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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
Part 1, Chapter 1: A Shifting Reef
Explanation and Analysis—The Hungry Human Mind:
In the first page of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Verne personifies the human mind:
And that it did exist was undeniable. There was no longer any disposition to class it in the list of fabulous creatures. The human mind is ever hungry to believe in new and marvelous phenomena, and so it is easy for us to understand the vast excitement produced throughout the whole world by this supernatural apparition.
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Part 1, Chapter 9: Ned Land Attacks
Explanation and Analysis—Oppressive Air:
Verne has Aronnax use personification to describe his experience after he, Conseil, and Ned are captured and imprisoned in the Nautilus near the start of the novel:
Unlock with LitCharts A+The prison was still a prison—the prisoners, prisoners. However, the steward, during our sleep, had cleared the table. I breathed with difficulty. The heavy air seemed to oppress my lungs. Although the cell was large, we had evidently consumed a great part of the oxygen that it contained.
Related Themes:
Part 1, Chapter 18: Four Thousand Leagues Under the Pacific
Explanation and Analysis—Living Ocean:
As Aronnax and Captain Nemo come to know each other better after time together on the Nautilus, Nemo shares more of his love for the ocean, personifying it in the process:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“Professor, is not this ocean gifted with real life? It has its tempers and its gentle moods. Yesterday it slept as we did, and now it has woke after a quiet night. Look!” he continued, “it wakes under the caresses of the sun. It is going to renew its diurnal existence. It is an interesting study to watch the play of its organisation. It has a pulse, arteries, spasms.”
Related Themes:
