Hymn to Aphrodite

How does Sappho use imagery in Hymn to Aphrodite?

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Imagery refers to the images in a poem. The relationships between the images can suggest important meanings. With imagery, the poem uses language and specific words to create meaning. In Sappho's "Hymn to Aphrodite," the goddess is described as a "guile-weaver", suggesting the goddess's cleverness with ruse and trickery. The speaker later recounts a past experience when the goddess was able to force a lover's return even though she returned "against her will." Other images describe Aphrodite, living in her father's "golden house," where she sits on a "patterned throne." Aphrodite's chariot is pulled by "beautiful swift sparrows." The effect of Sappho's word images is a picture of Aphrodite as powerful and strong, a goddess who is more than capable of helping the speaker.

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Hymn to Aphrodite