Types of comparisons in poetry including personification and allusion
Chloe Davis
7 min read
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Study Guide Overview
This study guide covers personification and allusion in poetry and prose. It explains the definitions and impact of each technique, provides examples and practice questions, and offers exam tips. The guide also briefly mentions other important AP Literature concepts like metaphor, simile, symbolism, tone, and theme.
#AP English Literature: Personification and Allusion - Your Night-Before Guide 🚀
Hey there, future AP Lit master! Let's make sure you're feeling confident and ready to ace this exam. This guide is designed to be your quick-reference, high-impact review. Let's dive in!
#Literary Techniques: Comparisons 📚
We're diving into the world of comparisons, focusing on personification and allusion. These are key for analyzing poetry and prose, and they pop up everywhere on the AP exam. Let's get them down!
#Personification: Giving Life to the Inanimate 🎭
Definition: Personification is when you give human traits or qualities to non-human things (objects, ideas, animals, etc.). Think of it as making the non-living act like they have feelings, thoughts, or human-like actions.
"Personification is a type of comparison that assigns a human trait or quality to a nonhuman object, entity, or idea, thus characterizing that object, entity, or idea." - AP Lit CED
Why do poets use it? To make their poems more vivid, relatable, and emotionally resonant. It's like adding a splash of human color to the world of the non-human.
#Examples:
- Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud": The daffodils are "fluttering" and "dancing." 🌼 This makes them seem joyful and lively.
- Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death": Death is personified as a kind gentleman. 💀 This makes death seem less scary and more like a gentle transition.
Think of personification as giving a persona to something that doesn't have one. It's like a character actor taking on a role!
#Impact of Personification:
- Vivid Images: Makes the poem more engaging and memorable. 🖼️
- Emotional Weight: Adds feelings and empathy. ❤️
- Layers of Meaning: Allows exploration of complex ideas. 💡
- Symbolism and Metaphor: Gives non-human things deeper meanings.
- Imagination and Creativity: Makes the poem more imaginative and creative.
When analyzing personification, always ask: What human quality is being given? and Why did the poet choose this particular quality?.
Practice Question
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