Clothing
While Snow is living in poverty at the beginning of the novel, he considers his clothes. Incapable of affording splendid new attire for his mentorship assignment, he relies on his cousin Tigris to repurpose a shirt that had once belonged to Coriolanus's father. The results are stunning: "The thick linen was neither the original white nor the yellow of age, but a delicious cream. The cuffs and collar had been replaced with black velvet, and the buttons were gold and ebony cubes" (Ballad, 9). Here, the visual imagery indicates that Coryo is not the only Snow relative who can operate resourcefully. Tigris's cleverness and good taste are both on display in this lush yet tactful garment, which embodies Capitol elegance without lapsing into sheer excess.
Snow's Apartment
Snow's apartment is described using imagery suggesting that it is in disrepair, and it is presented here as a representation of the destruction of the rebellion: "At present, their penthouse apartment was a microcosm of the Capitol itself, bearing the scars of the relentless rebel attacks" (Ballad, 5). The walls are described as being "veined with cracks," and there is apparently mold on the ceiling. Overall, the apartment is decaying in a reflection of the damaged political climate. The Snows, moreover, are incapable of undertaking repairs due to their depleted finances, so the signs of war simultaneously signify past traumas and present misfortunes.
Serpents
Snakes of various sorts appear throughout The Ballad, perhaps most dramatically in the multicolored skirt of reptiles that Lucy summons during her time in the arena: "With the tips of her fingers, she spread her ruffles out in the dust, as if by way of invitation. As the snakes swarmed her, the faded fabric vanished, leaving her with a brilliant skirt of weaving reptiles" (Ballad, 301). The snakes emphasize Lucy's ability to win over an audience through a grand spectacle, one that abounds in both tactile and visual imagery. However, there is also a fascination in her symbiosis with an animal that, for other tributes, is threatening and deadly.
Birds
Coriolanus's work rounding up the birds of District 12 introduces both auditory and visual imagery. When he first hears the jabberjays mimicking human speech in the wild, he is struck by their voices: "the cry built and then seemed to engulf him, bouncing off the trees and attacking him from behind" (Ballad, 351). However, the source of each overpowering voice is a "small, black bird." The idea that a seemingly unremarkable creature can have a remarkable impact is communicated through vivid description, with a dissonance between voice and stature that makes the jabberjays and, later, the more musical mockingjays especially eerie.
