The sentence that best explains Dante's intended use of imagery is C. The "desperate screams" create a feeling of despair at the start of the journey. Usually an image is a detail that appeals to the senses of the audience. Images are not only visual; they can also be related to taste, sound, hearing or touch, and they transmit emotions or feelings to the reader. In this case, the phrase "desperate screams" appeals to the sense of hearing, and the audience can relate the desperation of this sound to the feeling of despair.
