Horrific Images in “The Messenger” Regardless of the type of media in which they are presented, most great works of horror make use of some imagery to arouse present fear in people. This is perhaps easier to accomplish in the world of cinematography, as horror films and television present an actual image alongside the sound. When combined effectively, these two elements almost immerse an individual in a horrific experience. Writers, however, face a greater challenge, as they must rely on the reader's imagination to evoke a sense of dread. Sometimes horror authors choose to write with images that are incredibly specific and describe scary situations for readers to imagine. This could be through descriptions of disturbing events or it could involve building a disturbing atmosphere. However, while such examples contain perhaps the most terrifying concepts imaginable, they rely on the idea that the reader will actually treat the event being explained as scary. Other macabre images are expressed in such a way that much remains unknown. This type does not openly tell readers what they should imagine or feel in their minds; rather it pushes them to think about a situation based on what they consider fear-provoking. It is still considered imaginative because the diction stimulates the senses; it simply relies on human thoughts to fill in the details. This constitutes a very effective type of terror because at its root it shows that human beings always find ways to fear the unknown or what they don't understand. In an attempt to create an authentic piece of horror, and thus unsettle or perhaps even frighten the readers of his poetry, Howard Phillips Lovecraft wrote “The Messenger”… in the middle of the paper… feeling anxious, because readers would find themselves still wondering what would happen even after I finished reading the poem. Lovecraft ultimately found a way to write images that terrified readers through their fear of the unknown, and that truly solidified “The Messenger” as a decidedly macabre poem. Through the use of imagery Lovecraft has produced a poem that creates a rather impressive feeling of fright when read. Of course, as with any literary work, the intensity with which one responds to “The Messenger” will differ from individual to individual. Not everyone will find the piece terribly horrendous, and it's safe to assume that some won't find it disturbing by any stretch of the imagination. Regardless, no one can deny that HP Lovecraft forged “The Messenger” into a memorable poem, which ranks among some of his greatest works...