Essay Questions

How does Italo Calvino depict the imagery of smell to the reader in Invisible Cities?

Italo Calvino uses the simile "rotting like a corpse in a swamp, whose contagion infects the crows that peck it as well as the bamboo that grows, fertilized by its senses of humor" to depict the sense of smell to the reader. In this simile, the reader notices that Khan is painting a nauseating picture of the entire empire under him. Therefore, the awful smell of the environment is evident and there is no way this smell is going to fade away because the corpse is irrevocable. In other words, the bad state of affairs in Khan's empire are expected to get even worse.

Which metaphor emerges from Marco Polo’s feelings and compunctions about the wasted opportunities in Venice?

The metaphor, 'payload of compunctions' emerges from Marco Polo's feelings of unexploited opportunities. Marco Polo's primary role has been traveling and exploring the Tartar empire and report the findings to the emperor Khan. However, he is now revealing to the emperor that his memory of Venice makes him feel regrettable. Khan tells him, "You return from your voyages with a cargo of regrets!" The payload of compunctions, therefore, is a metaphor that reveals that Marco Polo is regretting missing many opportunities that could have made him a better person.

What does Marco Polo mean when he says, "It is not the voice that commands the story; it is the ear”?

According to Marco Polo, every human being builds his tale grounded on the efforts of the narrator. Therefore, the reader is able to conclude that Marco Polo and Khan cannot think from a similar viewpoint and it is hard for them to comprehend each other because their pasts, behaviors, and experiences are not the same.