action the