What is personification (and how can you use it in your writing)?

Across various genres and forms of literature, a captivating literary device can liven up any piece of creative writing. Chief among these is the concept of personification, a type of metaphor which attributes human characteristics into non-human subjects. See how personification can convey precise emotions and add humanity in order to grab your readers’ attention.

What is personification in literature?

Personification involves giving human traits, ambitions, or feelings to elements that are typically inanimate. This technique makes what might be otherwise abstract or mundane more relatable and understandable which not only enriches the text but also connects readers with the narrative by evoking a stronger sensory response.

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Examples of personification

Some of the most common forms of personification have been attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts:

The hyenas laughed.
The sunlight smiled down at us.
The television blinked awake.
The wind whispered and the sky wept.

Laughing, smiling, blinking, whispering and weeping are all human reactions and emotions, so by imbuing animals, objects, and natural elements with these traits, we can use personification to seem closer to a form of poetry.

Anthropomorphism vs personification

Anthropomorphism is another literary technique that may seem like personification. Yet, anthropomorphism takes things further by turning animals and non-human objects into fully fledged figures.

Think about your favorite cartoon characters who are animals: They act as people, not only gaining the ability to speak, but the ability to express emotions and interact with each other. This is much more than just giving a human activity or attribute. Instead, this makes them human.

How to write personification effectively

Effective personification can act as a shortcut, establishing a setting much more effectively than descriptive text. However, this technique involves more than just assigning any human traits to non-human elements; instead, using personification requires consideration of what human characteristics can best enhance the imagery and emotional appeal of your story and settings.

It is vital to consider what emotion you’re expressing. For example, if you’re trying to establish a spooky atmosphere, you would have to connect the details you might see around a haunted house (trees, wind, full moon) and the human traits, ambitions, or feelings that might contribute to an eerie or unwelcome feeling (lashing, howling, glaring). This example might look like this:

The tree branches lashed out in the howling wind, and the full moon glared down at us.

Conversely, personification works well in establishing a tranquil or idyllic mood. If your character is relaxing in a peaceful field, you can combine the elements that they see (grass, clouds) and how their human traits might contribute to this serene feeling (swaying, dancing).

Tucked among the swaying grass, Martin gazed at the clouds dancing gently across the blue sky.

Using personification effectively can turn simple descriptions into vivid scenes that capture the readers’ imagination. It makes your writing more dynamic and can help convey complex emotions and settings in a relatable way. For other ways to liven up your writing, check out tips for using parallelism, embracing literary tropes, or exploring how to write a memoir.