PERSONIFICATION

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PERSONIFICATION

• Dorothy
• Don't be silly, Toto. Scarecrows don't talk.

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PERSONIFICATION

• A figure of speech which endows animals,
  ideas, or inanimate objects with human traits or
  abilities.

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EXAMPLES

• The Train
• I like to see it lap the miles, And lick the
  valleys up,And stop to feed itself at tanksAnd
  then, prodigious, step
• Around a pile of mountains,And, supercilious,
  peerIn shanties by the sides of roadsAnd then
  a quarry pare
• To fit its sides, and crawl between, Complaining
  all the whileIn horrid, hooting stanzaThen
  chase itself down hill And neigh like
  BoanergesThen, punctual as a start its
  own,Stop-docile and omnipotent-A stable door.
• By Emily Dickinson
•  

• The Cat The Fiddle
• Hey diddle, Diddle,The cat and the fiddle,The
  cow jumped over the moonThe little dog laughed
  To see such sport,And the dish ran away with
  the spoon.
• By Mother Goose
• Two Sunflowers Move in the Yellow Room.
• "Ah, William, we're weary of weather,"said the
  sunflowers, shining with dew."Our traveling
  habits have tired us.Can you give us a room with
  a view?
• They arranged themselves at the windowand
  counted the steps of the sun,and they both took
  root in the carpetwhere the topaz tortoises run.
  William Blake

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PERSONIFICATION Practice

• Lets check to see if you can recognize
  personification.
• Decide whether the following are personification
  or not.

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1.) Walking desks took over town.

• Is it personification?
• Yes!
• Desks dont walk. Humans do.
• Got it?

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2.) I listen to the wind.

• Is it personification?
• No!
• The wind is audible, but might not have human
  characteristics in this instance.
• Try another

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3.) The dog stares carefully at me.

• Is it personification?
• Nope.
• Dogs, like you and I, can stare. Nothing
  especially human about it.
• Get that one right?
• How about this one!

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4.) The snake loves food.

• Is it personification?
• No, again!
• In this example, snakes loving food means they
  like to eat. Nothing more.
• Couple more

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5.) Moon dances around my fear.

• Is it personification?
• Absolutely.
• Human beings can dance. Moons cannot.
• Doing well?

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6.) The thought lumbered around in my mind.

• Is it personification?
• Yes!
• Thoughts dont generally lumber.
• Two more!

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7.) Ronnie Johnson smiles at the fox.

• Is it personification?
• No way!
• Ronnie Johnson is a person. The fox has nothing
  to do with smiling.
• Last one!

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8.) Wind whispers like a tree in the breeze

• Is it personification?
• Yes!
• Winds dont whisper, people do.
• That was it!