Bone Snaps (Auditory Imagery)
In the first chapter, Lewis describes the sickening snap of Joe Theismann's bones: “Jacoby then heard what sounded like a gunshot—the tibia and fibula in Joe Theismann’s right leg snapping beneath Taylor.” The visceral auditory imagery gives the reader a strong sense of how painful and dramatic this scene was.
Oppressive Heat (Haptic Imagery)
Lewis depicts Michael's struggles as a child to find a place to sleep. This is vividly rendered in the following sentence: “The winter was cold, but the summer was worse because the heat was so oppressive and the mosquitoes bit all night long.” Describing the heat as "oppressive" and adding the detail about the mosquitos gives a distinct sense of how brutal getting through these summers was for Michael.
Sunny Day (Visual Imagery)
When he goes out to play, Steve Wallace pays attention to the fact that the weather appears to be nice: “The day is sunny and bright but the turf, he notices, is slick and muddy.” The imagery of the day being "sunny and bright" sets up an effective contrast with the turf actually being sodden and difficult to play on. This visual gives a sense of how players might be tricked into thinking it will be easy to play that day.
Feeney's Sweat (Olfactory Imagery)
Lewis describes a scene in which linebacker Dwight Feeney hears about Michael Oher: “Dwight Feeney stood outside the Colts’ locker room, sweating in his pads, helmet in his hand, and listened patiently to a summary of the brief career of Michael Oher.” The olfactory detail about his "sweating in his pads" gives a strong indication that this conversation is occurring immediately after a game.
