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Personification is a figure of speech, a poetic device in which human attributes are given to animals, non-living things or ideas. The objects speak/behave like humans, with human emotions in such cases.
Example:
Personifying animals:
- The cat asked the mouse for a dinner treat.
- The dog asked his master to let him inside.
Personifying ideas:
- Love is blind.
- His anger oozed out in his words.
Personifying non-living things:
- The popcorn popped out of the bowl immediately in the oven.
- The sun shined and smiled upon us, early in the morning.
- When human qualities are given to objects, the writer/poet can convey the meaning easily.
- The understanding of the idea is made easier when objects are personified.
- It helps to build a character around the object.
- Makes the text/poetry more interesting and fun to read.
- Literal meanings are to be ignored in such cases.
Personification used in the poem "The Duck and the Kangaroo":
- The entire poem is a personification as it narrates the story of the duck and Kangaroo, which treats them as human beings with valid emotions and feelings such as fear, love, respect, concern etc. Humanly feelings are given to animals in the poem, thereby personifying them.
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