Distinctively Visual Essay
Ideas and themes are central to texts as they are used to create messages and morals.
These themes and ideas can be .shaped by the use of imagery in texts and the use of
devices to accentuate these images. The Shoe-Horn Sonata by John Misto, Pan’s
Labyrinth by Guillermo Del Toro and Ode to a Nightingale use visual imagery to shape
the responder. Pan’s labyrinth and the Shoe-Horn Sonata shape the themes of the
brutality of war and sacrifice through the use of imagery. Ode to a Nightingale uses
imagery to convey ideas about life and death as well as nature.
The use of imagery in these texts is central to convey meaning. In the Shoe-Horn Sonata
John Misto uses conversations between the two protagonists Bridie and Sheila to evoke
images of World War Two. Misto also uses Slides of images from World War Two to
further shape the reader and create a sense of realism.
In Pan’s Labyrinth Del Toro uses lighting to great effect. In the film Del Toro has created
two worlds, one of fantasy and one of realism. Brighter lights are used for the fantasy
world while darker lighting is used for the real world, adding darker emotions. The use of
camera angles is also used to great effect.
In Ode to a Nightingale Keats uses emotive language to evoke imagery to shape the
reader. Overall the readers have used visual imagery to great effect, shaping the viewers
interpretation.
The idea of the brutality of war is explored in both the Shoe Horn Sonata and Pan’s
Labyrinth. Both Authors use imagery to shape the viewers understanding.
In the Shoe Horn Sonata Misto uses emotive language to evoke the image of the
massacre of Benka Island. “the men were bayoneted” conveys the savagery involved. As
the women are ordered to march into the sea, the use of sound to show machine gun fire
adds further impact to the brutal image. The further use of emotive language was added
when Bridie is asked...