FIGURATIVE SPEECH: PERSONIFICATION AND POETRY

Why use Personification? Creating Empathy: The use of personification adds depth to a piece of writing, helping a reader to better understand something non-human because it is easier to relate to something that is human, or which possesses human traits. Adjusting perspective: By focusing on the potential feelings of an inanimate object, readers are able to shift their perspective and focus in order to help understand something they may not have appreciated previously. This doesn’t have to be the inanimate object – it could be the environment or the situation it is a part of. Creativity: Personification is a typically fun and accessible way to explore thoughts and feelings. It can be highly effective for explaining complex situations, or for children. The technique could also be integrated into an allegory or fable.

What's a personification example? The stars danced in the sky. In this example, the stars are the subject of the sentence and are an object. Dancing, however, is a verb generally associated with people and gives an image of the movement of the stars. In the jungle, the lion sings tonight. Again, lions can’t sing. The lion is roaring, but the use of the verb sing adds an element of emotion and description to the action. Those flowers are begging for water in this hot weather. In this example, the flowers need water, but using the dramatic verb ‘beg’ gives them a much more human character and creates an emotional response from the reader.