Personification

A figure of speech that gives human qualities to objects, animals, or ideas.

Example From Text

As Buck sprang to punish him, the lash of Francois's whip sang through the air, reaching the culprit first; and nothing remained to Buck but to recover the bone.

Explanation

Can a whip really sing? The author gives the whip the human quality of singing when he writes "Francois's whip sang through the air." The author uses personification to emphasize how quickly and forcefully Francois strikes with the whip.