Writing Tip #46: Use Figures of Speech — Personification

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Brian's Writing Tip #46: Use Figures of Speech--PersonificationUse Figures of Speech: Personification. One thing to like about personification is that the word makes so much sense. What else would you call giving human characteristics to non-human things? If you want to be fancy, you might call it anthropomorphism, but why? To treat something like a person is to personify it. Naturally. We can get pretty elaborate in our personification of concepts like Death and Justice – a black-hooded, scythe-wielding, skeletal ghoul and a robed, blindfolded woman holding scales. But literary personification is most often as simple as referring to a whispering wind, a cheerful sky, or a friendly home. It’s talking about the eye of a needle, the arm of a chair, or the foot of a mountain. There’s no easier way to bring subject matter to life than to attribute to it the personality of a human being.

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About the Author

Brian WaskoBrian is the founder and president of WriteAtHome.com. One of his passions is to teach young people how to write better.View all posts by Brian Wasko

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