would "the gloom and terror in the depth of the poor minister's eyes" be an example of personification

No.

Personification is giving human characteristics to inanimate objects.

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Yes, the phrase "the gloom and terror in the depth of the poor minister's eyes" can be considered an example of personification. Personification is a figure of speech where human qualities are attributed to inanimate objects or non-human entities. In this case, the phrase assigns the emotions of gloom and terror to the minister's eyes, which are not capable of expressing emotions on their own. Instead, it is a way for the author to vividly describe the emotional state of the minister.

To confirm whether a given phrase or sentence is an example of personification, you can follow these steps:

1. Identify the object or entity being described. In this case, it is "the minister's eyes."
2. Determine if human qualities or emotions are being attributed to the object. In this case, the phrase describes the eyes as having "gloom and terror," which are human emotions.
3. If there is an attribution of human qualities to the object or entity, then it can be considered personification.

By following these steps, you can analyze various passages or sentences to determine if they involve personification.