Previous
Pathos
Definition of Personification
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the... read full definition
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—The Compassionate Sea:
When Solomon is on the ship taking him from Washington, D.C. to Louisiana to be sold into slavery, he uses a personification to communicate the depth of his despair:
It would have been a happy thing for most of us—it would have saved the agony of many hundred lashes, and miserable deaths at last—had the compassionate sea snatched us that day from the clutches of remorseless men. The thought of Randall and little Emmy sinking down among the monsters of the deep, is a more pleasant contemplation than to think of them as they are now, perhaps, dragging out lives of unrequited toil.
Related Themes:
Chapter 14
Explanation and Analysis—Solomon's Violin:
At a few different points in the memoir, Solomon uses personification to capture the important, comforting role his violin played in his life during the years he was enslaved. In Chapter 14 he writes:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I met with other good fortune, for which I was indebted to my violin, my constant companion, the source of profit, and soother of my sorrows during years of servitude.
Related Themes:
Chapter 15
Explanation and Analysis—Solomon's Violin:
At a few different points in the memoir, Solomon uses personification to capture the important, comforting role his violin played in his life during the years he was enslaved. In Chapter 14 he writes:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I met with other good fortune, for which I was indebted to my violin, my constant companion, the source of profit, and soother of my sorrows during years of servitude.
Related Themes:
Chapter 18
Explanation and Analysis—Whips and Fields:
During Epps’s brutal public beating of Patsey, Solomon uses a pair of personifications to capture the violence of his actions as well as the eerie atmosphere of the event:
Unlock with LitCharts A+She no longer writhed and shrank beneath the lash when it bit out small pieces of her flesh. I thought that she was dying! It was the Sabbath of the Lord. The fields smiled in the warm sunlight—the birds chirped merrily amidst the foliage of the trees—peace and happiness seemed to reign everywhere, save in the bosoms of Epps and his panting victim and the silent witnesses around him. The tempestuous emotions that were raging there were little in harmony with the calm and quiet beauty of the day.
Related Themes:
