Personification

Definition of personification.

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 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.

For example, in his picture book, “The Day the Crayons Quit,” Drew Daywalt uses personification to allow the crayons to express their frustration at how they are (or are not) being used. This literary device is effective in creating an imaginary world for children in which crayons can communicate like humans.

Common Examples of Personification

Here are some examples of personification that may be found in everyday expression:

  • 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.
  • However, the mail is running unusually slow this week.
  • 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?
  • Books reach out to kids.

Examples of Personification in Speech or Writing

Here are some examples of personification that may be found in everyday writing or conversation:

  • My heart danced when he walked in the room.
  • The hair on my arms stood after the performance.
  • Why is your plant pouting in the corner?
  • The wind is whispering outside.
  • Additionally, that picture says a lot.
  • Her eyes are not smiling at us.
  • Also, my brain is not working fast enough today.
  • Those windows are watching us.
  • Our coffee maker wishes us good morning.
  • The sun kissed my cheeks when I went outside.

Famous Personification Examples

Think you haven’t heard of any  famous personification examples? Here are some well-known and recognizable titles and quotes featuring this figure of speech:

  • “The Brave Little Toaster” ( novel by Thomas M. Disch and adapted animated film series)
  • “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)
  •    “The sea was angry that day, my friends – like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli.” (Seinfeld television series)
  •    “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)

Difference Between Personification and Anthropomorphism

Personification is often confused with the literary term anthropomorphism due to fundamental similarities. However, there is a difference between these two literary devices . Anthropomorphism is when human characteristics or qualities are applied to animals or deities, not inanimate objects or abstract ideas. As a literary device, anthropomorphism allows an animal or deity to behave as a human. This is reflected in Greek dramas in which gods would appear and involve themselves in human actions and relationships.

In addition to gods, writers use anthropomorphism to create animals that display human traits or likenesses such as wearing clothes or speaking. There are several examples of this literary device in popular culture and literature. For example, Mickey Mouse is a character that illustrates anthropomorphism in that he wears clothes and talks like a human, though he is technically an animal. Other such examples are Winnie the Pooh, Paddington Bear, and Thomas the Tank Engine.

Therefore, while anthropomorphism is limited to animals and deities, personification can be more widely applied as a literary device by including inanimate objects and abstract ideas. Personification allows writers to attribute human characteristics to nonhuman things without turning those things into human-like characters, as is done with anthropomorphism.

Writing Personification

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. These figures of speech enhance a reader’s understanding of concepts and comparisons , interpretations of symbols and themes , and enjoyment of language.

Here are instances in which it’s effective to use personification in writing:

Demonstrate Creativity

Personification demonstrates a high level of creativity. To be valuable as a figure of speech, the human attributes assigned to a nonhuman thing through personification must make sense in some way. In other words, human characteristics can’t just be assigned to any inanimate object as a literary device. There must be some connection between them that resonates with the reader, demanding creativity on the part of the writer to find that connection and develop successful personification.

Exercise Poetic Skill

Many poets rely on personification to create vivid imagery and memorable symbolism . For example, in Edgar Allan Poe ’s poem “ The Raven ,” the poet skillfully personifies the raven through allowing it to speak one word, “nevermore,” in response to the narrator ’s questions. This is a powerful use of personification, as the narrator ends up projecting more complex and intricate human characteristics onto the bird as the poem continues though the raven only speaks the same word.

Create Humor

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.

Enhance Imagination

Overall, personification is a literary device that allows readers to enhance their imagination by “believing” that something inanimate or nonhuman can behave, think, or feel as a human. In fact, people tend to personify things in their daily lives by assigning human behavior or feelings to pets and even objects. For example, a child may assign emotions to a favorite stuffed animal to match their own feelings. In addition, a cat owner may pretend their pet is speaking to them and answer back. This allows writers and readers to see a reflection of humanity through imagination. Readers may also develop a deeper understanding of human behavior and emotion.

Examples of Personification in Literature

Example #1: the house on mango street (sandra cisneros).

But the house on Mango Street is not the way they told it at all. It’s small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath.

In the first chapter of Cisneros’s book, the narrator Esperanza is describing the house into which she and her family are moving. Her parents have promised her that they would find a spacious and welcoming home for their family, similar to what Esperanza has seen on television. However, their economic insecurity has prevented them from getting a home that represents the American dream.

Cisneros uses personification to emphasize the restrictive circumstances of Esperanza’s family. To Esperanza, the windows of the house appear to be “holding their breath” due to their small size, creating an image of suffocation. This personification not only enhances the description of the house on Mango Street for the reader, but it also reflects Esperanza’s feelings about the house, her family, and her life. Like the windows, Esperanza is holding her breath as well, with the hope of a better future and the fear of her dreams not becoming reality.

Example #2:  Ex-Basketball Player (John Updike)

Off work, he hangs around Mae’s Luncheonette. Grease-gray and kind of coiled, he plays pinball, Smokes those thin cigars, nurses lemon phosphates. Flick seldom says a word to Mae, just nods Beyond her face toward bright applauding tiers Of Necco Wafers, Nibs, and Juju Beads.

In his poem about a former basketball player named Flick, Updike recreates an arena crowd watching Flick play pinball by personifying the candy boxes in the luncheonette. The snack containers “applaud” Flick as he spends his free time playing a game that is isolating and requires no athletic skill. However, the personification in Updike’s poem is a reflection of how Flick’s life has changed since he played and set records for his basketball team in high school.

Flick’s fans have been replaced by packages of sugary snacks with little substance rather than real people appreciating his skills and cheering him on. Like the value of his audience , Flick’s own value as a person has diminished into obscurity and the mundane now that he is an ex-basketball player.

Example #3:  How Cruel Is the Story of Eve (Stevie Smith)

It is only a legend , You say? But what Is the meaning of the legend If not To give blame to women most And most punishment? This is the meaning of a legend that colours All human thought; it is not found among animals. How cruel is the story of Eve, What responsibility it has In history For misery.

In her poem, Smith personifies the story of Eve as it is relayed in the first book of the Bible,  Genesis . Smith attributes several human characteristics to this story, such as cruelty and responsibility. Therefore, this enhances the deeper meaning of the poem which is that Eve is not to blame for her actions, essentially leading to the “fall” of man and expulsion from Paradise In addition, she is not to blame for the subjugation and inequality that women have faced throughout history and tracing back to Eve.

Eve’s “story” or “legend” in the poem is accused by the poet of coloring “all human thought.” In other words, Smith is holding the story responsible for the legacy of punishment towards women throughout history by its portrayal of Eve, the first woman, as a temptress and sinner. The use of this literary device is effective in separating Eve’s character as a woman from the manner in which her story is told.

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Literary Devices

Literary devices, terms, and elements, personification, definition of personification.

As a literary device, personification is the projection of characteristics that normally belong only to humans onto inanimate objects, animals, deities, or forces of nature. These characteristics can include verbs of actions that only humans do or adjectives that describe a human condition. The characteristics can also be emotions, feelings, or motives given to objects incapable of thought. For example, if someone said, “the trees whispered their discontent,” this would personify the trees both as able to whisper and of feeling unhappy. Personification is also sometimes referred to as anthropomorphism when it is used to give human feelings and actions to animals.

Personification can also mean the embodiment of an abstract idea or quality. This definition of personification can extend even to humans. For example, a person can be said to personify the patriotism of his country or the ambition of her company. We could say, “She is the personification of the grit and determination needed to make this start-up work.”

Examples of Personification from Common Speech

We use many examples of personification in every day speech. Some characteristics have become quite common to attribute to certain things, such as the following:

  • Justice is blind
  • Her heart skipped a beat
  • The sun smiled down on them
  • The stars winked
  • The party died down
  • The city never sleeps
  • The wind howled
  • The iron gates looked down at them cruelly
  • The house sighed
  • The car sputtered and coughed before starting

Significance of Personification in Literature

Personification and anthropomorphism has been a part of storytelling for thousands of years, evident in Aesop’s Fables and fairy tales from many different cultures. Gods in myths and legends are often given human qualities even though they are distinctly not human. This makes them examples of personification.

Personification has remained popular throughout the centuries, given that it can add aesthetic qualities to a work and provide a way for authors to describe inanimate objects. It also inserts more meaning into the inexplicable things like forces of nature. Often the use of personification also helps to show a character’s own attitudes toward a certain thing if they project or ascribe their own feelings onto an inanimate object.

Anthropomorphism is also still very popular, especially in stories for children and the fable genre . It is also sometimes used in satirical works, such as George Orwell’s Animal Farm , and graphic novels, such as Art Spiegelman’s Maus .

Examples of Personification from Literature

TITANIA: No night is now with hymn or carol blessed. Therefore the moon, the governess of floods, Pale in her anger, washes all the air, That rheumatic diseases do abound.

( A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare)

In this example of personification, Shakespeare uses the concept of the moon as a character. The moon is feminized (as often it is in literature, if given a gender) and said to be a governess of floods. The color of the moon lends to the depiction of “her anger” and she is said to cause more disease to spread due to her displeasure. Shakespeare thus gives the moon new descriptive qualities, emotions, and motivation.

Her heart was divided between concern for her sister, and resentment against all the others.

( Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)

In this excerpt from Pride and Prejudice , Jane Austen writes about a heart that feels concern and resentment. The heart in question is of the character Elizabeth. It’s clear that Elizabeth is the one divided between concern for her sister Jane and resentment for the others, yet Austen personifies Elizabeth’s heart to have these feelings to add some poetic sensibility to the sentence.

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun, And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.

(“Mending Wall” by Robert Frost)

Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall” contains the famous line “Good fences make good neighbors.” This excerpt is from the beginning of the poem, and sets up a contrast between the neighbors who keep fixing the wall between them and the “something” that doesn’t love this wall. Though Frost never specifies what it is that “doesn’t love a wall,” we can take it to mean that nature revolts against artificial separations and borders. Winter cold causes the wall to break in different places, and Frost gives winter the motivation for doing this.

The Western States nervous under the beginning change. Texas and Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas, New Mexico, Arizona, California. A single family moved from the land. Pa borrowed money from the bank, and now the bank wants the land. The land company–that’s the bank when it has land –wants tractors, not families on the land. Is a tractor bad? Is the power that turns the long furrows wrong? If this tractor were ours it would be good–not mine, but ours. If our tractor turned the long furrows of our land, it would be good. Not my land, but ours. We could love that tractor then as we have loved this land when it was ours. But the tractor does two things–it turns the land and turns us off the land. There is little difference between this tractor and a tank. The people are driven, intimidated, hurt by both. We must think about this.

( The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck)

John Steinbeck’s classic The Grapes of Wrath is set during the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s. This personification example begins with the “Western States” being nervous. Of course the states themselves did not feel anxiety, but the people in those states started to feel nervous about the diminishing returns from the land. Bankers started repossessing land, and thus Steinbeck personifies the banks to want the land.

When death comes like the hungry bear in autumn; when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse to buy me, and snaps the purse shut… I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering: what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?

(“When Death Comes” by Mary Oliver)

Mary Oliver’s poem “When Death Comes” uses several different ways to describe death. She begins here with the image of death as a hungry bear. Then Oliver gives death the human characteristics of having money and wanting to make a purchase, thereby personifying it. Thus death is full of desire in this poem. Oliver uses this concept to contrast her own desire to live her life as fully as possible before death comes for her.

But, on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose-bush, covered, in this month of June, with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him.

( The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne)

In this excerpt from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter , there is a juxtaposition between the wild rose-bush and its location, namely the prison. The rose-bush is “delicate” and has “fragile beauty,” whereas the “condemned criminal” is going “forth to his doom.” Hawthorne uses personification to say that the rose-bush offers its fragrance, and thus a measure of its innocence, to the prisoner. He goes on to personify Nature as full of both kindness and pity.

Test Your Knowledge of Personification

1. Choose the correct personification definition:

A. The act of literally making something human. B. A person who strives to be the best he or she can be. C. A literary device which gives human qualities to nonhuman things.

2. Which of these lines from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 contains personification?

A. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? B. Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade… C. So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see…

3. Which of the parts of this excerpt from Mary Oliver’s “Wild Geese” make it an example of personification?

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination

A. Whoever you are B. No matter how lonely C. The world offers itself D. To your imagination

personification

What is personification definition, usage, and literary examples, personification definition.

Personification  (per-SAHN-nuh-fuh-KAY-shun) is a technique of  figurative language  that endows non-human subjects with human characteristics. This  figure of speech  is a form of  metaphor , in that it ascribes the qualities of one thing to another.

Personified animals, ideas, and inanimate objects may exhibit human emotions or perform human actions. “The fire burned with fury” is one example of personification. A fire can’t feel or express emotion, but a writer may use this description to vividly convey the flames’ intensity.

While Merriam-Webster lists the “attribution of personal qualities” as the primary definition of  personification , the word has an alternative definition: “embodiment,” meaning the tangible representation of an idea or feeling.

How to Use Personification

Personification is most effective when used with purpose. Writers must first consider what image or feeling they’re trying to create, then craft a sentence accordingly.

Imagine this scene: It’s a pleasant day, and Jack can’t wait to get outside and enjoy it. That description is functional, but it’s not vibrant. Personification can paint a more compelling picture that shows exactly why Jack is so enticed to head outside:

Jack spilled out the front door and onto the lawn. It was warmer and brighter under the smiling sun, where the light breeze ran soft fingers through his hair, than in the stifling house. The birds congregated on the power line conversed among themselves, while the neighbor’s excitable terrier barked a greeting through the fence, his wagging tail begging for attention.

This paragraph paints a lively picture, depicting natural elements as affectionate friends, making it easy to see why Jack’s so eager to be outside. It also implies that Jack feels a certain kinship with the outdoors; the reader can sense how he appreciates the natural life around him.

Common Examples of Personification

Below are some common examples of personification you may have encountered before.

  • Stars winked in the midnight sky.
  • Wind rattled the windows as the storm raged
  • The engine gave one final protest before the car shuddered to a stop.
  • Sunbeams peaked through cracks in the clouds.
  • Time marches
  • The ocean was calling his name.
  • The wood canoe was a beauty, with her gentle curves and natural finish.
  • The parched soil eagerly swallowed the rain.
  • His mind screeched to a halt.
  • The biting cold stole his breath away.

All these descriptions are figurative, not literal. The wood canoe, by its very nature, is genderless, but the use of a feminine pronoun reveals how the narrator cherishes it. Likewise, oceans don’t speak, but this personification conveys the narrator’s yearning to visit the sea.

Personification isn’t purely restricted to human attributes, though. Consider these examples:

  • Copies of her latest novel flew off the shelves.
  • The smile melted off his face.

People and objects can’t fly, nor can they melt or spark. In these examples, personification is pulling attributes from other objects, as these lines evoke images of birds in flight and melting ice cream.

Personification in Idioms

Personification is also common in everyday speech, particularly in  idioms .

  • New York is “the city that never sleeps.” Cities aren’t living, breathing things, thus they don’t’ need to sleep. But this idiom is conveying how there are always people about, no matter the time of day or night, in this lively city.
  • “Time flies when you’re having fun” doesn’t mean time is actually flying. Instead, it’s pointing out that that people tend to forget the clock when engaged with something fun and thus can’t mark the passage of time accurately.
  • “Actions speak louder than words” means that a person’s behavior can be more revealing than their words, not that their actions or words literally speak.

Personification and Anthropomorphism

 Anthropomorphism is a figurative technique included under the umbrella of personification. Both endow something that is not human with human characteristics. Where personification is more a matter of  imagery  and  metaphor , however, anthropomorphism is a matter of character. It blends humanity with something that’s not human at all.

An anthropomorphized object or animal will behave as human and sometimes exhibit humans’ physical characteristics. Anthropomorphized characters often have the ability to speak, walk on two legs, experience nuanced emotion, and form complex social relationships.

There are several Disney movies that exemplify anthropomorphism. The talking housewares in  Beauty and the Beast  are one notable example; the humanoid emotions in  Inside Out  are another.

Zootopia  utilizes the most classic definition of anthropomorphism. The movie features animal characters who talk, wear clothes, drive cars, work conventional jobs, and form interpersonal relationships that transcend the boundaries of the natural world. (You wouldn’t find a rabbit teaming up with a fox in the wild, after all!)

Anthropomorphism vs. Zoomorphism

Zoomorphism is the opposite of anthropomorphism. Where the latter gives human qualities to a non-human entity, zoomorphism attributes animal qualities to humans. It can also refer to the ascription of one species’s qualities to another.

Think of Dino the pet dinosaur from  The Flintstones ; he barks and wags his tail like a dog. Spider-Man is another example of zoomorphism, as his superpowers draw from spiders’ abilities, like crawling along walls or ceilings and harboring the proportionate strength of a spider.

Personification and Pathetic Fallacy

The idea of pathetic fallacy, or “emotional falseness,” was first introduced by British critic John Ruskin. He coined the phrase to describe  Romantic  poets’ tendency to assign human behaviors or emotions to inanimate natural subjects, criticizing “false” perceptions influenced by heightened emotion. Grief, for example, may cause one to view cloudy gray skies as mournful, indifferent, or perhaps just darker than they are in reality. According to Ruskin, this sentimentally skews a person’s view of the world.

The modern understanding of pathetic fallacy has deviated from Ruskin’s original definition. Particularly in scientific fields, it has become a pejorative phrase that discourages applying human characteristics to natural phenomena because such attributions are not scientific. The ocean is commonly described as cruel, for example, but oceans don’t actually have the capacity for cruelty. So, a critic of such pathetic fallacies would argue it’s inaccurate to suggest otherwise.

Why Writers Use Personification

Personification is a handy technique because it can make an abstract idea more concrete. Describing non-human or inanimate objects through the human  perspective  helps readers understand them, by linking the  narrative  to the reader’s lived experience. These connections can encourage readers to see the world or an idea in new ways. They also help the text forge a deeper relationship with the audience.

The idea of Mother Nature is a prime example. Nature is vast, full of complex interactions and processes, but the Mother Nature image allows people to view its component parts as a sort of family dynamic, which makes it easier to understand.

Beyond that, personification is highly illustrative and evocative. It can help readers imagine a  setting  or scene more vividly. It also packs an incredibly descriptive punch. “The storm raged outside” is much more concise, dramatic, and memorable than “The storm was strong and loud,” for example.

Personification in Media

Personification is just as useful in other forms of media, including music, marketing, and art.

Personification in Music

There are many songs that use personification to create more vivid images or evoke emotion in the listener. Take these lines from “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by the Beatles:

I look at you all, see the love there that’s sleeping
While my guitar gently weeps

Guitars don’t weep, and love doesn’t sleep, but these descriptions enhance the scene, endowing it with a somber, reflective energy.

Personification in Marketing

Personification is more common in marketing than you probably realize. In fact, brand personification is a marketing tactic unto itself. The Pillsbury Dough Boy comes to mind, as do the commercials in which M&Ms walk, talk, and interact with each other.

You can also find examples in slogans, like “Oreo: Milk’s favorite cookie.” While milk can’t have preferences since it isn’t sapient, the slogan plays on childhood nostalgia of pairing milk and cookies to entice consumers to buy the product.

Personification in Art

Artists use personification to make abstractions more concrete, just like writers do. Virtues and vices are often personified in paintings or sculpture, such as the Statue of Liberty or the  Civic Virtue  fountain, both in New York City.

Death is another concept often personified in art. A popular example is the Grim Reaper, a skeletal embodiment of death armed with a scythe and an hourglass.

Personification Examples in Literature

1. John Keats, “Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art”

Personification was rampant in  Romantic -era  poetry , and the works of John Keats are no exception. Take, for example, this love  sonnet  addressed to a distant star:

Bright star! would I were steadfast as thou art—
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night,
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like Nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite […]

In these opening lines, the poet expresses a desire to be as steadfast, patient, and watchful as a star. Because stars are, generally, always there, Keats’s narrator hopes to stay by his lover’s side with a similar constancy.

2. Shel Silverstein,  The Giving Tree

This illustrated  children’s book  depicts the relationship between a boy and a tree. Throughout the book, the tree is personified as female, with human emotions and the ability to speak:

Once there was a tree
And she loved little boy.
And every day the boy would come
And he would gather her leaves
And make them into crowns and play king of the forest.
[…] And the boy loved the tree very much.
And the tree was happy.
But time went by,
And the boy grew older.
And the tree was often alone.

There are several instances of personification in these lines. Feminine pronouns like  she  humanize the tree, and adjectives like  loved ,  happy , and  alone  establish the tree’s affection for the boy—she delights in his presence and is lonely in his absence. This enables children to perceive the tree as a person who can reciprocate the boy’s friendship. It further allows children to sympathize with the tree, which gives the story’s ending more emotional weight.

3. Zora Neale Hurston,  Their Eyes Were Watching God

Protagonist Janie Crawford recounts her maturation from girlhood to womanhood in Hurston’s famous novel. During that journey, she meets Joe Starks, and their complicated marriage endures for 20 years before Joe dies of kidney failure. When Janie first learns Joe’s grim diagnosis, she considers death, imagining it as a man:

Death, that strange being with the huge square toes who lived way in the West. The great one who lived in the straight house like a platform without sides to it, and without a roof. What need has Death for a cover, and what winds can blow against him? He stands in his high house that overlooks the world. Stands watchful and motionless all days with his sword drawn back, waiting for the messenger to bid him come. Been standing there before there was a where or a when or a then.

Hurston fortifies her personification of Death by using pronouns like  he  and  him , referring to Death’s “huge square toes,” giving him possessions like a house and a sword, and describing his performance of human actions like living, standing, watching, and waiting. This image of Death, depicted in the trappings of humanity, further emphasizes that death and dying are beyond any human’s ability to control. It is powerful, timeless, and inevitable, and now it’s coming for Joe.

Further Resources on Personification

“Personification” by the Bazillions  blends a catchy melody with informative lyrics to explain common examples of personification to kids.

The House Takes a Vacation , an illustrated children’s book about a house that decides to take a holiday, is a fun example of personification.

Review and identify more than  50 examples of personification  to test your understanding of this figurative device.

Related Terms

  • Anthropomorphism
  • Figurative Language

literary definition personification

  • Literary Terms
  • Personification
  • Definition & Examples
  • When & How to Write a Personification

I. What is Personification?

Sometimes the sun smiles, the wind whispers to the trees, and the shadows of the leaves dance in the wind.

Although literally, the sun cannot smile, the leaves cannot dance without legs, and the wind cannot whisper because it doesn’t have a mouth, we apply human characteristics and create these metaphors to describe a scene. 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 .

II. Examples of Personification

Personification is very common in both literature and everyday speech. Here are a few common examples of personification:

1. Science-fiction novels were his constant companions.

Only a person or animal can literally be a ‘companion’; books are just objects. But this personification tells us that the books meant a lot to him, like close friends, and probably brought him happiness, like friends would.

The tired old car coughed and weezed and crawled down the street.

This sort of description, common in literature, uses several human qualities to create a vivid image of a very old car for the reader.

That piece of chocolate cake is calling my name.

Chocolate cake doesn’t have the ability to call after someone, but this  cliché uses personification to express the feeling of desire and hunger; we say that whatever object we desire is “calling our name.”  Putting a character’s feelings into the objects around him or her is a very common technique in literature.

III. The Importance of Using Personification

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.

IV. Examples of Personification in Literature

Personification energizes prose and poetry alike. For an example of personification in prose, read this excerpt from John Knowles’ A Separate Peace :

Peace had deserted Devon. Although not in the look of the campus and village; they retained much of their dreaming summer calm. Fall had barely touched the full splendor of the trees, and during the height of the day the sun briefly regained its summertime power . In the air there was only an edge of coolness to imply the coming winter. But all had been caught up, like the first fallen leaves, by a new and energetic wind .

In this example, peace, an abstract idea, can desert a place. Also, the campus and village dream and the fall touches the trees.

Death is the mother of Beauty – from “Sunday Morning” by Wallace Stevens

This example shows that personification can be used for purposes more meaningful than merely making the description of a scene more vivid. After all, how can death be a person, let alone a mother?

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune – from Hamlet by William Shakespeare

In this famous line from Hamlet , “fortune” – a random event in life that is beyond our control — is described as “outrageous” and as shooting arrows and stones (from a sling) – which describe both how it can feel, and points out that it can really hurt you!

V. Personification in Pop Culture

Personification is a prominent feature of animated films and commercials alike. Personified animals can be fun and dynamic as well as cute and cuddly. Here are a few instances of personification in pop culture:

The Geico Gecko

literary definition personification

In this anthropomorphism (which is extended personification, see Related Terms ) the lizard stands upright, uses hand motions, laughs, and speaks with a Cockney accent. This makes people relate to the mascot, which makes them feel better about the product. The Geico Gecko is a strong example of successful personification in advertising.

The “Be Our Guest” Entourage

"Dinner Invitation" Clip - Disney's Beauty And The Beast

A charming French candlestick, dishes who sing and dance, an anxious clock with a moustache, synchronized diving spoons, a polite and matronly teapot, the list goes on! Beauty and the Beast is rich with personification, providing all sorts of household items with souls and personalities.

VI. Related Terms

  • Anthropomorphism

Like personification, anthropomorphism is the giving of human characteristics to objects or animals. Anthropomorphism is a kind of personification in which animals or objects are described as if they really are people with abilities like talking, walking upright, and thinking critically. This is stronger than simple personification, which can be done with just a couple of words, such as “the angry sun.” Here is an example of simple personification versus anthropomorphism:

Personification:

The owl laughed with a “hoot-hoot!”

In this example, the owl has taken on one human attribute: it laughs.

Anthropomorphism:

The wise owl said to the confused frog, “I know why you are suffering and I can help you find your way.”

In this example, the owl has become a person, with fully human abilities to think and talk.

List of Terms

  • Alliteration
  • Amplification
  • Anachronism
  • Antonomasia
  • APA Citation
  • Aposiopesis
  • Autobiography
  • Bildungsroman
  • Characterization
  • Circumlocution
  • Cliffhanger
  • Comic Relief
  • Connotation
  • Deus ex machina
  • Deuteragonist
  • Doppelganger
  • Double Entendre
  • Dramatic irony
  • Equivocation
  • Extended Metaphor
  • Figures of Speech
  • Flash-forward
  • Foreshadowing
  • Intertextuality
  • Juxtaposition
  • Literary Device
  • Malapropism
  • Onomatopoeia
  • Parallelism
  • Pathetic Fallacy
  • Point of View
  • Polysyndeton
  • Protagonist
  • Red Herring
  • Rhetorical Device
  • Rhetorical Question
  • Science Fiction
  • Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
  • Synesthesia
  • Turning Point
  • Understatement
  • Urban Legend
  • Verisimilitude
  • Essay Guide
  • Cite This Website

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What Is Personification? Definition and Examples from Literature

literary definition personification

by Fija Callaghan

Personification may sound like something left behind from the Romantic era of poetry or the work of William Shakespeare, but it’s actually present in almost all contemporary literature, and even in our everyday speech. You’ve probably used personification in your own writing without realizing it. As a literary device, personification can be used to truly bring your story to life—and in subtler ways than you might think.

Let’s break things down with the personification definition and a few famous examples from beloved literary work. Before you know it, you’ll see all your favorite stories come to life in ways you’d never expect.

What is personification?

Personification is a literary device that assigns traditionally human attributes to nonhuman things, such as household objects or elements of the natural world. Rather than imbuing functional human agency into these things, personification uses figurative language to illustrate a certain moment in a fresh and unexpected way.

When we personify an inanimate object or an abstract concept, that means that we’re writing description about the the object using the same terms that we might use to describe a human. In other words, we’ve “made it a person.”

Personification in literature is assigning human attributes to nonhuman things.

For example, you might say that the electricity bill “glared at her accusingly,” or the wind “gnashed its teeth against the window.” We’re not expected to take these images literally—they won’t think that the electricity bill has suddenly grown eyes á la that creepy book in Hocus Pocus , or that the wind is actually a vengeful spirit with disconcertingly sharp fangs. They understand that these are vibrant, colorful ways to portray a deceptively simple idea.

Abstract concepts like nations or emotions can also be given human qualities to personify them. The Status of Liberty is often considered a personification of the United States, while we might say that the emotion of sadness is like a lonely man hunched in a dark corner.

Literature is full of personification. We’ll look at a few more personification examples down below.

Why use personification in a story?

As a literary device used by writers, personification adds layers of meaning to a story. Let’s look at why writers use personification in their writing.

1. Illustrate setting

Personification is an excellent writing tool for establishing the setting of a story . If your character is starting a new school, for instance, some examples of personification might be “the walls leered down at them,” or “the iron gates loomed menacingly” at the entrance.

These personified images communicate something new and more complex than simply describing the grey doors and empty walls of a nondescript building.

Personification can help establish your story’s setting

Using personification gives the reader a broader view of where the story takes place . Notice how the personification examples above didn’t actually communicate any hard details about the setting—the rust on the hinges of the doors, the yellowing flyers stuck to the walls, etc. Instead, giving human characteristics to inanimate objects illustrates the relationship between the character and the setting, and showed the reader hints of where they can expect this relationship to go.

2. Enhance imagery

A writer’s word choice when writing personification can lend entirely different moods and tones to the imagery of a story . Careful use of imagery is an important aspect of creating a vivid image in the mind’s eye.

Some personification examples that create effective imagery might be a rainy scene being personified as raindrops “dancing pirouettes across the pavement,” “hurling themselves to the earth with reckless abandon,” “caressing the rooftops,” “falling as though clinging to the sky had become more trouble than it was worth,” and so on.

Judicious use of personification can make images really pop!

You can take something as simple as a rainy day or as unassuming as a household item and personify them to illustrate them in a hundred different ways. Each way will lend something new and poignant to your story.

Try using personification on different images in your scene and see which fits best with your story’s mood and theme.

3. Connect with readers

The thing about readers is that the vast majority of are… people. And this means that by assigning human attributes to inanimate objects, right away you’re creating a connection that your reader will be able to relate to. This gives them a vivid image and brings abstract ideas to life.

Readers connect more easily to objects that have people-like aspects.

For example, if you said that “the branches quaked fearfully against the coming storm,” most readers can imagine what that looks like because they know what it is to “quake fearfully” against something that’s headed their way. That’s a great example of successful personification.

By personifying non-human things by giving them human characteristics, you create a visceral reaction by connecting with a primal emotion in a colorful, imaginative way.

What’s the difference between personification vs. anthropomorphism?

There are a couple terms which are quite similar to personification, and one of them is anthropomorphism . So what’s the difference?

Anthropomorphism is a cornerstone of popular culture and animated films. It’s a literary device that takes animals or objects and portrays them as if they were actually humans . These objects can be absolutely anything, from a rakish candelabra with a French accent, to an old shoe, to a copy machine—but when they’re anthropomorphized, they appear as people-like.

Anthropomorphism is personification at its most extreme incarnation. Rather than using moments of personified connection to add subtle highlights to a scene, anthropomorphism creates an entire person out of something unexpected.

For example, we anthropomorphized characters in many Disney movies, like the very late rabbit in Alice in Wonderland or Nemo in Finding Nemo , two animals with person-like features; or in Lumière the candelabra in Beauty and the Beast . Disney has built an entire empire off of anthropomorphism!

Anthropormophizing goes beyond giving objects some human aspects—it makes the objects totally human!

We see it in literature too, in examples like Juneau Black’s Shady Hollow series, which takes place in an animal community. Among its lovable cast of characters are a reporter who’s a fox and a policeman who’s a bear. Apart from the fur and claws, everything about these animals is very human; however, portraying them as animals gives another dimension to the mood and setting of the story.

George Orwell’s Animal Farm is another famous example of animals given human agency through anthropomorphism.

What’s the difference between personification vs. chremamorphism?

Another, lesser known literary device that’s related to personification is chremamorphism . Chremamorphism is the inverse of personification: it ascribes non-human characteristics to a human (or humanoid) entity .

For example, calling a woman a “wallflower” or an “English rose” is an example of chremamorphism, because you’re using the imagery of an inanimate object to communicate something about a person.

Chremamorphism is a kind of metaphor—a figure of speech.

Another example might to say that a man “moved at a glacial pace,” or that he “erupted in anger.” These take images from the natural world to give a new dimension to a human being.

Both personification and chremamorphism illustrate an abstract idea with relatable human qualities, adding more dimension to the story.

Examples of personification in everyday speech

We may think of personification purely as a literary device, but we use it without thinking in our everyday lives, too. Here are a few common examples of using human characteristics to describe nonhuman things.

“The sun glared down from the sky.” In this example, the speaker is personifying the sun to give a feeling of antagonism and discomfort on a hot summer’s day.

“The car complained as she started the rusty engine.” In this brief sentence, we can immediately imagine the sound of a tired car putting up a fight as it gets ready to work.

“The camera loves you.” This is a common phrase heard in film and modelling industries to describe someone as being photogenic. Personifying the camera makes it feel like what it’s looking at is being loved.

“The half-price sale sign called her name.” In real life, we love using personification to deflect responsibility for our choices. “It’s not my fault I went over my credit limit, those shoes were calling my name!”

“Comic books became constant companions throughout his childhood.” Personification can be a great way to convey a deep connection between a person and their most valuable possessions.

Personification is everywhere: in speech, in art, and in music too.

Examples of personification in literature

As you can see, personification is a great tool that writers can use to create rich description and meaning without resorting to wordy exposition. Let’s look at a few examples of writers who’ve put it into practice.

1. The Tiger in the Smoke , by Margery Allingham

The fog had crept into the taxi where it crouched panting in a traffic jam. It oozed in ungenially, to smear sooty fingers over the two elegant young people who sat inside.

In this 1950s crime novel, Margery Allingham uses personification to set the tone of the story effectively. Describing the fog as something sentient and malevolent, reaching out fingers covered in big-city smoke to intrude on the couple’s evening, uses rich language to paint a powerful image, and the juxtaposition between the “elegant young people” and the image of the fog works effectively to draw the reader deeper into the story.

2. “To Autumn,” by John Keats

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run

Personification is a beloved mainstay of poetry, and in this example Keats uses it to lend a human dimension to the natural world—in this case, the sun and the season of autumn are both shown as personified figures. Words like “conspiring” and “bosom-friend” impart a sense of their intimate relationship. Here we see how these forces might react to the turning of the seasons.

Personifying nature is an easy way to set a scene.

3. The Midnight Library , by Matt Haig

Old philosophy textbooks looked down at her, ghost furnishings from her university days, when life still had possibility.

In this example we see how the protagonist projects human characteristics onto her old textbooks, projecting some of her feelings onto them. We know, of course, that the textbooks aren’t actually looking down—it’s the character who’s looking up. But by using personification, we understand something more about the character and the unfulfilled guilt she feels about her past.

Personification makes your story come alive

Although personification is a mainstay of classic poetry, you can see how using human traits in a creative way gives depth, intensity, and life to even the simplest moments in your writing. It’s a powerful shortcut to writing description without the wordiness. A personified figure—that is, a non human concept given a human characteristic—can help your readers connect with your story, enhance the theme and tone of a scene, and elevate the pedestrian to the extraordinary.

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literary definition personification

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Literary Devices

Personification

Personification gives human qualities, characteristics, and emotions to non-human objects, animals, or concepts. It is a form of figurative language that uses metaphorical language to convey meaning and create vivid imagery. By personifying non-human entities, writers can help readers relate to them on a more personal level and make abstract concepts more concrete. Personification is often used in poetry and fiction, but can be found in many forms of writing

Examples of personification:

“The wind howled through the night, rattling the windows and shaking the doors.” In this example, the wind is personified as a living being with the ability to howl and shake things.

“The sun smiled down on the beach, warming the sand and inviting the swimmers.” In this example, the sun is personified as having a human-like quality of smiling, which creates a positive and inviting atmosphere.

“The moon danced in the sky, casting its silvery light on the darkened earth below.” In this example, the moon is personified as having the ability to dance, which creates a sense of movement and energy in the scene.

“The river whispered secrets to the rocks as it flowed gently by.” In this example, the river is personified as having the ability to whisper and communicate, which adds a sense of intimacy and mystery to the scene.

“The trees bowed their heads in the wind, as if paying homage to its power.” In this example, the trees are personified as having a human-like quality of bowing, which creates a sense of reverence and respect for the natural world.

2 thoughts on “Personification”

“Like many people who call themselves journalists, instead of conveying news and ideas, they try to entertain their readers, tickling them to death ”

Personification?

It depends on what the thing/s are that is being described are. If what is being described is a human or a human occupation, for example writers etc., then no. If not, then it’s probably a mix of simile and metaphor or another type of device.

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  • Personification

Personification Definition Personification is a figure of speech wherein a thing – an concept or an animal – is given human attributes. The non-human gadgets are portrayed in such a way that we sense they have got the potential to act like human beings. For example, while we say, “The sky weeps,” we're giving the sky the capability to cry, that is a human quality. Thus, we are able to say that the sky has been personified inside the given sentence. With the above definition of personification, let us look at some personification examples. Common Examples of Personification Look at my vehicle. She is a beauty, isn’t she? The wind whispered through dry grass. The vegetation danced within the mild breeze. Time and tide await none. The hearth swallowed the complete wooded area. We see from the above examples of personification that this literary tool helps us relate actions of inanimate items to our very own emotions. Short Examples of Personification in Speech The shadow of the moon danced on the lake. There became a heavy thunderstorm, the wind snorted outside, damn my windowpanes. The flowers have been blooming, and the bees kissed them each now and then. The flood raged over the complete village. The tread of time is so ruthless that it tramples even the kings below its feet. It was early morning – I met a cat yawning and stretching within the street. The skyscraper became so tall that it regarded to kiss the sky. The tree changed into pulled down, and the birds lamented over its useless body. The tall pines in the hilly location fondled the clouds. The long street to his domestic become a twisting snake, with no visible end. The complete moon peeped via partial clouds. His car suffered a intense stroke inside the center of the street, and refused to transport forward. The ship danced over the undulating waves of the ocean. When he sat the test, the words and the ideas fled from his mind. When he got here out of the residence of his deceased friend, the whole thing seemed to him to be weeping. Examples of Personification in Literature Example #1: The Green Gables Letters (By L. M. Montgomery) “I hied me away to the woods — away lower back into the sun-washed alleys carpeted with fallen gold and glades where the moss is inexperienced and shiny but. The woods are on the point of sleep — they're not but asleep but they're disrobing and are having all kinds of little bed-time meetings and whisperings and good-nights.” The loss of activity in the woodland has been superbly personified because the woodland on the point of sleep, busy at bed-time chatting and wishing good-nights, all of that are human customs. Example #2: Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scene II (By William Shakespeare) “When well-appareled April on the heel Of limping winter treads.” There are personification examples here. April cannot put on a dress, and wintry weather does now not limp, nor does it have a heel on which a month can walk. Shakespeare personifies the month of April and the iciness season by means of giving them two distinct human qualities. Example #3: Loveliest of Trees the Cherry Now (By A. H. Houseman) “Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom alongside the bough, And stands approximately the forest ride Wearing white for Eastertide.” He sees a cherry tree included with stunning white plant life within the woodland, and says that the cherry tree wears white garments to celebrate Easter. He offers human attributes to a tree with the intention to describe it in human terms. Example #4: Have You Got A Brook In Your Little Heart (By Emily Elizabeth Dickinson) “Have you bought a brook in your little heart, Where bashful flowers blow, And blushing birds go all the way down to drink, And shadows tremble so?” The bashful plant life, blushing birds, and trembling shadows are examples of personification. Example #5: How Pearl Button Was Kidnapped (By William Shakespeare) “Pearl Button swung on the little gate in front of the House of Boxes. It changed into the early afternoon of a sunshiny day with little winds playing hide-and-are seeking in it.” It personifies wind via announcing that it is as playful as little children gambling hide-and-are seeking on a sunny day. Example #6: Two Sunflowers Move in a Yellow Room (By William Blake) “Two Sunflowers Move in the Yellow Room. ‘Ah, William, we’re weary of weather,’ said the sunflowers, shining with dew. Our visiting conduct have tired us. Can you give us a room with a view?” This poem through William Blake incorporates lots of examples of personification. The poem starts offevolved in a talk form, where a sunflower is directly addressing the poet by calling his name. Again, within the 1/3 line the flower says, “our visiting habits have tired us”, which is a great personification. The vegetation are depicting a human function of weariness as a result of the weather. In a human manner, they make a request to the poet to position them in a room with a window with lots of sunshine. Example #7: I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (By William Wordsworth) “I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, underneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.” This poem through William Wordsworth consists of inventive examples of personification. The fourth line says, “A host of golden daffodils,” and the 5th line has those flora “Fluttering and dancing within the breeze.” Example #8: The Waste Land (By T. S. ELIOT) “April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain.” These are the hole lines of The Waste Land, with the aid of T. S. Eliot. The very first line incorporates personification in that it labels April because the cruelest month’. Example #9: Because I could not prevent for Death (By Emily Dickinson) “Because I couldn't prevent for Death – He kindly stopped for me – The Carriage held but simply Ourselves – And Immortality. We slowly drove – He knew no haste And I had positioned away My labor and my leisure too, For His Civility –” The whole poem is complete of examples of personification. In fact, death has been personified by means of the poet, saying “He kindly stopped for me.” Again within the second stanza, “He knew no haste,” and so on. Function of Personification Personification is not simply a decorative device, but serves the motive of giving deeper meanings to literary texts. It provides vividness to expressions, as we always have a look at the world from a human perspective. Writers and poets depend upon personification to convey inanimate things to life, so that their nature and movements are understood in a better manner. Because it is simpler for us to relate to something that is human, or which possesses human traits, its use encourages us to expand a perspective that is new as well as creative.

  • Alliteration
  • Anachronism
  • Antimetabole
  • Aposiopesis
  • Characterization
  • Colloquialism
  • Connotation
  • Deus Ex Machina
  • Didacticism
  • Doppelganger
  • Double Entendre
  • Flash Forward
  • Foreshadowing
  • Internal Rhyme
  • Juxtaposition
  • Non Sequitur
  • Onomatopoeia
  • Parallelism
  • Pathetic Fallacy
  • Poetic Justice
  • Point of View
  • Portmanteau
  • Protagonist
  • Red Herring
  • Superlative
  • Synesthesia
  • Tragicomedy
  • Tragic Flaw
  • Verisimilitude

1

What is Personification — Definition and Examples for Writers Featured

  • Scriptwriting

What is Personification — Definition and Examples for Writers

H ave you ever read a story or novel where the words jumped off the page? It could have been due to personification. In fact, that first line you just read was an example of personification. Personification is an incredibly useful literary device that is used in sophisticated literature as well as everyday language. In this article, we’ll give personification a simple definition and why writers and filmmakers use it in their work. Let’s dive in.

Tools For Screenwriters

Literary devices.

Literary Elements

  • Deuteragonist
  • Foil Character
  • Point of View
  • Protagonist

Literary Techniques

  • Alliteration
  • Connotation
  • Deus ex Machina
  • Foreshadowing
  • Iambic Pentameter
  • Juxtaposition
  • Onomatopoeia
  • Personification
  • Red Herring

What is Personification?

Personification definition.

Personification can be used for countless subjects and literary forms from poetry to screenwriting. But all personification falls under the same definition. More than just a clever way to bring inanimate objects to life, this writing technique can enrich description and imbue emotions in unexpected ways. 

Before we analyze some personification examples and benefits, let’s establish a personification definition. 

PERSONIFICATION DEFINITION

What is personification.

Personification is a literary device that gives human characteristics to nonhuman things or inanimate objects. The nonhuman things can be animals, objects, or even a concept. The human characteristics given to these things can be emotions, behaviors, or actions that bring nonhuman things to life. Personification is common throughout literature and everyday speech. It can add life, energy, and animation to otherwise lifeless objects or subjects.

What is personification used for?

  • Explain concepts more directly
  • Energize the text
  • Set the scene

What is an example of personification

Personification examples.

Before we dive a bit deeper into its function it may be a little more helpful to look at a few personification examples. Personification is used throughout literature, movies, and everyday vernacular. Some examples of it are phrases:

  • “The sun smiled down on us.”
  • ‘The story jumped off the page.”
  • “The light danced on the surface of the water.” 

Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, "The wind howled in the night.” Howling is a verb used to describe the vocal projection of an animal or person. However, obviously, since wind is not alive, "howls" is a way to personify it and give the scenario an entirely new dimension and meaning.

What’s personification?

Personification is unique among literary devices in that it is a non-literal use of language that conveys thoughts and ideas. Why would a writer use language in a non-literal way? First, let’s get a clearer understanding of what this literary device is by watching this video breakdown by The Bazillions.

What is Personification by The Bazillions

Although the explanation in the video may be a bit rudimentary, the video animation itself demonstrates the benefits of personifying an inanimate object. It made the video more lively, relatable, energetic, and fun. Let's run through some reasons why writers use this writing technique.

1. Explain concepts more directly

By bringing to life nonhuman subjects or inanimate objects, concepts and ideas can be described more directly and more simply. Take, for example, the classic “birds and the bees” conversation.

Personifying birds and bees simplifies the concept in a way that is easier to tell. It is also both personification and a metaphor .

2. Energize the text

In poetry and literature, personifying can energize the text by literally bringing to life rather dull subjects. Allowing trees, or animals, or even objects to interact with characters can engage a reader much more than if they were portrayed realistically.

3. Set the scene

Personifying various story elements can create the world and set the scene of a story. Personifying objects can make the world of a story appear lively or more menacing depending on how the personification is used. For example a house can be personified to move and be haunted in a horror story. 

Let’s take a look at a few examples of this literary device in literature to better understand why and how writers use it to enhance their writing.

Related Posts

  • A Complete Guide to Literary Devices →
  • What is an Allegory? Definition and Examples →
  • The Difference Between Alliteration and Assonance →

Personification in literature

Personification can be found throughout the history of literature. It evokes readers to use their imagination and its use can create depth and emotion to a story. To recap, take a look at this video that provides a personification literary definition and analyzes the function of it in literature.

What is Personification?  •  A Literary Guide

Personifying can be an incredibly useful device when it comes to literature. Take, for example, the writing of iconic author John Steinbeck. In his short story “Flight,” Steinbeck writes:

“Five-fingered ferns hung over the water and dropped spray from their fingertips.”

Personifying the ferns is given the human characteristic of hands. What is actually being described is water falling off of a fern. In doing so, Steinbeck brought what would have been a rather dull scene to life. 

What’s personification used for?

Personification examples in film.

A majority of animated films could not exist without the idea of personification. The animation of animals and objects to be human and lifelike are what make animation so engaging and unique.

In this scene from Beauty and the Beast it is revealed how integral the literary device was to the entire story. The life and human characteristics of inanimate objects are revealed to have come from the actual people they turn back into.

Beauty and the Beast (1991)  •  Personification examples

Film is unique because it doesn't only use personification to relate better to an audience or more simply explain an idea. In film, it has allowed filmmakers to literally make characters out of nonhuman subjects. Where would Mulan be without Mushu? Or Frozen without Olaf?

Being able to personify these characters has and continues to open the doors for memorable characters on the big screen.

Some of the best personification examples in film can be found throughout Inside Out , one of Pixar’s best films . The entire film’s story revolves around personifying emotions. 

In the first three pages of the Inside Out screenplay, screenwriters Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, and Josh Cooley utilize personification to bring their emotional characters to life. We brought the script into StudioBinder’s screenwriting app to analyze this use of personification. 

What is Personification Inside Out Example StudioBinder Screenwriting Software

Personification examples in Inside Out

Not only does personification allow the audience to see these concepts like joy, sadness, and fear as a character, but it gives them a voice and the ability to take action thus creating a narrative . 

Personification is an incredibly useful tool that opens up new possibilities for characters and therefore stories that can be told. Understanding how and when it can be used will not only make you a better writer and storyteller.

  • Breakdown of the Different Types of Irony →
  • History and Analysis of Satire in Literature and Film →
  • How Writers  Foreshadowing to Engage an Audience →

How Writers Use Metaphor

Personification is a great tool at relating and engaging an audience. Another literary device that can capture a reader’s attention is the metaphor. In our next article we define what a metaphor is as well as dive into some metaphor examples to better understand how they can elevate a story.

Up Next: Metaphor Examples →

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personification

Definition of personification

Did you know.

The Art of Personification

It was long common in the visual arts to use human figures to represent a range of natural phenomena, personal qualities, abstract conceptions, and so on. The Greeks and Romans showed us how. Many of their gods and goddesses themselves represented a single thing, be it dawn (Eos, Aurora), wisdom (Athena, Minerva), or war (Ares, Mars); when depicted in idealized human form (as, say, a stately woman holding a scales), each became a personification of that phenomenon or quality or concept (in this case, Justice). Inspired by classical art, Renaissance painters and sculptors likewise began producing thousands of artistic personifications--of Time, or Folly, or France, or Vice, or Poetry, or the Americas. And in the 18th century English-speakers began using the word itself. Today artists are less inclined to such depictions, and the word gets used more often to describe actual individuals; when we call someone the personification of style, or greed, or loyalty, we mean the ideal or epitome or embodiment of that quality.

  • externalization
  • incarnation
  • incorporation
  • instantiation
  • manifestation
  • objectification
  • personifier

Examples of personification in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'personification.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

1728, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Articles Related to personification

man swimming in money

What is figurative language?

Paint a picture with words

Dictionary Entries Near personification

personifiable

personificative

Cite this Entry

“Personification.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personification. Accessed 23 Feb. 2024.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of personification, more from merriam-webster on personification.

Nglish: Translation of personification for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of personification for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about personification

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What is Personification? Definition, Examples of Literary Personification

Personification is common literary device in which human traits and characteristics are attached to an inanimate object, idea, or animal.

What is Personification?

Personification involves talking about non-human things with human characteristics or attributes. Personification is a type of metaphor and is used to give human-like qualities to inanimate or non-human things like objects or animals. This can help us to understand things and how they behave more fully.

For example, these following common phrases use personification to describe things:

  • That piece of pie is really calling my name.
  • The sun is smiling down on us today.
  • Time waits for no man.

Popular Examples of Personification

Personification is used in TV, movies, poetry, books, and much more. It can be found in virtually any genre of any format of the written or spoken word.

Here are some personification examples from popular culture:

“Oreo: Milk’s Favorite Cookie” – This is a slogan for the brand Oreo. It portrays Milk and Cookies as objects that are capable of feeling favoritism and preference

“Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered. There was no one there” – This proverb was paraphrased by the character of Christopher Moltisanti on the hit television show The Sopranos

In the kid’s TV show SpongeBob SquarePants , SpongeBob creates a scene where workers in his mind are overloaded in order to portray the stress he is under. This is a personification of the mind:

Boss: Hurry up! What do you think I’m paying you for?

Worker: You don’t pay me. You don’t even exist. We’re just a clever metaphor used to personify the abstract concept of thought.

Boss: One more crack like that and you’re outta here!

Worker: No please! I have three kids!

The Importance of Personification

In writing, personification can add elements of personality and emotion to certain events, things, and ideas. What would otherwise be a lifeless scene can come alive with energy and purpose. Personification intensifies the imagery and beauty of what has been written.

Furthermore, personification does more than just enhance the aesthetic value of a work of writing. It brings deeper purpose and meaning to the ideas that are being conveyed. The way characters experience things are mirrored by the readers’ own understanding of human emotions and interactions. Readers can understand the deeper meaning behind things when engaged in the process of relating to other human-like things.

Another thing that personification helps to accomplish is that it encourages audiences to develop fresh perspectives on certain things, events, or traits. Since we have a uniquely human perspective on the world, we can better understand something if we characterize it as or similar to other humans.

How Personification is Used in Literature

The classic romantic poem, “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth, uses personification of nature in order to fully describe the idyllic natural scene of daffodils, which are “dancing” in the wind:

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

In George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm , personification is used as a building-block for the novel’s extended allegory. The animals behave as humans in order to represent social/political revolution as they navigate a revolt against the humans. Having the animals behave as humans do helps Orwell to artfully illustrate his purpose, which is to describe what can happen to communities that undergo severe social and political unrest.

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet , fortune is personified as something capable of having human emotions and reacting to such emotions by causing bodily harm to someone:

To be, or not to be: that is the question:

Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end to them?

Recap: What is Personification in Literature?

Personification is a figure of speech that assigns human characteristics and behaviors to non-human things such as nature, animals, and inanimate objects. This helps readers to more fully understand what is going in by conceptualizing it as something familiar. Furthermore, personification adds elements of beauty and originality to writing.

Personification — Definition and Examples

Daniel Bal

What is personification?

Personification is a literary device that gives human attributes to non-human things, like inanimate objects or abstract ideas. Using human qualities to describe inanimate objects allows writers to present more vivid and lively ideas, allowing their work to come alive (e.g., The lightning danced across the night sky.)

By providing well-known human characteristics to objects and abstract concepts, writers can make their descriptions relatable to the reader. The writer often wants the reader to develop emotional connections with the objects or ideas.

Personification is often grouped with or mistaken for anthropomorphism and zoomorphism:

Anthropomorphism describes something that is not human behaving like a human.

Cat in the Hat

Winnie the Pooh

Mickey Mouse

Zoomorphism endows non-human animalistic qualities to something that is not an animal.

Losing the competition to her best friend really ruffled her feathers.

Personification examples

Use of personification is not only present in literary works, as examples are prevalent in everyday speech:

I didn't sleep well because the thunder was clapping all night.

Time crawled as the meeting went into its third hour.

The wind angrily tossed my car from side to side.

It's been so long since I've been in the attic that the stairs groaned under my weight.

The menacing sky threatened to ruin our vacation.

Personification example

Personification is often used in animated films and children’s books, where objects take on human emotions and characteristics.

Personification in literature

The following works of literature contain examples of personification:

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood:

There is something subversive about this garden of Serena’s, a sense of buried things bursting upwards , wordlessly, into the light, as if to point, to say: Whatever is silenced will clamour to be heard, though silently. . . . . It breathes , in the warmth, breathing itself in.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne:

But, on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose-bush, covered, in this month of June, with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him .

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare:

Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, / Who is already sick and pale with grief , / That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.

Personification in poetry

Poets consistently employ personification in their works, giving them the ability to develop meaning using fewer words. Examples of personification in poetry include the following:

"Because I could not stop…" by Emily Dickinson:

Because I could not stop for Death– / He kindly stopped for me – / The Carriage held but just Ourselves– / And Immortality. / We slowly drove– He knew no haste / And I had put away / My labor and my leisure too, / For His Civility –

Personification in poetry

"The Walrus and the Carpenter" by Lewis Carroll:

"The sun was shining on the sea, / Shining with all his might: / He did his very best to make / The billows smooth and bright — / And this was odd, because it was / The middle of the night."

"Hey Diddle Diddle" by Mother Goose:

"Hey diddle, diddle, / The cat and the fiddle, / The cow jumped over the moon; / The little dog laughed / To see such sport, / And the dish ran away with the spoon ."

ESL Grammar

Personification: Definition, Useful Examples, and Importance

Personification is a literary device that attributes human-like qualities to non-human objects, animals, or ideas. It is a type of figurative language that helps writers create more engaging and vivid descriptions. By personifying objects or ideas, writers can create a more relatable and emotional connection with their readers.

Overall, personification is a powerful tool that can help writers bring their descriptions to life. It can be used to create a wide range of emotions and can be found in many forms of literature. In the following article, we will explore the various types of personification, examples of its usage, and how it can be used to enhance your writing.

Personification!

Personification Definition

Personification is a literary device that involves attributing human qualities or characteristics to non-human things, such as inanimate objects, concepts, or abstract ideas. This figure of speech is a form of metaphor in which human attributes, emotions, or actions are assigned to non-human entities to create a more vivid or relatable description.

Personification is often used in the arts, such as literature, poetry, and visual art, to enhance the imagery and create a more engaging experience for the audience. It is also commonly used in advertising and marketing to create a more emotional connection between the audience and the product or service being promoted.

Anthropomorphism is a related concept to personification, in which non-human things are given human qualities or characteristics, but it is a broader term that encompasses a wider range of phenomena. Personification is a specific type of anthropomorphism that involves attributing human qualities to non-human things.

Personification can be used to describe both tangible and intangible things, such as physical objects, emotions, and abstract concepts. For example, a tree can be personified as “dancing in the wind,” or “whispering secrets to the birds.” Similarly, love can be personified as a “cruel mistress,” or “a warm embrace.”

In conclusion, personification is a powerful literary device that allows writers and artists to create more vivid and engaging descriptions by attributing human qualities to non-human things. It is a form of metaphor that can be used to describe both tangible and intangible entities, and is commonly used in the arts and advertising to create a more emotional connection with the audience.

How to Use Personification in a Sentence?

Personification is a literary device that adds depth and creativity to writing. It is used to give human qualities to non-human things, making them more relatable and engaging for the reader. Here are a few tips on how to use personification in a sentence:

  • Think about the object or idea you want to personify. What human qualities can you attribute to it? For example, a tree could be described as “stretching its arms towards the sky” or a river could be “whispering secrets as it flowed.”
  • Use sensory details to create a vivid image in the reader’s mind. For instance, instead of saying “the wind blew,” you could say “the wind howled like a pack of wolves.”
  • Use personification sparingly and purposefully. Overusing it can make writing feel forced or cheesy.
  • Consider the tone and mood of your writing. Personification can be used to create a lighthearted or whimsical tone, or to add depth and emotion to a serious piece.
  • Be creative and have fun with it! Personification is a great way to add personality and originality to your writing.

Incorporating personification into your writing can help bring your words to life and make them more memorable for your readers. By following these tips, you can use personification effectively and add a unique touch to your writing.

Personification Examples

Personification is a literary device that gives human qualities to non-human things, such as inanimate objects, animals, and abstract ideas. Here are some examples of personification in literature, everyday speech, and art.

In Literature

Personification is a common literary device used by authors to create vivid and memorable characters, settings, and themes. For example, in William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet,” the character of Death is personified as a figure who “holds his court” and “makes the cowardly spirit fly.” In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby,” the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg are personified as “brooding” and “watchful,” giving them a sense of ominous presence.

In Everyday Speech

Personification is also used in everyday speech to create memorable phrases and descriptions. For instance, one might say that the wind “howls” or that the rain “dances” on the roof. In these cases, personification gives life and emotion to otherwise mundane experiences.

Personification is also a common theme in art, where non-human things are given human qualities to create a sense of symbolism or allegory. For example, in Renaissance paintings, virtues such as Wisdom and Folly are often personified as human figures to represent different aspects of human nature. In contemporary art, personification is often used to create surreal or fantastical images, such as in the work of Salvador Dali or Max Ernst.

In conclusion, personification is a powerful literary device that can be used to create vivid characters, settings, and themes in literature, memorable phrases in everyday speech, and symbolic images in art. By giving human qualities to non-human things, personification allows us to better understand and relate to the world around us.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is personification in literature?

Personification is a literary device that attributes human qualities to non-human entities, such as animals, objects, or natural phenomena. It is a form of figurative language that can make descriptions more vivid and engaging.

What are some common examples of personification?

Common examples of personification include describing the wind as howling, the flowers as dancing, or the sun as smiling. These descriptions give human qualities to non-human things, making them more relatable and interesting to readers.

How is personification used in poetry?

Personification is often used in poetry to create a more emotional and imaginative experience for the reader. By giving non-human things human qualities, poets can create vivid and powerful images that evoke strong emotions in the reader.

What is the purpose of using personification in writing?

The purpose of using personification in writing is to make descriptions more engaging and memorable. By giving non-human things human qualities, writers can create a more vivid and relatable experience for the reader, making their writing more effective and impactful.

How can you identify personification in a text?

To identify personification in a text, look for descriptions that give non-human things human qualities. For example, if the wind is described as howling or the flowers as dancing, these are examples of personification.

What are some advanced examples of personification in literature?

Advanced examples of personification in literature include more complex and subtle descriptions that give non-human things human qualities in a more indirect way. For example, describing a city as “breathing” or the ocean as “whispering secrets” are examples of advanced personification that require a deeper understanding of the literary device.

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very useful resources. Thank you

literary definition personification

Figurative Language

literary definition personification

Figurative Language Definition

What is figurative language? Here’s a quick and simple definition:

Figurative language is language that contains or uses figures of speech . When people use the term "figurative language," however, they often do so in a slightly narrower way. In this narrower definition, figurative language refers to language that uses words in ways that deviate from their literal interpretation to achieve a more complex or powerful effect. This view of figurative language focuses on the use of figures of speech that play with the meaning of words, such as metaphor , simile , personification , and hyperbole .

Some additional key details about figurative language:

  • Figurative language is common in all sorts of writing, as well as in spoken language.
  • Figurative language refers to language that contains figures of speech, while figures of speech are the particular techniques. If figurative speech is like a dance routine, figures of speech are like the various moves that make up the routine.
  • It's a common misconception that imagery, or vivid descriptive language, is a kind of figurative language. In fact, writers can use figurative language as one tool to help create imagery, but imagery does not have to use figurative language.

Figurative Language Pronunciation

Here's how to pronounce figurative language: fig -yer-uh-tiv lang -gwij

Figures of Speech and Figurative Language

To fully understand figurative language, it's helpful to have a basic understanding of figures of speech. More specifically, it's helpful to understand the two main types of figures of speech: tropes and schemes .

  • Tropes are figures of speech that play with and shift the expected and literal meaning of words.
  • Schemes are figures of speech that involve a change from the typical mechanics of a sentence, such as the order, pattern, or arrangement of words.

Put even more simply: tropes play with the meaning of words, while schemes play with the structure of words, phrases, and sentences.

The Different Things People Mean When They Say Figurative Language

When people say figurative language, they don't always mean the precise same thing. Here are the three different ways people usually talk about figurative language:

  • Dictionary definition of figurative language: According to the dictionary, figurative language is simply any language that contains or uses figures of speech. This definition would mean that figurative language includes the use of both tropes and schemes.
  • Much more common real world use of figurative language: However, when people (including teachers) refer to figurative language, they usually mean language that plays with the literal meaning of words. This definition sees figurative language as language that primarily involves the use of tropes.
  • Another common real world use of figurative language: Some people define figurative language as including figures of speech that play with meaning as well as a few other common schemes that affect the rhythm and sound of text, such as alliteration and assonance .

What does all that boil down to for you? If you hear someone talking about figurative language, you can usually safely assume they are referring to language that uses figures of speech to play with the meaning of words and, perhaps, with the way that language sounds or feels.

Common Types of Figurative Language

There are many, many types of figures of speech that can be involved in figurative language. Some of the most common are:

  • Metaphor : A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unrelated things by stating that one thing is another thing, even though this isn't literally true. For example, the phrase "her lips are a blooming rose" obviously doesn't literally mean what it says—it's a metaphor that makes a comparison between the red beauty and promise of a blooming rose with that of the lips of the woman being described.
  • Simile : A simile, like a metaphor, makes a comparison between two unrelated things. However, instead of stating that one thing is another thing (as in metaphor), a simile states that one thing is like another thing. An example of a simile would be to say "they fought like cats and dogs."
  • Oxymoron : An oxymoron pairs contradictory words in order to express new or complex meanings. In the phrase "parting is such sweet sorrow" from Romeo and Juliet , "sweet sorrow" is an oxymoron that captures the complex and simultaneous feelings of pain and pleasure associated with passionate love.
  • Hyperbole : Hyperbole is an intentional exaggeration of the truth, used to emphasize the importance of something or to create a comic effect. An example of a hyperbole is to say that a backpack "weighs a ton." No backpack literally weighs a ton, but to say "my backpack weighs ten pounds" doesn't effectively communicate how burdensome a heavy backpack feels.
  • Personification : In personification, non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent to their plans." Describing the rain as "indifferent" is an example of personification, because rain can't be "indifferent," nor can it feel any other human emotion.
  • Idiom : An idiom is a phrase that, through general usage within a particular group or society, has gained a meaning that is different from the literal meaning of the words. The phrase "it's raining cats and dogs" is known to most Americans to mean that it's raining hard, but an English-speaking foreigner in the United States might find the phrase totally confusing.
  • Onomatopoeia : Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech in which words evoke the actual sound of the thing they refer to or describe. The “boom” of a firework exploding, the “tick tock” of a clock, and the “ding dong” of a doorbell are all examples of onomatopoeia.
  • Synecdoche : In synecdoche, a part of something is used to refer to its whole . For example, "The captain commands one hundred sails" is a synecdoche that uses "sails" to refer to ships—ships being the thing of which a sail is a part.
  • Metonymy : Metonymy is a figure of speech in which an object or concept is referred to not by its own name, but instead by the name of something closely associated with it. For example, in "Wall Street prefers lower taxes," the New York City street that was the original home of the New York Stock Exchange stands in for (or is a "metonym" for) the entire American financial industry.
  • Alliteration : In alliteration, the same sound repeats in a group of words, such as the “ b ” sound in: “ B ob b rought the b ox of b ricks to the b asement.” Alliteration uses repetition to create a musical effect that helps phrases to stand out from the language around them.
  • Assonance : The repetition of vowel sounds repeat in nearby words, such as the " ee " sound: "the squ ea ky wh ee l gets the gr ea se." Like alliteration, assonance uses repeated sounds to create a musical effect in which words echo one another.

Figurative Language vs. Imagery

Many people (and websites) argue that imagery is a type of figurative language. That is actually incorrect. Imagery refers to a writers use of vivid and descriptive language to appeal to the reader's senses and more deeply evoke places, things, emotions, and more. The following sentence uses imagery to give the reader a sense of how what is being described looks, feels, smells, and sounds:

The night was dark and humid, the scent of rotting vegetation hung in the air, and only the sound of mosquitoes broke the quiet of the swamp.

This sentence uses no figurative language. Every word means exactly what it says, and the sentence is still an example of the use of imagery. That said, imagery can use figurative language, often to powerful effect:

The night was dark and humid, heavy with a scent of rotting vegetation like a great-aunt's heavy and inescapable perfume, and only the whining buzz of mosquitoes broke the silence of the swamp.

In this sentence, the description has been made more powerful through the use of a simile ("like a great-aunt's..."), onomatopoeia ("whining buzz," which not only describes but actually sounds like the noise made by mosquitoes), and even a bit of alliteration in the " s ilence of the s wamp."

To sum up: imagery is not a form of figurative language. But a writer can enhance his or her effort to write imagery through the use of figurative language.

Figurative Language Examples

Figurative language is more interesting, lively, beautiful, and memorable than language that's purely literal. Figurative language is found in all sorts of writing, from poetry to prose to speeches to song lyrics, and is also a common part of spoken speech. The examples below show a variety of different types of figures of speech. You can see many more examples of each type at their own specific LitChart entries.

Figurative Language Example: Metaphor

Metaphor in shakespeare's romeo and juliet.

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , Romeo uses the following metaphor in Act 2 Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet , after sneaking into Juliet's garden and catching a glimpse of her on her balcony:

But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

Romeo compares Juliet to the sun not only to describe how radiantly beautiful she is, but also to convey the full extent of her power over him. He's so taken with Juliet that her appearances and disappearances affect him like those of the sun. His life "revolves" around Juliet like the earth orbits the sun.

Figurative Language Example: Simile

In this example of a simile from Slaughterhouse-Five , Billy Pilgrim emerges from an underground slaughterhouse where he has been held prisoner by the Germans during the deadly World War II firebombing of Dresden:

It wasn't safe to come out of the shelter until noon the next day. When the Americans and their guards did come out, the sky was black with smoke. The sun was an angry little pinhead. Dresden was like the moon now , nothing but minerals. The stones were hot. Everybody else in the neighborhood was dead.

Vonnegut uses simile to compare the bombed city of Dresden to the moon in order to capture the totality of the devastation—the city is so lifeless that it is like the barren moon.

Figurative Language Example: Oxymoron

These lines from Chapter 7 of Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls describe an encounter between Robert Jordan, a young American soldier fighting in the Spanish Civil War, and his lover María.

She held herself tight to him and her lips looked for his and then found them and were against them and he felt her, fresh, new and smooth and young and lovely with the warm, scalding coolness and unbelievable to be there in the robe that was as familiar as his clothes, or his shoes, or his duty and then she said, frightenedly, “And now let us do quickly what it is we do so that the other is all gone.”

The couple's relationship becomes a bright spot for both of them in the midst of war, but ultimately also a source of pain and confusion for Jordan, as he struggles to balance his obligation to fight with his desire to live happily by Maria's side. The contradiction contained within the oxymoron "scalding coolness" emphasizes the couple's conflicting emotions and impossible situation.

Figurative Language Example: Hyperbole

Elizabeth Bennet, the most free-spirited character in Pride and Prejudice , refuses Mr. Darcy's first marriage proposal with a string of hyperbole :

From the very beginning, from the first moment I may almost say, of my acquaintance with you, your manners impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form that ground-work of disapprobation, on which succeeding events have built so immoveable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.

Elizabeth's closing statement, that Darcy is the "last man in the world" whom she would ever marry, is an obvious hyperbole. It's hard to believe that Elizabeth would rather marry, say, an axe murderer or a diseased pirate than Mr. Darcy. Even beyond the obvious exaggeration, Austen's use of hyperbole in this exchange hints at the fact that Elizabeth's feelings for Darcy are more complicated than she admits, even to herself. Austen drops various hints throughout the beginning of the novel that Elizabeth feels something beyond mere dislike for Darcy. Taken together with these hints, Elizabeth's hyperbolic statements seem designed to convince not only Darcy, but also herself, that their relationship has no future.

Figurative Language Example: Personification

In Chapter 1 of The Scarlet Letter , Nathaniel Hawthorne describes a wild rose bush that grows in front of Salem's gloomy wooden jail:

But, on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rose-bush, covered, in this month of June, with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him.

In the context of the novel's setting in 17th century Boston, this rose bush, which grows wild in front of an establishment dedicated to enforcing harsh puritan values, symbolizes those elements of human nature that cannot be repressed, no matter how strict a community's moral code may be: desire, fertility, and a love of beauty. By personifying the rosebush as "offering" its blossoms to reflect Nature's pity (Nature is also personified here as having a "heart"), Hawthorne turns the passive coincidence of the rosebush's location into an image of human nature actively resisting its constraints.

Figurative Language Example: Idiom

Figurative language example: onomatopoeia.

In Act 3, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's The Tempest , Caliban uses onomatopoeia to convey the noises of the island.

Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not. Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices...

The use of onomatopoeia makes the audience feel the sounds on the island, rather than just have to take Caliban's word about there being noises.

Figurative Language Example: Synecdoche

In Act 4, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's Macbeth , an angry Macbeth kicks out a servant by saying:

Take thy face hence.

Here, "thy face" stands in for "you." Macbeth is simply telling the servant to leave, but his use of synecdoche makes the tone of his command more harsh and insulting because he uses synecdoche to treat the servant not as a person but as an object, a body part.

Figurative Language Example: Metonymy

In his song "Juicy," Notorious B.I.G. raps:

Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight

Here he's using "limelight" as a metonymy for fame (a "limelight" was a kind of spotlight used in old theaters, and so it came to be associated with the fame of being in the spotlight). Biggie's use of metonymy here also sets him up for a sweet rhyme.

Figurative Language Example: Alliteration

In his song "Rap God," Eminem shows his incredible lyrical dexterity by loading up the alliteration :

S o I wanna make sure, s omewhere in this chicken s cratch I S cribble and doodle enough rhymes T o maybe t ry t o help get s ome people through t ough t imes But I gotta k eep a few punchlines Just in c ase, ‘ c ause even you un s igned Rappers are hungry l ooking at me l ike it's l unchtime…

Why Do Writers Use Figurative Language?

The term figurative language refers to a whole host of different figures of speech, so it's difficult to provide a single definitive answer to why writers use figurative language. That said, writers use figurative language for a wide variety of reasons:

  • Interest and beauty: Figurative language allows writes to express descriptions, ideas, and more in ways that are unique and beautiful.
  • Complexity and power: Because figurative language can create meanings that go beyond the literal, it can capture complex ideas, feelings, descriptions, or truths that cause readers to see things in a new way, or more closely mirror the complex reality of the world.
  • Visceral affect: Because figurative language can both impact the rhythm and sound of language, and also connect the abstract (say, love) with the concrete (say, a rose), it can help language make an almost physical impact on a reader.
  • Humor: By allowing a writer to layer additional meanings over literal meanings, or even to imply intended meanings that are the opposite of the literal meaning, figurative language gives writers all sorts of options for creating humor in their writing.
  • Realism: People speak and even think in terms of the sorts of comparisons that underlie so much figurative language. Rather than being flowery, figurative language allows writers to describe things in ways that match how people really think about them, and to create characters who themselves feel real.

In general, figurative language often makes writing feel at once more accessible and powerful, more colorful, surprising, and deep.

Other Helpful Figurative Language Resources

  • The dictionary definition of figurative : Touches on figurative language, as well as some other meanings of the word.
  • Figurative and Frost : Examples of figurative language in the context of the poetry of Robert Frost.
  • Figurative YouTube : A video identifying various forms of figurative language from movies and television shows.
  • Wikipedia on literal and figurative language : A bit technical, but with a good list of examples.

The printed PDF version of the LitCharts literary term guide on Figurative Language

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English Studies

This website is dedicated to English Literature, Literary Criticism, Literary Theory, English Language and its teaching and learning.

Personification: A Literary Device

Personification is a literary device in which human characteristics are attributed to non-human things such as animals, objects, or natural phenomena.

Etymology of Personification

Table of Contents

The term “personification” originates from the Latin word personificare . It is a combination of persona (meaning “person”) and facere (meaning “to make” or “to create”). The concept of personification has its roots in ancient rhetoric and literary traditions, dating back to ancient Greece and Rome. It involves attributing human characteristics, emotions, or qualities to non-human entities or abstract concepts.

Meanings of Personification

  • Primary Meaning of Personification: The attribution of human qualities, such as emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, to non-human entities or objects.
  • Literary Use of Personification: Commonly employed in poetry to make abstract ideas more concrete and relatable; for instance, portraying death as a character with a specific personality and motivation.
  • Advertising Application of Personification: Utilized in advertising to make products relatable and approachable to consumers, where a personified object like a car may be featured in ads to appeal to potential buyers.
  • Everyday Speech: Used in everyday language to describe something using human characteristics to enhance understanding or emphasize a particular point.

Personification in Grammar

In grammar, personification is not a specific word category like a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb. Instead, personification is a literary device or figure of speech used to give human qualities or characteristics to non-human things, animals, or ideas. It is often used in writing and literature to make descriptions more vivid and engaging.

Here are the grammatical word categories you requested, along with an example of personification:

  • Noun : A person, place, thing, or idea. Example: The sun smiled down on the children at the playground.
  • Verb : An action or state of being. Example: The wind whispered through the trees.
  • Adjective : A word that describes or modifies a noun. Example: The old house creaked with every step.
  • Adverb : A word that describes or modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Example: The leaves rustled softly in the breeze.

Definition of Personification

Personification is a literary device in which human characteristics are attributed to non-human things such as animals, objects, or natural phenomena. This technique is often used to create a more vivid and imaginative description, as well as to evoke emotions and convey deeper meanings.

Types of Personification

There are several types of personification used in literature:

Suggested Readings

  • Attridge, Derek, and Henry Staten. The Craft of Poetry: Dialogues on Minimal Interpretation. Routledge, 2015.
  • Brooks, Cleanth. The Well Wrought Urn: Studies in the Structure of Poetry. Harcourt, Brace & World, 1947.
  • De Mul, Jos. The Tragedy of Finitude: Dilthey’s Hermeneutics of Life. Yale University Press, 2004.
  • Johnson, Mark. The Body in the Mind: The Bodily Basis of Meaning, Imagination, and Reason. University of Chicago Press, 1987.
  • Lakoff, George, and Mark Johnson. Metaphors We Live By. University of Chicago Press, 2003.
  • Sternberg, Meir. The Poetics of Biblical Narrative: Ideological Literature and the Drama of Reading. Indiana University Press, 1985.
  • Turner, Mark. The Literary Mind: The Origins of Thought and Language. Oxford University Press, 1996.

You may read more on Literary Devices:

  • Meiosis: A Literary Device
  • Rhythm: A Literary Device
  • Adynaton: A Literary Device
  • Adynatons: Creating and Critiquing It
  • Adventure: A Literary Device
  • Adventures: Creating and Critiquing

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IMAGES

  1. Personification: Humanizing Nonliving Things

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  2. Personification: Definition and Examples of Personification in Speech

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  3. Personification Definition And Examples Literary Devices

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  4. 🎉 What does personification mean in literary terms. What Effects Does

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  5. Personification: Definition and Examples of Personification in Speech

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  6. What Is The Definition Of Personification In Poetry

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VIDEO

  1. Personification Examples in Writing || GCSE Creative Writing || Ettienne-Murphy

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  5. Simile, Metaphor and personification #Figure of poetic devices #by sir Amar Raza #viral Info. zone

  6. What is a Personification? A Simple Definition, Examples, and Tips for Using them in Your Stories

COMMENTS

  1. Examples and Definition of Personification

    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.

  2. Personification

    Resources Personification Definition What is personification? Here's a quick and simple definition: Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent to their plans."

  3. Personification Examples and Definition

    As a literary device, personification is the projection of characteristics that normally belong only to humans onto inanimate objects, animals, deities, or forces of nature. These characteristics can include verbs of actions that only humans do or adjectives that describe a human condition.

  4. Personification in Literature: Definition & Examples

    Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples Personification Definition Personification (per-SAHN-nuh-fuh-KAY-shun) is a technique of figurative language that endows non-human subjects with human characteristics. This figure of speech is a form of metaphor, in that it ascribes the qualities of one thing to another.

  5. Personification: Definition and 33 Examples

    Write with Grammarly What is personification? Personification is one of the many literary devices writers use to make their writing more engaging. Other common literary devices include synecdoches, metaphor, and onomatopoeia. With personification, you emphasize a non-human's characteristics by describing them with human attributes.

  6. Personification: Definition and Examples

    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. II. Examples of Personification Personification is very common in both literature and everyday speech.

  7. What Is Personification? Definition and Examples from Literature

    Personification is a literary device that assigns traditionally human attributes to nonhuman things, such as household objects or elements of the natural world. Rather than imbuing functional human agency into these things, personification uses figurative language to illustrate a certain moment in a fresh and unexpected way.

  8. Personification

    personification, figure of speech in which human characteristics are attributed to an abstract quality, animal, or inanimate object. An example is "The Moon doth with delight / Look round her when the heavens are bare" ( William Wordsworth, "Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood," 1807).

  9. Personification Definition and Examples

    Personification is a literary device that refers to the projection of human characteristics onto inanimate objects in order to create imagery. E.g. For example, "When I read his writing, the words just seem to jump off the page" personifies the words. Synonyms: Prosopopoeia, embodiment, epitome, manifestation, externalization

  10. Personification

    Personification gives human qualities, characteristics, and emotions to non-human objects, animals, or concepts. It is a form of figurative language that uses metaphorical language to convey meaning and create vivid imagery. By personifying non-human entities, writers can help readers relate to them on a more personal level and make abstract concepts more concrete.

  11. Personification: Personification Examples for Writers

    Personification is a literary device that uses non-literal language to convey abstract ideas in a relatable way. Personification is a type of metaphor that gives human characteristics to inanimate objects and animals, such as emotions and behaviors. An example of personification is the English nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle," which ...

  12. Personification

    Personification is a figure of speech wherein a thing - an concept or an animal - is given human attributes. The non-human gadgets are portrayed in such a way that we sense they have got the potential to act like human beings. For example, while we say, "The sky weeps," we're giving the sky the capability to cry, that is a human quality.

  13. What is Personification

    Personification is an incredibly useful literary device that is used in sophisticated literature as well as everyday language. In this article, we'll give personification a simple definition and why writers and filmmakers use it in their work. Let's dive in. Tools For Screenwriters Literary Devices Mood Motif Persona Plot Point of View Prologue

  14. Personification Definition & Meaning

    noun per· son· i· fi· ca· tion pər-ˌsä-nə-fə-ˈkā-shən Synonyms of personification 1 : attribution of personal qualities especially : representation of a thing or abstraction as a person or by the human form 2 : a divinity or imaginary being representing a thing or abstraction 3 : embodiment, incarnation Did you know? The Art of Personification

  15. What is Personification? Definition, Examples of Literary

    Personification is common literary device in which human traits and characteristics are attached to an inanimate object, idea, or animal. What is Personification? Personification involves talking about non-human things with human characteristics or attributes.

  16. What Is Personification?

    Put another way, personification is a literary device (a type of metaphor) in which human characteristics are figuratively applied to inanimate objects or abstractions. The jazz hummed lightly into my ear, took me by the hand, and danced with me. In the example above, jazz is personified.

  17. Personification

    Personification is the representation of a thing or abstraction as a person. In the arts, many things are commonly personified.

  18. Personification

    Personification is a literary device that gives human attributes to non-human things, like inanimate objects or abstract ideas. Using human qualities to describe inanimate objects allows writers to present more vivid and lively ideas, allowing their work to come alive (e.g., The lightning danced across the night sky.)

  19. Personification

    Personification is a form of figurative language where traits that are unique to humans are applied to inanimate objects, animals, concepts, or emotions. It is a literary device that is also...

  20. Personification: Definition, Useful Examples, and Importance

    June 16, 2023. Personification is a literary device that attributes human-like qualities to non-human objects, animals, or ideas. It is a type of figurative language that helps writers create more engaging and vivid descriptions. By personifying objects or ideas, writers can create a more relatable and emotional connection with their readers.

  21. Personification: Definition and Examples

    Personification is a literary device that gives human attributes to a non-human object. This may apply to animals, inanimate objects, or even intangible ideas. The writer portrays these non-human objects in a way that makes them seem to act like humans. Personifying Inanimate Objects

  22. Figurative Language

    Dictionary definition of figurative language: According to the dictionary, figurative language is simply any language that contains or uses figures of speech. This definition would mean that figurative language includes the use of both tropes and schemes. Much more common real world use of figurative language: However, when people (including ...

  23. Personification: A Literary Device

    Definition of Personification Personification is a literary device in which human characteristics are attributed to non-human things such as animals, objects, or natural phenomena. This technique is often used to create a more vivid and imaginative description, as well as to evoke emotions and convey deeper meanings.