Question

where is personification in this poem Still will I harvest beauty where it grows: In coloured fungus and the spotted fog Surprised on foods forgotten; in ditch and bog Filmed brilliant with irregular rainbows Of rust and oil, where half a city throws Its empty tins; and in some spongy log Whence headlong leaps the oozy emerald frog. . . . And a black pupil in the green scum shows. Her the inhabiter of divers places Surmising at all doors, I push them all. Oh, you that fearful of a creaking hinge Turn back forevermore with craven faces, I tell you Beauty bears an ultra fringe Unguessed of you upon her gossamer shawl!

Answer 1

Personification is a literary device where human qualities are attributed to non-human entities. In the poem you provided, the concept of personification is present in a few lines:

1. "Beauty bears an ultra fringe": Here, "Beauty" is given the human-like ability to "bear" something, suggesting that beauty itself can carry or possess qualities, as if it were a conscious being.

2. "I tell you Beauty bears an ultra fringe Unguessed of you upon her gossamer shawl!": In this line, beauty is attributed with the ability to possess a "gossamer shawl," further emphasizing personification as it suggests beauty has attire or adornments, making it seem more like a conscious character rather than an abstract concept.

3. "Oh, you that fearful of a creaking hinge": While this line addresses the reader, it also personifies the "creaking hinge" by implying fear and a sense of agency, suggesting that the hinge can instill fear in those who hear it.

These instances help to reinforce the theme of beauty being found in unexpected places and personifies it as a tangible presence that interacts with the world in a way that resonates with human experience.