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Paradox
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
Key Examples in Snow Falling on Cedars
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Rain Roared:
In one of the narrator's early reflections on the harsh winter climate of San Piedro and its effect on the people who live there, Guterson uses auditory imagery and personification to show how the weather occasionally erases all signs of human presence:
Rain, the spirit of the place, patiently beat down everything man-made. On winter evenings it roared in sheets against the pavements and made Amity Harbor invisible.
Related Themes:
Chapter 29
Explanation and Analysis—Endless Tide:
This moment comes at the end of Kabuo Miyamoto’s trial, when Nels Gudmundsson urges the jury to think about their own values when considering the evidence. Guterson uses personification and metaphor in the elderly lawyer’s closing argument to present injustice as a force that demands moral strength from every juror individually:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I merely wish to point out that in the face of such a world you have only yourselves to rely on. You have only the decision you must make, each of you, alone. And will you contribute to the indifferent forces that ceaselessly conspire toward injustice? Or will you stand up against this endless tide and in the face of it be truly human?
Related Themes:
