This article describes how we must respect nature and others because we are all connected
When I was in college, I had the pleasure of meeting the best English Professor in the world. Her name is Karen Peebles and she made me realize just how much I truly love writing. She was and still is exuberant! Ms. Peebles could read better than anyone that I have ever met. I could sit for hours and listen to her read. Everything had meaning and life, after hearing Ms. Peebles read. However, I must admit, she was tough and Ms. Peebles had the reputation of wanting all students to make good grades.

I’ll never forget, during one particular class we discussed literary devices and I truly enjoyed the topic especially personification. That particular literary device hit home because personification entails giving a non-living entity life. Of course, I have a strong Native American heritage and I already feel that every entity has a life and a spirit. We are all connected and we must respect everything that lives upon Mother Earth. During one particular glass period, Ms. Peebles gave us an assignment in which we had to write a paper on the literary device of our choice. Although I’m fond of symbolism as well, I decided to stick with my favorite, which is personification.

My English class started 6:00 p.m., and it consisted mainly of adult students because we worked during the day; nonetheless, some of my classmates did not enjoy writing. Ms. Peebles could sense a “dragging” attitude and I believe that it made her sad because she wanted us to write wonderful papers and make great grades. After seeing the expression on her face, it was my utmost intention to deliver a great paper and I did! Naturally I understand that we are not in class now and I’m not a teacher but I would like to share my paper with you because Ms. Peebles thoroughly enjoyed my essay and it was filled with culture and truth.

Personification is a main ingredient in our everyday life and my Ancestors unknowingly practiced this literary device on a daily basis! Think about this, Jesus was the greatest Literary Teacher of all times and the Bible is filled with personification, symbolism, litotes, antithesis, metaphor, and anecdotes as well as other literary devices. Many folks think that the Bible is only filled with the gospel but in my opinion the Bible is a great history and English book also. I use passages from the Bible in many of the books and articles that I write. King Solomon and King David are two of the greatest poets that ever lived. When I pick up my Bible it takes me for a stroll along the Nile or a walk through the beautiful Garden of Eden. My mind travels back in time to Egypt, Rome, Greece, or, The Cradle of Civilization called Mesopotamia. Without doubt, personification is my favorite friend and I enjoyed writing on this topic. I believe that you will like “The Giver Of Life.” Sit back and enjoy!

“Ah, Are You Digging On My Grave?” written by Thomas Hardy is an excellent poem in which he uses personification as the major literary device. Thomas Hardy gives a corpse the ability to ask, “Ah, are you digging on my grave” / “My loved One? - Planting rue?” (Hardy) The reply is “O it is I, my mistress dear” / “Your little dog who still lives near…” (Hardy) Everyone in this world will someday experience the emotional pain caused by death. However, this poem views death in a humorous manner and exhibits how we soon forget our deceased. Personification is “a kind of figurative language in which an inanimate object, animal, or other non human is given human traits.” (Barnet, 1540) Without personification, cartoons, comic books, and Disney World would not survive. Personification can give life to that which is lifeless and speech to that which is speechless. Although, personification is classified a literary device it has many roles and it is used daily by people of numerous cultures.

Personification is indeed a very old device, which has been used since the dawn of creation. The Bible utilizes personification to describe a conversation between Eve and a snake: “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” (Genesis 3:1-3)

With the help of personification, we can visualize and hear the famous conversation, which gave, snakes the reputation of being smart and evil. It URKES me when I hear Christian people say, “The devil has power!” I even hear ministers say, “The devil has power!” How can they say such a thing? Whenever I hear someone make that statement I say, “The devil has NO Power because Power belongs to God.” Jesus never said that the devil has power but Jesus did say that the devil was crafty, wise, and subtle. In other words, the devil can fool us right into Hell because he has the ability to make weak people believe that he has power. In another Bible verse Jesus told a Samarian woman, “If thou knewest the gift of God, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. (John 4:10) Brilliantly, Jesus described himself as a gift and he referred to water as a living entity and Jesus is the greatest gift that this world has ever received plus water is a living entity.

“O Great

Native American people also live very close to Mother Earth and from a very early age; we are taught to respect all life. We regard animals “not as some subordinate order of beings put at the service of humans, but as persons, other-than-human person, with whom human beings established relationships.” (Thomas, 240) No successful hunt is complete until the hunter apologizes to the slain animal. And no traditional Native American person will kill an animal unless it is necessary for survival. If no apology is made to the animal, his or her spirit will not rest. As a result, the hunter will never be able to kill another animal and his or her family will starve. A wise Nomlaki Elder said, “Everything in this world talks, just as we are now - the trees, rocks, everything.” (Thomas, 240)

In ancient Egypt, personification was prevalent. The Egyptians believed “humans changed constantly whereas animals were viewed as part of the natural and changeless world and thus suitable for worship.” (Lamm, 27) Egyptian people worshipped many gods, who were depicted as part animal and part human or entirely animal. Pharaoh was also considered a god. Therefore, Egyptian sculptures combined the body of a lion with the head of Pharaoh Khafre, creating the Sphinx. “The Sphinx is the largest surviving colossus - a majestic symbol of power.” (Lamm, 28) Horus is another popular Egyptian god, who is represented by a falcon. Horus is known as the protector of the pharaohs. The famous parents of Horus are Isis and Osiris, who is the god of the underworld. Bastet the cat is a popular Egyptian goddess, who protected pregnant women. “She was also a pleasure - loving goddess, the patroness of music and dancing, who protected people against disease and demons.” (Scarre, 137)

In today’s society, we use personification to give human traits to many things. Undoubtedly, Mr. Ed the talking horse and Morris the cat are two very famous animals, due to personification. For many years, television viewers heard Morris complain about cat food that was not the 9-Lives brand. Meanwhile, Mr. Ed had many amusing conversations with his owner Wilber. Furthermore, we kiss, cuddle, and pamper our pets while saying, “You’re mommy’s precious child!” I say that to my darling pets everyday because I love them true! Don’t laugh guys because you are the world’s greatest users of personification especially when talking about your cars! Men say, “Wow! Look at the body on that babe! My honey can do 90 miles an hour within 2 minutes!” In addition, our children have awesome conversations with their imaginary friends. It is impossible to convince them that “Cousin Willie” from the Reese Pieces commercial is not real. In fact, their imaginary friends are usually temporary houseguest; therefore, be prepared to set an extra plate and glass on the dinner table each night!

Ultimately, personification is indeed the giver of life. The Bible is filled with personification, which proves we are not crazy! Mr. Hardy used personification to beautifully share the conversation between a dead woman and her pet; however, the little dog was not really paying his master a visit because the little dog was actually burying a bone. Nevertheless, we use personification everyday. Without personification the Egyptian and Native American cultures would not be unique. They firmly believe that animals are equal to humans and I agree.

Technology and personification combined has enabled us to watch our favorite non-human characters in action. We can physically hear Mickey Mouse sing a love song to Minnie Mouse or we can watch the Roadrunner out smart Coyote every time. Thanks to personification, we can give human personality to anything. Although “poetry is the oldest literary art form” (Peebles), poetry as well as short stories and drama would be dull without personification.

Works Cited

(Algonquian Poem. “We Are The Stars Which Sing”), (An Indian Prayer. “O Great Spirit”), (Barnet, Sylvan., et. al. An Introduction to Literature.), (Hardy, Thomas. “Ah, Are You Digging On My Grave?”), (Lamm, Robert, and Cross, Neal. The Humanities in Western Culture.), (Peebles, Karen. Lecture. Martin Community College), (Scarre, Chris. TimeLines of The Ancient World.), (The Bible.), (Thomas, David., Miller, Jay., et. al. The Native Americans.)

About the Author

Ruby is a promising writer who lives along the Roanoke River in North Carolina. She loves nature and animals as well as exciting stories that include paranormal activity. Ruby also loves poetry, children, and indigenous history. Ruby's unique writing ability entails "writing like people talk."