Define personification and give an example from a poem or a story.

Define personification and give an example from a poem or a story.

Personification is a literary device in which human qualities or characteristics are attributed to non-human entities or objects. It is a form of figurative language that helps to create vivid imagery and evoke emotions in the reader.

An example of personification can be found in the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. In this poem, Frost personifies the two diverging roads, giving them human-like qualities and decision-making abilities. He writes, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, / And sorry I could not travel both / And be one traveler, long I stood / And looked down one as far as I could / To where it bent in the undergrowth." Here, the roads are given the ability to "bend" and the speaker expresses regret for not being able to choose both paths. This personification helps to convey the speaker's internal struggle and the significance of the choices we make in life.