Walking Up Alone (Visual Imagery)
In the opening scene of the film, the students' parents drop off their children for detention. The only one who doesn't have a parent present to give them a ride is Bender, who walks across the lawn alone. In this example of visual imagery, Hughes shows that Bender's parents are not involved enough in his life to make sure he makes it to his mandatory detention, hinting at the parental neglect Bender deals with at home.
Broken Ceiling Ruckus (Auditory Imagery)
Soon after Vernon locks Bender in a storage closet, Bender escapes by climbing through an air duct. Bender falls through a section of the ceiling when he is over the library, making a loud crashing sound that Vernon refers to as "that ruckus" when he demands to know what happened. In this example of auditory imagery, the sudden sound of the breaking ceiling interrupts the calm of the library, immersing the viewer in the shock the characters feel.
Broken Glass (Visual Imagery)
Although he is initially reluctant to join Brian and Claire when they go off to smoke pot with Bender, Andrew gets higher than the others, filling a small reading room with smoke by himself. After getting stoned, Andrew stomps and dances around the library. He returns to his private smoking room and flexes his muscles while shouting: the forceful expression shatters the glass door panel. In this example of visual imagery, Hughes presents an implausible image that emphasizes the power of Andrew finally releasing his pent-up anger.
Dandruff Snowstorm (Visual Imagery)
In a montage that depicts how each of the students deals with their boredom, Hughes shows Allison making a detailed sketch of a quaint country cottage. Allison then roughs up her scalp with her fingertips to make flakes of white dandruff fall on the sketch, grossly but creatively pretending that snow is falling on the cottage. In this example of visual imagery, Hughes portrays Allison's unique mix of creativity and off-putting peculiarity.
