Personification (from the Latin persona, person, and facere, to make)

 

Personification (from the Latin persona, person, and facere, to make) is the treating of an inanimate object as if it were animate and is probably the most beautiful and effective of all the figures.

"The mountains sing together, the hills rejoice and clap their hands."

"Earth felt the wound; and Nature from her seat,
Sighing, through all her works, gave signs of woe."

Personification depends much on a vivid imagination and is adapted especially to poetical composition. It has two distinguishable forms: (1) when personality is ascribed to the inanimate as in the foregoing examples, and (2) when some quality of life is attributed to the inanimate; as, a raging storm; an angry sea; a whistling wind, etc.

 Definition:

• Personification (derived from Latin "persona" and "facere") involves treating something non-living as if it were alive, giving it human qualities.

Example:

• The sentence "The mountains sing together, the hills rejoice and clap their hands" exemplifies personification by attributing human actions like singing, rejoicing, and clapping to mountains and hills.

Additional Examples:

• "Earth felt the wound" portrays Earth as a living being capable of feeling pain.
• "A raging storm" personifies the storm, giving it the quality of anger.

Characteristics:

• Personification relies heavily on a vivid imagination to breathe life into non-living entities.
• It's particularly suited for poetry, where descriptive language takes center stage.

Two Forms:

1. Direct Personification: Assigning human characteristics like personality, actions, or thoughts to non-living things. (e.g., "The sun smiled down on the fields.")
2. Implicit Personification: Attributing qualities associated with life to non-living entities, like emotions (e.g., "The river wept") or sensations (e.g., "The wind whispered secrets").

By understanding these points, you gain a deeper appreciation for how personification adds depth and imagery to language, especially in creative writing.

Do you have any further questions about this literary device or any specific aspect of the passage you shared? I'm happy to provide more information or examples.