Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics Imagery

Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics Imagery

Imagery of sight

Biden remembers his family’s driving experience as they were relocating to their new home and neighborhood. The description helps the reader to visualize the new environment. Biden writes, “We drove across the state line on the Philadelphia Turnpike, past the Worth Steel Mill, the General Chemical Company, and the oil refineries, all spewing smoke. We drove past Worthland and Overlook Colony, tightly packed with the row houses that the mills had built for their workers not long after the turn of the century.

Imagery of smell

During summer, as Biden's car was moving forward, the author rolled down the window, and he could smell red clay. The author writes, “It was a hot summer day, so our car windows were rolled down. I can still remember the smell of that red clay, the sulfurous stink from the bowels of the earth.” The imagery describes the summer season's atmosphere because it is often hot, and the smell of red soil is prevalent.

Imagery of hearing

Biden remembers the first day they arrived at their new home. Biden's mother was overwhelmed with joy when she realized that the house was bigger and beautiful than she had expected. Biden remembers hearing her mother cry, a cry of happiness, of course. Bide writes, "From the back seat, I could tell my mom was crying.” When Biden asks his mother why she is crying, she responds that she is just happy.

Imagery of Sight

Biden's description of their new how depicts the sense of sight to readers. Biden writes, "It was a miniature version of a center hall colonial, and we had bedrooms upstairs. I had the bedroom in the back, which meant from my window I could gaze upon the object of my deepest desire, my OZ: Archmere."

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