PERSONIFICATION
Definition: When an author gives objects, concepts or animals human characteristics, emotions
or abilities.
Why Writers Use It: Personification can make non-human objects and ideas more relatable,
since it is easier for humans to relate to another person than, say, a mop. It can also make objects
or ideas seem more vivid.
Hip-Hop Personification Examples
“The new moon rose high in the crown of the metropolis, shining! Like ‘who on top of this?’” Mos Def
“I woke up energized,
My clock speaking,
Closet door open,
My clothes looking at me,
Fresh kicks sleeping” -Median
“Love is blind” -Eve
“Hip-hop is dead.
Hip-hop just died this morning,
And She’s dead.” -Nas
And one teacher even made a mix of popular songs that include Personification.
Personification in Poetry and Literature
“The wind stood up and gave a shout
He whistled on his fingers and
Kicked the withered leaves about
And thumped the branches with his hand” -James Stephens
“O happy dagger!
This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die.” -Romeo and Juliet.
Two Sunflowers Move in the Yellow Room. by William Blake
“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 window
and counted the steps of the sun,
and they both took root in the carpet
where the topaz tortoises run.
Social Studies Personification
Mapmakers used personification to represent conflicts between countries of the world. Why do
you think they did that?
Other Personification Examples
“Oreo: milk’s favorite cookie” -An ad campaign
Personification (2011). Retrieved from http://blog.flocabulary.com/teach-personification-withmickey-mouse-and-hip-hop/