Louis Erdrich in her dramatic monologue Captivity and Edgar Lee Masters in his monologue Eugenia Todd both utilize imagery to accurately retell a story of the past or an inspiring revelation that has deeply affected the speaker in order to invest on an emotional level with the reader.

Through imagery both Erdrich and Masters make their poetry enriching and compelling to the reader through pictures so the reader feels in sync with the speakers personal remembrance. In Captivity the young woman describes her traumatic past with images like “Shadows gaped and roared and the trees flung down their sharpened lashes,” to express the utter despair and dangerous confusion of the night fires. Through this vivid imagery the reader relates to the fear and terror of the speaker, as she is a trapped prisoner.

Also, Masters employs imagery to signify his revelation on an intimate level with the audience. The energetic speaker says, “There was shadowy consciousness or the phantom of thought of the tooth.” The speaker addresses the audience and dives into great detail to describe the pains of a tooth or “malignant growth” to heighten the pain of the toothache or growth. By emphasizing the pain of the toothache he eventually near the end of the poem emphasizes the “perfect freedom” we will possess when we die. Imagery allows the reader to step into the speakers mind and see what the speaker is reliving.