Personification

As humans, we naturally see the world through human eyes. This can extend to using human characteristics to describe the natural world, a literary technique known as personification. 

Introduction

Personification allows writers to describe things in the world around them in a way that makes sense to other human beings. For example, we can say that the wind howled or the walls shuddered.

This technique also allows writers to use aspects of the natural world to represent ideas or emotions in their writing.  

Emily Dickinson

To help us better understand personification, consider the human heart. This organ is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body, ensuring energy is distributed to wherever it is needed. 

The heart will also, at times, beat faster in response to something that is happening, such as the perception of danger, or attraction to another person. 

While such a response can be explained in scientific terms, for writers, it is an opportunity to add a touch of human drama to a situation. 

Consider the following line from Emily Dickinson: 

Of course, the heart does not really want anything: it has no needs or desires of its own, and simply responds to electrical impulses. 

That said, we have all felt the pull of a fast-beating heart towards something we desire, and Dickinson effectively taps into this feeling to connect with her audience. 

Understanding Personification

Personification allows us to take seemingly-mundane things in the world around us and give them recognisable human qualities. This bridging of the natural world and the English language allows us to add both flavour and meaning to our writing. 

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Pathetic Fallacy