Personification in Poetry

We are writing poetry.

We are learning about rhyme (internal and end rhymes), rhythm, line breaks, and different forms of poetry. We have already studied haiku and limericks, and later we will study such literary techniques as alliteration, metaphor, and simile, but some of the most fun we’ve had with poetry is in the study of personification.

In case you don’t know, “personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a person, in literature or art, as an anthropomorphic metaphor.” (That’s pulled from Wikipedia). 

I gave the children some phases: “The car dances down the street.” “That cake is calling my name.” “The tree winks at me.” We laughed. Then I showed the students some poems with personification in them. Here is an example:

Staple Remover by James Aswell

What purpose have you?

To undo what has been done

Who gave you the right?

Your vicious snarl

Four fangs gleam

in the fluorescent light

Surely a monster

at best.

After that, we got to work, and can they personify! Here are some of the poems they created! Please enjoy!

Note:

If a student’s picture is beside a poem, that poem has been written by them.

“I, Apple” is by Kai (left side)

“I Am a Book” is by Matias (right side)

“What Am I?” is by Maxfield (last poem)