Personification is an important and powerful tool used in poetry. It is the act of a writer attributing human qualities to inanimate objects, plants or animals. Personification adds an extra layer of meaning to the poem and can help to create a clear and vivid picture for the reader. Personification has been used for centuries to help writers’ create imagery and to give their work an added layer of emotion.
The most common form of personification is when the writer assigns human characteristics to an animal, such as when they “speak” or “sing”. For instance, in William Blake’s poem, The Tyger, he personifies the tiger: “What immortal hand or eye/Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” Here, Blake is giving the animal human qualities such as the ability to create and to understand its own beauty.
Personification also often goes beyond assigning human characteristics to animals, and is sometimes used to assign traits to inanimate objects or nature. Writers often use personification to bring landscapes and structures to life, as in this example from Robert Frost’s poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening: “The woods are lovely, dark and deep”. In this example, Frost is giving the woods human characteristics such as loveliness. This creates a vivid image for the reader and can also help to convey emotion.
In addition to creating imagery, personification can also be used to create emotional connections with the reader. By assigning human characteristics to inanimate objects, the writer can make the reader feel more connected to the poem and build empathy. For example, Alfred Lord Tennyson personifies ships in his poem Ulysses: “Though the breeze strip the wood, the sloop carries on/ Steadily to his home”. Here, Tennyson is invoking empathy in the reader for the ship by assigning it feelings such as homesickness.
Personification can also be used to make political and social commentary. Writers often use it to draw attention to the inequalities between people and things. For example, in Robert Browning’s poem, Porphyria’s Lover, he personifies the rain, talking about “the sullen wind/soothed not her pain”. Here, Browning is drawing attention to the unfairness of the weather treating Porphyria’s lover differently to how it treats her.
In conclusion, personification is a powerful and effective tool used by writers to create images and evoke emotion. It is often used to bring forth social and political commentary, or to create empathy in the reader. Personification is a versatile and dynamic tool that helps writers to create vivid and memorable poems.
Examples in Literature
Personification can be found throughout literature, from Homer’s legendary Odyssey to modern works of poetry. Writers such as William Wordsworth and Alfred Lord Tennyson are famous for their use of personification. In Wordsworth’s poem, Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood, he assigns human qualities to nature, talking of “a Presence that disturbs me with the joy/of elevated thoughts”. Here, Wordsworth is giving nature human qualities such as joy and whimsy. On the other hand, Tennyson uses Personification to evoke emotion in the reader in his poem The Kraken, assigning the creature human qualities such as anxiety and despondency – “Below the thunders of the upper deep;/ Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea/ His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep/ the Kraken slumber soft”.
Interpretations of Personification
The use of personification can often be open to interpretation by the reader. Writers might have different intentions in assigning human qualities to inanimate objects and animals, for example, to create empathy or to draw attention to a particular issue. Personification can also be used to convey different moods, from melancholy to joy. For example, in W. B. Yeats’ poem, The Song of Wandering Aengus, he talks of a “golden apple-tree” that is “filled with blossoms”. Here, Yeats’ use of personification and imagery is intended to evoke joy in the reader.
Personification in Popular Culture
Personification can also be found in everyday language and in popular culture. For example, people often refer to cars as having “personality”, or refer to their computer as “she”. Artists such as Bjork and Eminem also often use personification in their songs. In his song Stan, Eminem talks of a fan’s obsession with him, saying “Dear Slim, I wrote but you still ain’t callin”. Here, Eminem is assigning his fan human qualities such as the ability to write and receive phone calls.
Conclusion of Personification
In conclusion, personification is an important and versatile tool used by writers to create vivid images and to evoke emotion. Personification can be found in literature, everyday language and popular culture. It can help writers to create powerful imagery and draw attention to political and social themes. Personification can also be open to interpretation by the reader, with different writers using it to convey different moods.
Relevance of Personification
Personification is still as relevant and powerful today as it ever has been. As technology advances, and the lines between human and machine become increasingly blurred, the themes explored in personification become even more relevant. Writers use personification to explore the complexities of the human condition and to explore the relationship between people and technology. For example, in the poem Singularity by Jenny Xie, she personifies technology, talking of “machines of gilded armor” and “machines that burrow beneath the moss”. Xie is exploring the complex relationship between humans and machines, and how technology can affect our lives.
Impacts of Personification
Personification can have a powerful impact on readers, as it helps bring to life inanimate objects and animals, creating vivid images and provoking thought. By attributing human qualities to animals and inanimate objects, personification helps evoke empathy and thought in readers. It encourages them to think outside of the box and to rethink their views of the world. For example, in Seamus Heaney’s poem Death of a Naturalist, he personifies frogs, talking of “slime-knots” and a “grunt-cough”. By personifying the frogs, Heaney is drawing attention to the beauty and fragility of the natural world and encouraging readers to think differently about nature.
Personification in Schools
Personification is an important tool to teach in schools, as it helps to teach empathy, encourages creativity, and helps to engage younger learners. Teaching personification to children helps them to think outside of the box, and to explore different angles and perspectives on a text. It also helps children to explore their imagination and to develop their writing skills. For example, in primary school, teachers can task students to write a poem that personifies a tree or an animal, or to write a story that explores how technology can affect people’s lives.
