Ministry of Education and Science of Kyrgyz Republic

Kyrgyz National University named after J. Balasagyn

Independent work of
the student
Theme: Personification

Done by: Kabyl kyzy Nurizat

Group: La-2-18(3)
Supervisor: Bektur kyzy Gulzat

Bishkek 2022
 Contents

Introduction

1. Definition of Personification

2. Difference Between Personification and Anthropomorphism

3. Writing Personification

4. Personification in Literature

Conclusion

Literature
 Introduction
Personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a
person, in literature or art, as an anthropomorphic metaphor. The type of
personification discussed here excludes passing literary effects such as "Shadows
hold their breath", and covers cases where a personification appears as a character
in literature, or a human figure in art. The technical term for this, since ancient
Greece, is prosopopoeia. In the arts many things are commonly personified. These
include numerous types of places, especially cities, countries and the four
continents, elements of the natural world such as the months or Four Seasons, Four
Elements, Four Winds, Five Senses, and abstractions such as virtues, especially the
four cardinal virtues and seven deadly sins, the nine Muses, or death.
In many polytheistic early religions, deities had a strong element of
personification, suggested by descriptions such as "god of". In ancient Greek
religion, and the related Ancient Roman religion, this was perhaps especially
strong, in particular among the minor deities. \  Many such deities, such as
the tyches or tutelary deities for major cities, survived the arrival of Christianity,
now as symbolic personifications stripped of religious significance. An exception
was the winged goddess of Victory, Victoria/Nike, who developed into the
visualization of the Christian angel.
Generally, personifications lack much in the way of narrative myths,
although classical myth at least gave many of them parents among the major
Olympian deities. The iconography of several personifications "maintained a
remarkable degree of continuity from late antiquity until the 18th century". Female
personifications tend to outnumber male ones,  at least until modern national
personifications, many of which are male.
 Definition of Personification
Personification is a figure of speech in which an idea or thing is given
human attributes and/or feelings or is spoken of as if it were human.
Personification is a common form of metaphor in that human characteristics are
attributed to nonhuman things. This allows writers to create life and motion within
inanimate objects, animals, and even abstract ideas by assigning them recognizable
human behaviors and emotions.
Personification is a literary device found often in children’s literature. This
is an effective use of figurative language because personification relies on
imagination for understanding. Of course, readers know at a logical level that
nonhuman things cannot feel, behave, or think like humans. However, personifying
nonhuman things can be an interesting, creative, and effective way for a writer to
illustrate a concept or make a point.
For example, in his picture book, “The Day the Crayons Quit,” Drew
Daywalt uses personification to allow the crayons to express their frustration at
how they are (or are not) being used. This literary device is effective in creating an
imaginary world for children in which crayons can communicate like humans.
Common Examples of Personification
Here are some examples of personification that may be found in everyday
expression:
 My alarm yelled at me this morning.
 I like onions, but they don’t like me.
 The sign on the door insulted my intelligence.
 My phone is not cooperating with me today.
 That bus is driving too fast.
 My computer works very hard.
 However, the mail is running unusually slow this week.
 I wanted to get money, but the ATM died.
 This article says that spinach is good for you.
  Unfortunately, when she stepped on the Lego, her foot cried.
 The sunflowers hung their heads.
 That door jumped in my way.
 The school bell called us from outside.
 In addition, the storm trampled the town.
 I can’t get my calendar to work for me.
 This advertisement speaks to me.
 Fear gripped the patient waiting for a diagnosis.
 The cupboard groans when you open it.
 Can you see that star winking at you?
 Books reach out to kids.
Examples of Personification in Speech or Writing
Here are some examples of personification that may be found in everyday
writing or conversation:
 My heart danced when he walked in the room.
 The hair on my arms stood after the performance.
 Why is your plant pouting in the corner?
 The wind is whispering outside.
 Additionally, that picture says a lot.
 Her eyes are not smiling at us.
 Also, my brain is not working fast enough today.
 Those windows are watching us.
 Our coffee maker wishes us good morning.
 The sun kissed my cheeks when I went outside.
Famous Personification Examples
Think you haven’t heard of any famous personification examples? Here are
some well-known and recognizable titles and quotes featuring this figure of
speech:
Titles
 “The Brave Little Toaster” (novel by Thomas M. Disch and adapted
animated film series)
 “This Tornado Loves You” (song by Neko Case)
 “Happy Feet” (animated musical film)
 “Time Waits for No One” (song by The Rolling Stones)
 “The Little Engine that Could” (children’s book by Watty Piper)
Quotes
    “The sea was angry that day, my friends – like an old man trying to send
back soup in a deli.” (Seinfeld television series)
    “Life moves pretty fast.” (movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”)
    “The dish ran away with the spoon.” (“Hey, diddle, diddle” by Mother
Goose)
    “The Heart wants what it wants – or else it does not care” (Emily
Dickinson)
    “Once there was a tree, and she loved a little boy.” (“The Giving Tree” by
Shel Silverstein)
Difference Between Personification and Anthropomorphism
Personification is often confused with the literary
term anthropomorphism due to fundamental similarities. However, there is a
difference between these two literary devices. Anthropomorphism is when human
characteristics or qualities are applied to animals or deities, not inanimate objects
or abstract ideas. As a literary device, anthropomorphism allows an animal or deity
to behave as a human. This is reflected in Greek dramas in which gods would
appear and involve themselves in human actions and relationships.
In addition to gods, writers use anthropomorphism to create animals that
display human traits or likenesses such as wearing clothes or speaking. There are
several examples of this literary device in popular culture and literature. For
example, Mickey Mouse is a character that illustrates anthropomorphism in that he
wears clothes and talks like a human, though he is technically an animal. Other
such examples are Winnie the Pooh, Paddington Bear, and Thomas the Tank
Engine.
Therefore, while anthropomorphism is limited to animals and deities,
personification can be more widely applied as a literary device by including
inanimate objects and abstract ideas. Personification allows writers to attribute
human characteristics to nonhuman things without turning those things into
human-like characters, as is done with anthropomorphism.
Writing Personification
Overall, as a literary device, personification functions as a means of
creating imagery and connections between the animate and inanimate for readers.
Therefore, personification allows writers to convey meaning in a creative and
poetic way. These figures of speech enhance a reader’s understanding of concepts
and comparisons, interpretations of symbols and themes, and enjoyment of
language.
Here are instances in which it’s effective to use personification in writing:
Demonstrate Creativity
Personification demonstrates a high level of creativity. To be valuable as a
figure of speech, the human attributes assigned to a nonhuman thing through
personification must make sense in some way. In other words, human
characteristics can’t just be assigned to any inanimate object as a literary device.
There must be some connection between them that resonates with the reader,
demanding creativity on the part of the writer to find that connection and develop
successful personification.
Exercise Poetic Skill
Many poets rely on personification to create vivid imagery and
memorable symbolism. For example, in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven,” the
poet skillfully personifies the raven through allowing it to speak one word,
“nevermore,” in response to the narrator’s questions. This is a powerful use of
personification, as the narrator ends up projecting more complex and intricate
human characteristics onto the bird as the poem continues though the raven only
speaks the same word.
Create Humor
Personification can be an excellent tool in creating humor for a reader. This
is especially true among young readers who tend to appreciate the
comedic contrast between a nonhuman thing being portrayed as possessing human
characteristics. Personification allows for creating humor related to incongruity
and even absurdity.
Enhance Imagination
Overall, personification is a literary device that allows readers to enhance
their imagination by “believing” that something inanimate or nonhuman can
behave, think, or feel as a human. In fact, people tend to personify things in their
daily lives by assigning human behavior or feelings to pets and even objects. For
example, a child may assign emotions to a favorite stuffed animal to match their
own feelings. In addition, a cat owner may pretend their pet is speaking to them
and answer back. This allows writers and readers to see a reflection of humanity
through imagination. Readers may also develop a deeper understanding of human
behavior and emotion.
Personification in Literature
Example #1: The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros)
But the house on Mango Street is not the way they told it at all. It’s small
and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you’d think they were
holding their breath.
In the first chapter of Cisneros’s book, the narrator Esperanza is describing
the house into which she and her family are moving. Her parents have promised
her that they would find a spacious and welcoming home for their family, similar
to what Esperanza has seen on television. However, their economic insecurity has
prevented them from getting a home that represents the American dream.
Cisneros uses personification to emphasize the restrictive circumstances of
Esperanza’s family. To Esperanza, the windows of the house appear to be “holding
their breath” due to their small size, creating an image of suffocation. This
personification not only enhances the description of the house on Mango Street for
the reader, but it also reflects Esperanza’s feelings about the house, her family, and
her life. Like the windows, Esperanza is holding her breath as well, with the hope
of a better future and the fear of her dreams not becoming reality.
Example #2: Ex-Basketball Player (John Updike)
Off work, he hangs around Mae’s Luncheonette.
Grease-gray and kind of coiled, he plays pinball,
Smokes those thin cigars, nurses lemon phosphates.
Flick seldom says a word to Mae, just nods
Beyond her face toward bright applauding tiers
Of Necco Wafers, Nibs, and Juju Beads.
In his poem about a former basketball player named Flick, Updike
recreates an arena crowd watching Flick play pinball by personifying the candy
boxes in the luncheonette. The snack containers “applaud” Flick as he spends his
free time playing a game that is isolating and requires no athletic skill. However,
the personification in Updike’s poem is a reflection of how Flick’s life has changed
since he played and set records for his basketball team in high school.
Flick’s fans have been replaced by packages of sugary snacks with little
substance rather than real people appreciating his skills and cheering him on. Like
the value of his audience, Flick’s own value as a person has diminished into
obscurity and the mundane now that he is an ex-basketball player.
Example #3: How Cruel Is the Story of Eve (Stevie Smith)
It is only a legend,
You say? But what
Is the meaning of the legend
If not
To give blame to women most
And most punishment?
This is the meaning of a legend that colours
 All human thought; it is not found among animals.
How cruel is the story of Eve,\What responsibility it has
In historyFor misery.
In her poem, Smith personifies the story of Eve as it is relayed in the first
book of the Bible, Genesis. Smith attributes several human characteristics to this
story, such as cruelty and responsibility. Therefore, this enhances the deeper
meaning of the poem which is that Eve is not to blame for her actions, essentially
leading to the “fall” of man and expulsion from Paradise In addition, she is not to
blame for the subjugation and inequality that women have faced throughout history
and tracing back to Eve.
Eve’s “story” or “legend” in the poem is accused by the poet of coloring
“all human thought.” In other words, Smith is holding the story responsible for the
legacy of punishment towards women throughout history by its portrayal of Eve,
the first woman, as a temptress and sinner. The use of this literary device is
effective in separating Eve’s character as a woman from the manner in which her
story is told.
Conclusion
Personifications are very common elements in allegory, and historians and
theorists of personification complain that the two have been too often confused, or
discussion of them dominated by allegory. Single images of personifications tend
to be titled as an "allegory", arguably incorrectly.  By the late 20th century
personification seemed largely out of fashion, but the semi-
personificatory superhero figures of many comic book series came in the 21st
century to dominate popular cinema in a number of superhero film franchises.
According to Ernst Gombrich, "we tend to take it for granted rather than to
ask questions about this extraordinary predominantly feminine population which
greets us from the porches of cathedrals, crowds around our public monuments,
marks our coins and our banknotes, and turns up in our cartoons and our posters;
these females variously attired, of course, came to life on the medieval stage, they
greeted the Prince on his entry into a city, they were invoked in innumerable
speeches, they quarrelled or embraced in endless epics where they struggled for the
soul of the hero or set the action going, and when the medieval versifier went out
on one fine spring morning and lay down on a grassy bank, one of these ladies
rarely failed to appear to him in his sleep and to explain her own nature to him in
any number of lines".
Literature

 Jennifer O’Reilly: Studies in the Iconography of the Virtues and Vices in the

Middle Ages. New York/London 1988.
 Emma Stafford: Worshipping virtues. Personification and the Divine in
Ancient Greece. London 2000.

 Emma Stafford, Judith Herrin (eds.): Personification in the Greek world.

From Antiquity to Byzantium. Aldershot/Hampshire 2005.

 Tucker, Shawn R., The Virtues and Vices in the Arts: A Sourcebook, 2015,
Wipf and Stock Publishers, ISBN 1625647182, 9781625647184