What is Personification? A Complete Guide for Students

Have you ever wondered how objects suddenly seem alive in stories? That is the magic of personification. One of the most engaging figures of speech in English literature, personification helps writers bring ideas, emotions, and settings to life. It occurs when human qualities, such as emotions, actions, or intentions, are attributed to non-human things, including objects, animals, or abstract concepts. By doing so, writers make descriptions more vivid and relatable for readers. Commonly used in poetry, fiction, and everyday language, personification allows readers to connect emotionally with the text. From “the wind whispered” to “time waits for no one,” this literary device adds depth and imagery, making language more expressive and memorable. In this blog, we are going to understand what is personification, understand its purpose through examples, and see how online assignment help can help you with literary devices like personification.

What Does Personification Mean?

The personification definition is a literary device in which something non-human, such as an animal, object, or even an abstract idea, is given human-like qualities. These human qualities could be actions, thoughts, feelings, or emotions, helping in bringing your writing to life and making it more expressive. For example, in ‘I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud’ William Wordsworth describes daffodils in vivid detail using phrases like, “Fluttering and dancing in the breeze” and “The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee”. Here, both daffodils and waves are given the human action of dancing, creating a joyful, lively image of nature. There are many more such examples to explore, but why is it used so extensively? 

1. It helps readers empathise with non-human elements by making objects, nature, or abstract ideas feel emotionally relatable and familiar.

2. To clarify relationships between humans and non-human forces by showing how nature, fate, or time interacts with human life more understandably.

3. To deepen emotional connection to human characters, by reflecting their feelings through the behaviour of the non-human world around them.

4. To emphasise the non-human element’s role in the story by turning it into an active presence rather than a passive background detail.

It all feels quite poetic, doesn’t it? It really is. The idea of giving natural, environmental and even cosmic forces the element of humanness does sound self-centred for the human race, but its beautiful impact on engagement is seen across poems, stories, and popular literary works since ages. 

Personification Examples

Let us define personification with clarity through the help of some popular examples:

1. In ‘Because I Could Not Stop for Death’ by Emily Dickinson, she personifies death in the lines- “Because I could not stop for Death – / He kindly stopped for me.” Here, death is personified as a polite companion, softening the fear associated with mortality.

2. In Percy Bysshe Shelley’s 'Ode to the West Wind', the wind is treated as a powerful living force, emphasising its control over nature. The lines “O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn’s being” portray this perfectly. 

3. In Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare personifies morning and night in the lines “The grey-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night”, highlighting the transition from darkness to hope.

Apart from literature, you can see personification being used in everyday language very often. Phrases like ‘opportunity knocking at one’s door’, ‘The city never sleeps’, and ‘Time is running out’ are all examples of personification. The applications are endless: go explore famous brand campaigns, and you will find them there as well!

Personification vs Anthropomorphism

In order to correctly identify and use personification, it is crucial to understand how it differs from similar figures of speech like anthropomorphism. 

Personification is when human qualities, actions, or emotions are figuratively assigned to non-human things, like objects, animals, or ideas. Its purpose is to create vivid imagery or an emotional effect. 

Whereas anthropomorphism is when non-human characters, like animals or objects, are given literal human traits, such as speech, emotions, or the ability to walk upright and perform various actions. For example, Woody in Toy Story is a toy who is a proper human-like character with the ability to speak, move and emote. In contrast, the daffodils in Wordsworth’s poem don’t speak or move; they just appear to be ‘dancing’ in the wind. The comparison comes down to the literal or figurative assignment of human traits. Literal means anthropomorphism, and figurative means personification.

Identifying and Using Personification

To spot personification in a text, look for whether an object, animal, or abstract concept that is non-human is being described as if it had human qualities. The key question to ask is whether a non-human is acting or feeling human-like. Verbs such as whispered, smiled, danced, crept, or gripped are good examples of personification being used.

When you are writing your own piece, you can apply the simple formula of object + human action or emotion to create personification. The best way to use personification is to use it selectively in your writing. This will help you create a natural effect of personification that will help the reader visualise the scene.

How Locus Assignments Can Help

Identifying and using figures of speech and literary devices like personification in literature assignments and writing can prove to be quite a task. Students, hence, often turn to academic support for the same. Locus Assignments provides expert online assignment help, essay writing services, coursework help and dissertation help services to ensure you score well on English Assignments. Through our assignment helper UK professionals, you can avail of reliable and affordable academic guidance and understand and apply personification in your assignments with ease.

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding the personification meaning helps students identify and strengthen literary analysis. Recognising what is personification, and how writers place emotions and human traits into non-human objects figuratively, helps students appreciate writing and improve exam responses and critical thinking at the same time. For expert guidance in English literature and writing skills, access trusted academic support through the Locus Assignments login.

FAQs

1. What is personification and examples?

Personification is a figure of speech where human qualities are given to non-human things, such as objects, nature, or abstract ideas. It helps make writing more vivid and expressive.

Example: “The wind whispered through the trees.” Here, the wind is given the human action of whispering.

2. Why do poets use personification?

Poets use personification to create strong imagery, express emotions indirectly, and deepen the reader’s emotional connection to the poem.

3. Is personification the same as a metaphor?

No. Personification is a type of metaphor, but it specifically involves giving human traits to non-human things, whereas metaphors compare one thing to another more generally.

4. What is personification in a poem?

In a poem, personification is used to give life and emotion to nature or ideas so the poem feels more powerful and engaging. It helps readers connect emotionally with the imagery.

Example: In I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth, “the waves danced”, making nature appear joyful.

About the Author

Dr. Amelia Clarke is a UK-based researcher and literature expert who has over a decade of experience involving English studies. She holds double honors in English Literature and offers her expertise at Locus Assignments to help students analyse texts in detail and ensure they meet UK university requirements.