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Literature vocabulary · Literary Devices and Figures of Speech

Personification

Meaning in literature, with examples

/pəˌsɒnɪfɪˈkeɪʃn/nounCore term

In literature, personification means: A figure of speech that gives human qualities, feelings or actions to animals, objects, places or ideas, as in 'the wind whispered'.

In Turkish: kişileştirme, teşhis

How it is used

Taught early in poetry analysis. Writers personify nature, cities, death or time; critics say a line uses personification to make something feel alive, threatening or friendly. The verb is personify.

Example sentences

  1. Through personification, the old house seems to watch the family with suspicion.

  2. Find two examples of personification in the description of the sea.

Common collocations

  • use personification
  • an example of personification
  • personification of death
  • personify nature
  • metaphorA figure of speech that describes one thing as if it were something else, without using 'like' or 'as', to show a hidden similarity.
  • figure of speechA use of words in a non-literal or unusual way to create a special effect or meaning, such as a metaphor, simile, hyperbole or personification.
  • imageryDescriptive language that appeals to the senses, such as sight, sound, smell, taste and touch, so that readers can picture or feel what is described.
  • allegoryA story, poem or picture in which characters and events stand for abstract ideas or real situations, so that it has a second, hidden meaning, often moral or political.

More terms: Literary Devices and Figures of Speech

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