The poem uses imagery extensively. Explain.
The poem uses imagery extensively by appealing to multiple human senses, making the mother's memory vivid and tangible. The poet employs olfactory imagery through the smell of shiuli flowers and the fragrant breeze, which evoke deep emotional connections to his mother.
He also uses auditory imagery when he recalls "the tune of some song that she used to hum while rocking my cradle" and the tune that hovers over his playthings.
Furthermore, visual imagery is present as he feels his mother's gaze on him from the sky, likening it to a colourful sky. By combining these sensory details, the poet creates a rich, multi-sensory experience that brings his mother's presence alive in his mind.
Explanation
The context highlights that the poem relies on the senses of olfactory, auditory, and visual to create imagery. Examples from the text include the smell of shiuli flowers (olfactory), the humming tune (auditory), and the mother's gaze on the sky (visual). The student answer synthesizes these points to explain how the imagery works extensively throughout the poem.