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Motifs
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
Chapter 12
Explanation and Analysis—Avenging Angel:
To the Prophet, mass death from pandemics is always proof of mankind’s moral failure. As he explains this, he uses personification and a simile to frame the Georgia Flu as an unstoppable force sent from god to punish the wicked:
The flus came every season, but these were weak, inefficient viruses that struck down only the very old, the very young, and the very sick. And then came a virus like an avenging angel, unsurvivable, a microbe that reduced the population of the fallen world [...].
The Prophet presents the war and its consequences, including the flu, as evidence of divine judgment for mankind’s cruelty and stupidity. In order to drive his point home, he describes the virus as “an avenging angel.” In his mind it is not just a meaningless illness, but a being with agency and purpose. By saying it is “like an avenging angel,” he suggests that the “unsurvivable” Georgia flu is not merely a disease but a divine agent of destruction. He supports this point by mentioning that some flus before it were “weak” and “inefficient,” as if they were mere warnings for the disaster to come. In contrast, the Georgia Flu is precise and absolute, striking without mercy to “reduce the population of the fallen world.”
Related Themes:
