The Prairie
The prairie is very different than the sea, which Sarah quickly finds out. But she does find similarities such as when she says, "...the land rolls a little like the sea," giving us the visual image of the prairie grasses swaying in the sun. The land is also described as, "...green grass fields that bloomed with Indian paintbrush, red and orange, and blue-eyed grass." This is a colorful and descriptive image for us to imagine. The prairie also, "reached out and touched the places where the sky came down." This gives the impression that it is a very wide, expansive, open area for Sarah, Jacob, Anna, and Caleb to roam. It's imagery because we can imagine the prairie grasses reaching for the sky, and the sky dripping down to meet it in a very visual way. The land is also noted for its many beautiful flowers and plants such as when it says, " The dandelions in the fields had gone by, their heads soft as feathers. The summer roses were opening." Here, the dandelions are really soft and velvety and the roses are blooming. All this is imagery because it describes the prairie and the land in a colorful, descriptive, and visual way.
The Sea
The sea has "rock cliffs that rise up at the edge of the sea. And there are hills covered with pine and spruce trees, green with needles." Sarah also describes the sand dune she and her brother found as "...soft and sparkling with bits of mica, and when we were little we would slide down the dune into the water." The seals, "... are cool and slippery and they slide through the water like fish. They can cry and sing. And sometimes they bark, a little like dogs." When Sarah's brother "...is in the middle of a fogbound sea the water is a color for which there is no name." But otherwise it is "blue and green and gray, depending on the weather." With all this imagery we get a feel for how the sea is like and how it contrasts the prairie in many ways.
The farm
The farm is out on the open prairie. On the farm there is, "a fenced field, and...cows and sheep." There is also a "...windmill and the barn and the windbreak of Russian olive..." A windbreak is a barrier, such as trees, that give protection from the wind. And here, not only is there a windbreak, but there's also a windbreak of "Russian olive" giving a more accurate, descriptive description. The farm also has the house with a "porch" and "porch steps". This imagery describes to us the farm in a detailed way.
The squall
During the squall, "The grasses flattened. There was a hiss of wind, a sudden pungent smell. Our faces looked yellow in the strange light." The choice of words is very powerful. When we see "pungent" we get the sense that the smell is a very powerful and sharp one, signaling the on coming of the squall. The "hiss of wind" is also powerful because we "hear" a sharp, cutting sound in the air. The "wind was wild" and "...at dawn there was the sudden sound of hail, like stones tossed against the barn." This is all a visual way for us to imagine the squall.
Sarah
Sarah is "plain and tall".This already gives us a base on which to imagine her. She, "reached up and took off her yellow bonnet, smoothing back her brown hair into a bun." She also says that she, "prefer[s] to build bookshelves and paint." And she says, "I am not mild mannered". With this imagery, her character description and physical appearance, we see that she is free spirit and is a woman of her own mind. She wants things done her way, even if it may not be traditional. Though she may be stubborn, she is a kind person at heart, "smiling at my [Anna's] father, and "...put[ting] her arms around him, and he wailed into her dress." The "yellow bonnet" becomes something that we connect to Sarah. With the "plain and tall" imagery and the "yellow bonnet" we get a description of Sarah and an idea of her character.
