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Oxymorons
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
Book 2, Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—The Orange Mass:
Lilith sneaks away to Tiej in search of Fukumoto, another human that she heard about in passing, and while there, Lilith buries her orange peels in the ground. When the effect on the ground is growing and corrosive, the novel compares the nearby plants in harm’s way with a personified simile:
Other Oankali had gathered to watch the bubbling ground. The orange mass had grown to be about three feet across and almost perfectly circular. It had touched one of the fleshy, tentacled pseudoplants and the pseudoplant darkened and lashed about as though in agony. Seeing its violent twisting Lilith forgot that it was not an individual organism. She focused on the fact that it was alive and she had probably caused it pain. She had not merely caused an interesting effect, she had caused harm.
When Lilith’s orange peels not only affect the soil but also touch the pseudoplant, Lilith is fascinated by the personified effect. The pseudoplant “darkened and lashed about,” which Lilith compares to humans or animals writhing in agony. The pseudoplant’s reaction is oddly embodied, exhibiting an expression more complex than that of typical plants on Earth: pain. Without nervous systems, Earthly plants, as many hypothesize, cannot feel pain. When Lilith realizes that she has caused harm and suffering to this pseudoplant, she calls the effect “interesting.” Still not adjusted to the alien features of the Oankali’s ship, Lilith is somewhat detached. Her reaction is slow and neutral, since the concept of causing a plant pain is not yet natural to her. The personification of the ship and its features will become less foreign to Lilith as she becomes more emotionally attached to her ooloi, Nikanj.
Related Themes:
