Personification
Personification: Giving human qualities to non-human things or abstract ideas.
Personification lets a writer stage the inanimate world as a cast of characters, so settings and ideas can act, threaten or comfort instead of merely existing.
Personification examples
"Because I could not stop for Death, / He kindly stopped for me."
— Emily Dickinson
"The wind whispered through the trees."
— common usage
"The fog comes on little cat feet."
— Fog, Carl Sandburg
"Ah, sunflower, weary of time."
— Ah! Sun-flower, William Blake
Want a full walkthrough? Read our long-form guide: Personification examples, explained.
Spot the Personification
Score: 0/0Giving human qualities to non-human things or abstract ideas.
"Because I could not stop for Death, / He kindly stopped for me."
Which work is this from?
Explore every literary device in the poetic devices hub.
Personification: common questions
What is personification in literature?
Giving human qualities to non-human things or abstract ideas. Personification lets a writer stage the inanimate world as a cast of characters, so settings and ideas can act, threaten or comfort instead of merely existing.
What is an example of personification?
A classic example is "Because I could not stop for Death, / He kindly stopped for me." (Emily Dickinson).
What is the difference between personification and anthropomorphism?
Personification is figurative: the wind whispers but remains wind. Anthropomorphism is literal within the story: the animals in Animal Farm actually talk, plot and walk on two legs.
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