Imagery and Decision Making: A Somali Girl's Journey

A New Opportunity is a narrative about a young girl’s decision to switch schools. The narrative explains the internal conflict that the main character is feeling in choosing which school she would like to attend. The audience is introduced to her culture as a Somali Muslim and the fear of the judgement that comes along with it. To help paint the picture of the characters lifestyle, the author frequently used imagery. The use of imagery in A New Opportunity written by Hodan Deria contributed to the mood, setting, and characterization in the story by introducing specific elements that gave insights otherwise would not have been there. It’s no secret that imagery can very well change the mood in a story. In A New Opportunity, the author used

Some of the imagery in the story is described in a way that tells us about the author. An example would be, “ I sat on my sturdy bed, staring up at the blank, white ceiling.... My room was empty except for a worn out chair and a tall black dresser where my clothes were spilling out of.” This information tells us that the main character isn’t a very decorative person. The description of the messy clothes tells us that the character isn’t completely neat and tidy. Imagery also illustrated the culture of the main character. “ I inhaled the smell of fresh cinnamon, slightly overpowered by the aroma of cooked cabbage and well-seasoned hilib coming from the maraq that was cooking on the stove. In an attempt to distract myself, I looked around the room and with little success, tried to read some of the excerpts of the Quran she had hung on the walls.” The description of the food and decor of her grandmother’s house tells us who she is. The excerpts of Quran on the walls proves her family is fairly religious. The smells and descriptions of the food tells us what her culture is like. This use of imagery is more settle than the other methods used, but still has a significant