Literary Terms - Personification

 

Literary Terms

Personification 

When we talk about non-human things as if they were human, we personify them.  Personification is a kind of metaphor in which you describe an inanimate object, abstract thing, or non-human animal in human terms. It is used to create more interesting and engaging scenes or characters. Personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a person. Personification is very common in both literature and everyday speech.

-    The tired old car coughed and wheezed and crawled down the street.

-    That piece of chocolate cake is calling my name.

Chocolate cake doesn’t have the ability to call after someone, but this sentence uses personification to express the feeling of desire and hunger.

Personification is a figure of speech in which an idea or thing is given human attributes and/or feelings or is spoken of as if it were human. Personification is a common form of metaphor in that human characteristics are attributed to nonhuman things. This allows writers to create life and motion within inanimate objects, animals, and even abstract ideas by assigning them recognizable human behaviors and emotions.

Personification provides personality, energy, will, and emotion to an otherwise lifeless scene. For example, “The sun rose” is a literal description. A more interesting description could be,

-    “The sun stretched its golden arms, climbed above the mountains, and smiled down on us.”

Giving the sun “golden arms” creates a vivid image of the sun’s rays and “climbed” makes the sun more like a person getting out of bed. “Smiled” gives you a positive feeling about the day. If the author wanted to convey a negative feeling, he or she could have said,

-    “the sun glared down at us angrily.”

Personification usually expresses characters’ feelings, and gives more life to a scene. It energizes prose and poetry alike. Personification is a literary device found often in children’s literature. This is an effective use of figurative language because personification relies on imagination for understanding. Of course, readers know at a logical level that nonhuman things cannot feel, behave, or think like humans. However, personifying nonhuman things can be an interesting, creative, and effective way for a writer to illustrate a concept or make a point.

Examples:

-    My alarm yelled at me this morning.

-    I like onions, but they don’t like me.

-    The sign on the door insulted my intelligence.

-    My phone is not cooperating with me today.

-    That bus is driving too fast.

-    My computer works very hard.

-    I wanted to get money, but the ATM died.

-    This article says that spinach is good for you.

-    Unfortunately, when she stepped on the Lego, her foot cried.

-    The sunflowers hung their heads.

-    That door jumped in my way.

-    The school bell called us from outside.

-    In addition, the storm trampled the town.

-    I can’t get my calendar to work for me.

-    This advertisement speaks to me.

-    Fear gripped the patient waiting for a diagnosis.

-    The cupboard groans when you open it.

-    Can you see that star winking at you?

Here are some well-known and recognizable titles and quotes featuring this figure of speech:

·      “The Brave Little Toaster” (novel by Thomas M. Disch)

·      “This Tornado Loves You” (song by Neko Case)

·      “Happy Feet” (animated musical film)

·      “Time Waits for No One” (song by The Rolling Stones)

·      “The Little Engine that Could” (children’s book by Watty Piper)

Quotes

·      “The sea was angry that day, my friends – like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.”

·      “Life moves pretty fast.” (movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”)

·      “The dish ran away with the spoon.” (“Hey, diddle, diddle” by Mother Goose)

·      “The Heart wants what it wants – or else it does not care” (Emily Dickinson)

·      “Once there was a tree, and she loved a little boy.” (“The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein)

Overall, as a literary device, personification functions as a means of creating imagery and connections between the animate and inanimate for readers. Therefore, personification allows writers to convey meaning in a creative and poetic way. Many poets rely on personification to create vivid imagery and memorable symbolism. Personification can be an excellent tool in creating humor for a reader. This is especially true among young readers who tend to appreciate the comedic contrast between a nonhuman thing being portrayed as possessing human characteristics. Personification allows for creating humor related to incongruity and even absurdity. Personification allows readers to enhance their imagination by “believing” that something inanimate or nonhuman can behave, think, or feel as a human.