Imagery Is the Essential Component in Poetry

Discuss the appropriateness of this claim with reference to two poets studied.
Imagery in poetry gives it depth, interest and feeling, in short it makes it come alive. There are various ways of doing this with imagery; with straightforward descriptive writing or using metaphors(of which there are a few different kinds), similes and symbolism. In order to show the absolute appropriateness of the claim that imagery is an essential component in poetry, I will be using examples from the work of Philip Larkin and Thom Gunn. The specific poems I will be referring to are Larkins 'Toads Revisited' and 'The Whitsun Weddings' and Gunn's 'Nasturtium' and 'Cafeteria in Boston', but I will also be bringing in lines from other poems by these poets. These poets have very different ways of incorporating imagery in their work. Philip Larkin is more unobtrusive in his use, although a close reading of his work shows how frequently he exploits this component; Thom Gunn is more obvious and uses it with great dexterity.
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