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PersonificationPersonification

Today’s Objectives:•To recognise and understand

the purpose of a poet’ use of personification.

PersonificationPersonification

Where does the word come from?

Answer

The root word in personification is person (human).

DefinitionPersonification is the use of human traits to represent animals, objects, events, and ideas.

Where have you seen animals (real or imaginary) exhibiting these traits and

taking part in these activities?

How does this work?What are some human traits and activities?

Where have you seen animals that exhibit human traits?

• Television– Cartoons– Commercials

• Movies• Stories

– Fables– Fairy Tales– Novels

                                                            

The flowers danced in the wind.

The Earth coughed and choked in all of the pollution.

The friendly gates welcomed us.

EXAMPLES

More Personification examples

The headlights winked in the gathering dusk.

Gentle breezes stroked our faces.

Fire walked across the hill.

The headlights, breeze and fire have taken on human qualities.

THE FROWNING CLIFF by Herbert Asquith

• What is the poem about?• You will be covering this in

Geography• What human qualities is the

sea given in this poem?• What human qualities is the

cliff given? • Why does the sea have a

laugh?• Why is the poem called the

frowning cliff?• What is the last stanza

suggesting will happen?

The sea has a laughAnd the cliff a frown;For the laugh of the seaIs wearing him down.

Lipping and lappingFrown as he may,The laughing seaWill eat him away;

Knees and body,And tawny head,He’ll smile at lastOn a golden bed.