An Introduction to Poetry

Poetic Techniques: Personification

What is Personification?

• Where a non-living object, an animal or an abstract idea is given human qualities.

• The sentence involves a human action. • The poet writes about the object as if it is

a person.

For Example:

– The swimming pool invited me in for a refreshing swim.

– The poison ivy vines raced up the side of the tree.

– The tall grass danced in the wind.

A Poem About Smiling:

Activity!

• In Pairs…– Select an Object – Discuss:

If you have pets, you may wish to consider what

person-like traits they have!

If this object was human, what kind of person would it

be?

Why Personify? – Something To Think About

Alice Plays Croquet

Personification is fun!...• Personification can make

things easier to imagine when you read them. For example, you can’t see

the wind, but if someone wrote “the wind raged with fierce anger” we might get a better impression of how strong the wind blew that

day.

Why Personify? – Something To Think About

Artists and poetshave always

thought there is something

important about the connection

betweenpeople and

objects

The Reckless Sleeper –A Painting by René

Magritte

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

The waves beside them danced; but theyOut-did the sparkling waves in glee:A poet could not but be gay,In such a jocund company: I gazed--and gazed--but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought:

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.

A Centipede Was Happy Quite

A centipede was happy quite, Until a frog in fun

Said, "Pray, which leg comes after which?“This raised her mind to such a pitch, She lay distracted in the ditch

Considering how to run.Anonymous

Any Questions?

To recap, we have:• Defined “Personification”• Seen the technique at work in the poems

I Wandered Lonely as Cloud and The Centipede Was Happy Quite

• Applied our own personifications to real objects

Homework Task

• Now, we will start writing our own personification poems, which you can complete at home.

• Remember: – a personification poem compares:

• an object• Animal or• Idea

–To something humanlike.