Date of Publication :13th July 2017

Abstract: In this paper light is thrown on the art of imagery by Kamala Das in her poetry. In general Imagery is a creation of the picture in terms of words. It serves the purpose of making experience of life vivid and life-like. Poets, who are incapable in this art of creating imagery, fail in their profession. In literature, imagery can be defined as “covering those uses of language [. . .] that evoke sense-impressions by literal or figurative reference to perceptible or „concrete‟ objects, scenes, actions, or states as distinct from the language of abstract argument or exposition” (Baldick 164). In poetry, imagery is the representation of mental pictures appealing to senses rather than sight; and it is the depiction of qualities through words and pictures. For poets, imagery is the primary vehicle utilizing to transport their readers to a new experience. They can draw their readers into a sensory experience by the use of imagery. Imagery sharpens the impact of the words by poets as they show us with their words rather than just telling us what they feel. Imagery in poetry can be defined as a name given to the elements that spark off the senses. Imagery is the literary device employed in poetry which provide message or theme to a poem. Imagery is used for the strong sensory words for creating clear mental picture for the readers which enables them to feel what the poet thinks and feels in composition. Kamala Das has employed abundant images and symbols in her poetry.Imagery of Kamala Das is succinct, sensory, metaphorical, and evocative. Imagery in her poetry includes more than six senses, sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. Her artistic craftsmanship is revealed through her use of imagery and symbols.Kamala Das has borrowed images in her poetry from her daily life and mostly are symbolic. She has employed functional imagery rather than decorative.Ezra pound remarks: “An image is one which presents an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time” (qtd. in Singh 132).Kamala Das‟ ancestral home and her grandmother, plays an important role in the maximum images she has employed in poetry. In poem, “The Sea”, Kamala Das reminiscences her past through the imagery of sea. She remembers the fortunate time of her past and feels nostalgic in the present. The imagination or the usage of images has been outstanding in her poetry that fulfils the desire to understand the subject of sensuality. Every reader—critic or mere entertainer can comprehensively grasp her poetry through usage of poetic devices. Her attraction for it, she clarifies later, is „a childish whim, „a thing associated with her dreamy past: But, ….at the basement of the sea (The Descendants 34).

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