Personification in "Bright Star"

Question 11: Point out examples of figurative language and explain their appropriateness.

The speaker in "Bright Star" speaks to a star, wishing to be steadfast as it is. He personifies the star in line 3 when he says the star "watch[es], with eternal lids apart." The star is not human and cannot have human qualities. The speaker uses this example, though, to better explain his feelings toward life and ultimately love. The star gives a more concrete example of the abstract feelings of hope and love for the future. Without this example, the reader would not be able to connect with the speaker as well. A concrete example gives the reader a starting point to begin basing ideas off of. Poetry would not be as beautiful without figurative language and the mystery it creates.

11. Personification

In the section "Ambush," O'Brien again relives the moment of is first kill. But this time was somewhat different in that he discussed events leading up to the death and his thoughts before it happened. "I had already thrown the grenade before telling myself to throw it," (127). O'Brien had no idea that this man was going to die, as he informs us in this section. As it was happening O'Brien was just as shocked as the man was who got a grenade launched at him. War instincts took over O'Brien before he could consider what this man was walking up the path for. He gives the grenade human abilities by saying that it "seem[ed] to freeze above me for an instant," (127) as if to give him the chance to realize what his body chose to do on its own. I like how O'Brien wrote two separate accounts of his first kill. I like the two different perspectives, the first just explaining the shock of the aftermath and the second walking me through such an out of body experience. I felt like I was there with O'Brien witnessing it all with him.