Poetic Terms Dictionary
Figure of Speech

Personification

From Latin personificare: to give a face to. Distinguished from apostrophe (which addresses) and allegory (which narrativises). Also called prosopopoeia.

Definition

Attributing human qualities, actions, or emotions to non-human entities — animals, objects, or abstract concepts.

Example

'Death, be not proud, though some have callèd thee / Mighty and dreadful…' (Donne, Holy Sonnet X)

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