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Motifs
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
Part I
Explanation and Analysis—Sun and Ice:
In Part I of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the Mariner describes the initially sunny journey across the sea, personifying the sun as a warm presence that appears and disappears with comforting regularity:
The Sun came up upon the left,
Out of the Sea came he:
And he shone bright, and on the right
Went down into the Sea.
Here, the sun is described as having a specific direction of movement and action. The speaker's personification of the sun imbues it with a sense of agency, as if it is a conscious entity following a deliberate path. The use of the pronoun "he" further emphasizes this personification, assigning a gender and a sense of life to the sun.
By contrast, later in this section, the Mariner noes how the Ice "crack'd and growl'd, and roar'd and howl'd," demonstrating the range of human emotions that one can ascribe to nature. These examples of personification make many different aspects of nature seem powerful and unstoppable, yet imaginable and vaguely human.
Emphasis on nature is typical of Romantic literature, and personification amplifies its presence in this poem. The way nature is personified usually depends on the characters' actions. For example, the sun is friendly and warm before the Mariner kills the albatross, but after he kills it, the sun becomes associated with blood, heat, and dryness. Similarly, water and ice can be beautiful or dangerous depending on what is happening in the narrative.
Related Themes:
