Creating a Mental Pictureof a Person, Place or Thing

shows readers the physical physical characteristicscharacteristics of a person, place or thing

uses concrete, specific detailsconcrete, specific details relies on the five sensesfive senses: sight,

sound, smell, taste and touch creates imageryimagery: verbal pictures of

physical entities.

When we use the rhetorical style of description, our purpose is to create aDOMINANT IMPRESSION in the reader’s mind.

Dominant impression: an overriding image or main idea about a person, place or thing.

Our dominant impression may be used either to give information to the reader or convince the reader of something.

After reading a description, the reader may think:I didn’t know the Grand Canyon was so beautiful. (inform)Her uncle Mike is a giant. (inform)

OR I should buy a red Mercedes-Benz S-class. (persuade)

Objective description: Also called literal description, objective description attempts to recreate the person, place or thing so that the reader can picture it precisely in his/her mind.

Objective description uses precise, concrete language to create a “rhetorical photograph” that allows the reader to “see” the subject as if the reader were viewing it.

To describe something objectively, a writer uses what is called denotative language.

Denotative language provides the direct meaning of things without any opinion, judgment, or personal interpretation.

The purpose of objective description is to inform.

The man was 6’, 5” tall, about 230 pounds, with sandy blond hair that came to his shoulders. He was wearing a green denim jacket over a blue-and-white plaid shirt, a pair of jeans with a hole in the left knee, and tan leather work boots with brown leather laces.

Notice that this description just gives us the facts about the man’s appearance. Our dominant impression is informative: he is a large man who is dressed in common work clothes.

The second type of description is called subjective description.

Also called figurative description, subjective description attempts to describe a person, place, or thing as the writer perceives it.

Subjective description uses suggestive, poetic language to make the reader view the object with the same emotion or judgment as the writer does.

To describe something subjectively, the writer uses what is called connotative language.

Connotative language conveys an attitude, emotion, or judgment.

The purpose of subjective description is to persuade.

Figures of speech are imaginative comparisons that create images in a reader’s mind. Because the purpose of subjective description is to persuade, it often uses these devices to pull readers in and get them emotionally involved in the image.

Metaphor: an imaginative comparison of dissimilar things. Ex.: He was a snake in the grass. She was a sorceress, bewitching me.

Simile: a metaphor that uses “like” or “as.” Ex.: She was as big as a hippopotamus.

Personification: a comparison of an object or animal to a human being. Ex.: The car coughed and died. The wind whispered.

Allusion: a brief reference to an event or idea the reader will recognize. Ex.: He was a modern-day Abe Lincoln. I felt just as I did on 9-11.

Sound Allusion: the use of a word that evokes a sound. Ex.: I heard a loud crash! When the shuttle arrived, it made a sonic boom.

He was a mountain of a man, with stringy blond hair that skimmed the collar of his dusty, 1970s-era denim jacket. He wore a tacky plaid work shirt over his ripped-up jeans, and his battered work books showed he didn’t care much about his appearance.

Notice that this description gives the writer’s opinion about the man. Our dominant impression is persuasive: he is unkempt, dirty, and rather unappealing.

Whether objective or subjective, description relies on precise, specific language.

WRONG: The guy was gross. (What guy? What was gross about him?)

RIGHT: The man in the back of the bus reeked of body odor and onions.

Whether objective or subjective, description shows a picture to the reader. It does NOT tell the reader a story.

WRONG: Carol was happy. (What did that look like?)

RIGHT: Carol’s eyes lit up and her mouth curled into a beaming smile.

Objective description: * denotative language* photographic image* informative

Subjective description:* connotative language* writer’s personal opinion* persuasive

The man in the black raincoat slowly opened his umbrella and walked quickly down Jenkins Street.

The homely woman in the battered jacket shook her umbrella violently and then tossed it carelessly into the street.

tallhumongous seven-foot

yellow banana-colored skinny

87-pound gorgeous checkered

red, white and blue sloppy

Write an objective description of this photo, using only denotative language. Remember: your purpose is to make a reader who hasn’t seen the picture see it in his/her mind exactly as it appears.

Now write a subjective description of this photo, using connotative language. Remember: your purpose is to make a reader who hasn’t seen the picture feel the same way about it as you do.