Use personification
Key notes :
1. Definition of Personification
- Personification is a literary device where non-human things, animals, or abstract concepts are given human characteristics or qualities.
- It helps create vivid imagery and emotional connections in writing.
2. Purpose of Personification
- Enhances Imagery: It allows readers to visualize and connect more deeply with the subject.
- Adds Emotion: By giving human traits to non-human things, writers can evoke emotional responses from the audience.
- Makes Abstract Ideas Tangible: Personification can simplify complex or abstract concepts, making them easier to understand.
3. Examples of Personification
- “The wind whispered through the trees.” (Wind cannot literally whisper, but this gives it a gentle, human-like quality.)
- “The sun smiled down on us.” (The sun doesn’t have a smile, but it conveys warmth and positivity.)
4. Common Uses of Personification
- Nature: Describing natural elements like wind, sun, moon, or trees with human attributes.
- Objects: Giving life to inanimate objects, such as “The clock stared at me as the minutes passed.”
- Animals: Portraying animals with human-like emotions or actions, e.g., “The dog scowled at the cat.”
5. How to Identify Personification
- Look for descriptions of non-human things with human actions, feelings, or characteristics.
- Often found in poetry, but also used in prose to enhance storytelling.
6. Effect of Personification
- It makes writing more engaging by creating relatable and often emotional connections with the audience.
- Personification can also help develop themes and messages in literature by making abstract ideas or concepts more accessible.
7. Personification in Different Genres
- Poetry: Frequently used to give life to nature and emotions.
- Fiction: Common in storytelling, especially in children’s literature or fantasy genres.
- Advertisements: Marketers often use personification to make products seem more relatable, e.g., “This car loves the open road.”
8. Personification in Popular Culture
- In many movies and books, characters are animals or objects with human personalities, like in animated films where animals talk or have emotions.
Learn with an example
➡️ Complete the sentence so that it uses personification.
Covered in an arbitrary assortment of old patio chairs and a large metal table, the dilapidated veranda ______ the weight of all that furniture.
- sagged from
- grumbled about
Complete the sentence with the phrase grumbled about. It describes the veranda as if it were a person who is upset.
➡️ Complete the sentence so that it uses personification.
Even through my heavy parka, I could still feel the icy ____ of winter.
- fingers
- weather
Complete the sentence with the word fingers. It describes winter as if it were a person with fingers.
➡️ Complete the sentence so that it uses personification.
Everyone in the room turned as Jon strolled in, his sleek silk suit_____ his wealth.
- indicating
- bragging about
Complete the sentence with the phrase bragging about . It describes Jon’s silk suit as if it were a person who talks boastfully.
let’s practice!
