Oftentimes, we would describe inanimate objects with qualities to that of something only a human being can do. Even though we know that dogs can’t laugh, or that stars can never smile upon on us, we would still describe nonliving objects with qualities and actions only living things can do. It helps us emphasize a point, describe an event effectively, and help paint a picture in the minds of the people we are having a conversation with.
We may be unconscious of using it but the method of describing inanimate things with qualities and actions that of a human being’s is called Personification.
Personification is a common literary tool and one of the figures of speech like simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, among others. It is defined as the means or the method in which you give or assign qualities and actions of a human being to things that are not one, like inanimate objects, plants, and even animals. Such qualities or actions include human emotions, sensations, facial expressions, body gestures, and even the desires of the human being.
Personification is derived from its Greek origin which is prosopopoeia that is also derived from another Greek term prósopon which means face or person. You may also like Hyperbole Expressions.
The purpose of personification is simply to bring and give inanimate to life just so you can describe and explain what message you are trying to convey in a better, vivid, and effective way. If you have been using personification in your sentences before, you may have noticed that you have lesser difficulty in trying to explain things to the receiver of your message. You are also able to describe and explain things well and sometimes, even unique. Your sentences, when peppered with personification, you are able to resonate more with the receiver of your message, you are able to give a vivid imagery of what you are trying to say to your message receivers, you are able to establish a mood and intensify or boost a particular emotion you are trying to address in just a plain statement, and you make inanimate objects more relatable. You may also like idiomatic expressions.
You might not be fully aware but you may have been using personification for quite a while in your life. You can make use of this literary device if you are trying to describe something vividly. By using personification, you are able to paint an image to the minds of the people you are trying to convey an image or expanded to greater lengths the vision and imagination of the receiver of your message. You can use personification for when you are writing a poem, a song, or a story because this can help you describe and explain things more. You may also like connotation and denotation examples.
In this sentence, the vintage chair is personified, because obviously, chairs cannot groan while only human beings can.
In this sentence, the puppy is personified as it is given with the ability to dance like a human being. It expresses the puppy’s sheer joy that it finally met his owner and by using that personification, it creates a vivid picture in the minds of the receiver of the message. You may also like relationship goals.
In this sentence, the fire is personified because fires obviously cannot swallow the way human beings can swallow when they eat food. The personification gave the fire the ability to seemingly eat an entire village. You may also like information speech examples.
In this sentence, the plants are personified as it is given with the ability to dance and wave when only human beings can do the said action.
In this sentence, religion is personified as it is given with the ability to not allow or permit something to be done. There are some religions that have a rule in which they are not allowed to do particular things. In this sentence, it’s as if the religion itself is the one not permitting a family to eat pig’s meat. You may also like satisfaction questionnaires.
In this sentence, the wind is personified as it is given with the ability to shriek and scream when it obviously cannot do so. There is a tendency that when there is a strong wind movement, sounds can be heard from it and often times, it would sound like someone is actually shrieking or screaming. You may also like what is writing used for?
In this sentence, the leaves are personified as it is given with the ability to sway like a human being. Leaves are very lightweight that even a puff of wind can cause movement. When there is too much wind movement, it would seem as if winds are actually swaying as the reaction.
In this sentence, the roller coaster ride is personified as it is given with the ability to taunt and challenge when human beings when trying to scare someone, can only do such actions. Any thrill ride can be taunting and challenging depending on the person, that is why for those who are generally afraid of such rides, any ride would seem to them as taunting and challenging. You may also like inspirational speech.
In this sentence, the oil is personified as it is given with the ability to leap out from one place to another. When frying food with oil, there is a tendency that the oil would get too hot that in the event that another thing, for example, a drop of water that would trickle down from the raw fish before you put and fry the fish in the pan, it would react and the usual reaction would be oil and grease coming out from the pan. You may also like idiomatic expressions.
In this sentence, the alarm is personified as it is described as yelling when only human beings can yell at someone or something. The alarm clock yelling means that it has not been turned off by the person who should be up as soon as the alarm would start ringing has not yet been roused from a deep sleep. You may also like acceptance speech examples.
In this sentence, the moon is personified as it is described as playing a hide and seek game.
In this sentence, the water is personified as it is given with the ability to gurgle. When you boil any form of a liquid, particularly water, it would eventually lead to its boiling point and when it does, it would start bubbling and just like the sentence suggests, it would start to gurgle like how human being would gurgle water inside their mouths. You may also like What is Assonance?
In this sentence, the dry lands of the farm are personified because the sentence makes it appear like it is begging. The begging here means that the dry lands of the farm are so dry it seems like it is already begging to be watered like that of a hungry person who would be described as begging when he or she already looks so thin and unhealthy. You may also like examples of symbolism in short story.
In this sentence, the largest city is personified because it is described in the sentence that it never sleeps. This means that the people in the city are up and about even in the wee hours and that the nightlife is also very much alive the same as it is alive during the day. You may also like examples of symbolism in poetry.
In this sentence, the bright orange sun is personified since it is described as smiling and it also welcomes a new day when human beings are the only capable creatures who can smile and welcome anyone. You may assonance and consonance examples.