Naylor’s use of imagery helps the reader relate to her personal experiences. Naylor closes the first paragraph by stating “Dialogue achieves its power in the dynamics of a fleeting moment of sight, sound, smell and touch”. Naylor implies that the power of a word is dependent upon the image it creates. From this implication Naylor insinuates her reasoning behind the purpose of this essay. Naylor then shifts to her reminiscing on the first time she heard the word nigger. “In my third-grade class, our math tests were being passed down the rows...He snatched his test from me and spit out that word” (3). The use of words, such as snatched and spit out, creates a picture of someone snatching a paper and angrily voicing his/her opinion. Naylor creates
