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Personification
• Personification • representing an animal or inanimate object as having human attributeshuman attributes
Personification at its simplest is describing non-humans with human qualities
Personification
• Personification, Continued
• These can be attributes of form, character, feelings, behavior, and so on.
Do chess pieces literally attack each other? Or do we use personification to describe these actions?
Personification
• Personification, Continued
• Even Ideas and abstractions can also be personified.
Purpose
• Primary Purpose • Primarily used as a vivid descriptive device
• Ideas can be brought to life through personification and objects can be given greater interest.
Purpose
• Secondary Purpose • Can also serve to make an abstraction clearer by explaining a concept in terms of everyday human action
• In other words it allows writers to arrange the world on their own terms, so that the reader can further comprehend it
Clichés and Overuse
• Pitfalls and Problems: – Clichés
– Overuse
– “Winking stars” is a tired and overdone use of personification
– The angry clouds in the hateful sky cruelly spat down on the poor man who had forgotten his umbrella.
– This sentence has so much personification that it is distracting
Examples
• The ship began to creak and protest as it struggled against the rising sea.
• Where is the personification in the above sentence?
Examples
• The ship began to creak and protest as it struggled against the rising sea.
Examples
• We bought this house instead of the one on Maple because this one is more friendly.
• Where is the personification in the above sentence?
Examples
• We bought this house instead of the one on Maple because this one is more friendly.
Examples
• This coffee is strong enough to get up and walk away.
• Where is the personification in the above sentence?
Examples
• This coffee is strong enough to get up and walk away.
Examples
• I can't get the fuel pump back on because this bolt is being uncooperative.
• Where is the personification in the above sentence?
Examples
• I can't get the fuel pump back on because this bolt is being uncooperative.
Examples
• After two hours of political platitudes, everyone grew bored. Even the chairs were bored.
• Where is the personification in the above sentence?
Examples
• After two hours of political platitudes, everyone grew bored. Even the chairs were bored.
Your Turn
• Replace or add words to make the sentence use personification.
• 1.My bedroom door (opened).
• Example Answer: My bedroom door crawled slowly away from me.
Your Turn
• 2.The puppy (barked) when I left for school.
Your Turn
• 3.The leaf (fell) from the tree.
Your Turn
• 4.The flashlight (went on).
Your Turn
• 5.Hair (is) on my head.
Your Turn
• 6.The CD player (made a noise).
Your Turn
• 7.The net (moves) when the basketball goes through.
Your Turn
• 8.The player piano keys (moved up and down).
Your Turn
• 9.The space shuttle (took off).
Your Turn
• 10.The little arrow (moves) across the computer screen.