Here is another poem that uses personification to help define the theme. Answer the questions that follow using all you know about poetic devices.
The heart asks pleasure first,
And then, excuse from pain;
And then, those little anodynes (a medicine that relieves pain)
That deaden suffering,
And then, to go to sleep;
And then, if it should be
The will of its Inquisitor, (a person who investigates in a harsh way)
The liberty to die.
Emily Dickinson
Question 9
I think it might be extreme or lenient.
As the poem goes on the requests become more and more:
extreme
lenient
weird and crazy
joyful
Question 11
Not sure about it.
Words in the poem that show that something is being personified are:
anodynes; inquisitor
ask; sleep
first; then
little; deaden
Do you know the definitions of "extreme" and "lenient"? Look them up.
http://www.dictionary.com
Are you clear on what personification is? Read carefully:
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/personification.html
To answer Question 9, determining whether the requests in the poem become extreme or lenient, we can analyze the progression of the requests as the poem unfolds. The poem starts with the heart asking for pleasure and excuse from pain, which can be seen as relatively moderate requests. However, as the poem continues, the requests become increasingly intense and extreme. The narrator mentions wanting anodynes to deaden suffering, the desire to go to sleep, and even the liberty to die if it aligns with the will of the heart's Inquisitor. Therefore, the requests can be considered extreme.
Moving on to Question 11, which asks for words in the poem that show personification. Personification is when human qualities are attributed to non-human entities or objects. In this poem, we can identify the words "anodynes" and "inquisitor" as examples of personification. Anodynes, which refer to pain-relieving medicines, are given the ability to "deaden suffering," which is a human experience. Similarly, the heart's Inquisitor, which is a metaphorical figure representing fate or a higher power, is portrayed as having a will. These instances of personification help to convey the emotional and existential struggles faced by the heart in the poem.