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 features a cow jumping over the moon.

Personification and anthropomorphism are similar literary devices writers use to personify objects with different impacts. Personification uses figurative language to give inanimate objects or natural phenomena humanlike characteristics in a representative way. On the other hand, anthropomorphism involves non-human things displaying literal human traits and being capable of human behavior.

A writer could employ personification by describing a faulty engine as “temperamental” or a harsh wind as “cruel.” Writers do not mean that either of these things is capable of human emotions but instead use these descriptors as metaphorical. An example of anthropomorphism is Disney’s animated film Beauty and the Beast, in which inanimate objects like teapots and feather dusters possess human emotions and human abilities, like speech. (Personifying inanimate objects with speech attribution is known as prosopopoeia.)

Personification stretches the boundaries of reality to make literature and poetry more vivid. Writers can also use personification to explain concepts, create compelling characters, and illustrate the setting. Consider the following uses:

• Add perspective: Using the rhetorical device of personification can offer a unique perspective. Pet Amanda Gorman utilizes personification in many of her works. “When we look at objects as if they are alive it's a really fascinating way to see another perspective and another view,” she says. “It's kind of like looking at something that's been silenced and giving it a voice.”
• Explain concepts and ideas: Personification creates a way to accurately and concisely describe concepts and ideas. Take the phrase “opportunity knocks”: the unconventional subject-verb pairing is a creative and instantly recognizable way to describe the hope and promise presented by a new opportunity.
• Forge a deeper connection with the reader: Giving objects, ideas, and animals human qualities make them instantly relatable to readers. For example, Jack London describes “stars leaping” through a night sky in his 1903 novel Call of the Wild.
• Illustrate setting: Personification is an effective tool for placing a reader in the story with a 360-degree view of the setting. In Bleak House (1852), Charles Dickens describes a thick fog settling as rolling, hovering, creeping, and “cruelly pinching” the toes and fingers of a boy.

The use of personification can make a story more lively. Examples of famous works that feature personification include:

1. 1. “Paul Revere’s Ride” (1860): Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem uses personification to help readers envision the slow, deliberate silence enveloping Paul Revere as he waits for the signal of a British invasion. In one example, Longfellow describes the night wind as “watchful” and “creeping along from tent to tent, seeming to whisper, ‘All is well!’”
2. 2. “Because I could not stop for Death” (1890): Emily Dickinson’s lyrical poem, published posthumously, personifies death with the lines “Because I could not stop for Death/ He kindly stopped for me.”
3. 3. The Old Man and the Sea (1952): Ernest Hemingway’s novel uses personification to bring life to natural elements, including the ocean, to which he ascribes feminine qualities. The narrator says, “But the old man always thought of her as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favors, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought.”
4. 4. The Haunting of Hill House (1959): Shirley Jackson’s acclaimed horror novel uses personification to turn a house into a living entity. Jackson describes the house as maniacal, arrogant, with a face that seems “awake,” applying figurative language to escalate fear and tension.
5. 5. The Giving Tree (1964): The main characters in The Giving Tree, a children’s book written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein, are a boy and the eponymous apple tree. The tree is like a human being, giving its resources to the boy throughout his life.

Figurative language is a writing technique that uses a non-literal description to create a more vivid image, which is essential for writing rich, compelling prose. Consider the following literary terms:

1. 1. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of the same letter sound across the start of several words in a line of text.
2. 2. Hyperbole. A hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration to make a point.
3. 3. Idiom: An idiom is a widely used saying or expression containing a figurative meaning that differs from the phrase’s literal meaning.
4. 4. Irony: Irony is the contrast between what appears to be real versus actual reality.
5. 5. Metaphor: A metaphor is a non-literal direct comparison of two unlike things.
6. 6. Onomatopoeia: Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like the object it describes. The words “fizz” and “boom” are examples of onomatopoeia.
7. 7. Oxymoron: An oxymoron is a combination of words with contrasting definitions. For example: “jumbo shrimp” and “old news.”
8. 8. Simile: A simile compares two things that usually use the words “like” or “as.” For example, “crazy like a fox.”

Become a better writer with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Billy Collins, Joy Harjo, Neil Gaiman, Walter Mosley, Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates, Dan Brown, and more.