The referential function of evocative images in J.P. Shongwe's poetry

ABSTRACT The focus of this paper is to look at how effective evocative images are used in the selected Siswati poetry. Images are central in all works of art because they represent something abstract or concrete and explicit or implicit to convey and illustrate the idea in an appropriate manner. Evocative images appeal to various senses that are selected to convey messages from the sender to the receiver. Various aspects of poems that are considered for analysis in this study are poetic diction, denotative and connotative images. Imagery is manifested in various forms for reflection of meanings, emotions and ideas. Referential function is a research technique of analysing literature whereby the literary analyst carefully reads a literary work of art and thereafter examines it according to his or her own opinions with more focus on the sender and recipient.