Writing Creatively III: Personification

Imagine an inanimate object. If you were to breathe life into it and make it act like a human, what would be the effect?

Let's take a look at the following image and imagine that the candle has a life of its own.

Now, I shall describe the candle by personifying it.

The white candle, anchored in an ancient decorative candle-stand, stood tall, proudly allowing its dark wick to flicker into a yellowish flame which dimly illuminated the narrow interior with its radiant smile.

The candle is given human characteristics here for it is referred to as being `proud' and having the capacity to `allow' light to shine in the room. Again, the candle is said to `smile'. We all know a candle cannot do these; however, by giving the candle these human characteristics, the reader is able to visualise a candle that is straight.  Moreover, in `smilingly' lighting up the room, there is a sense of the light providing a comfortable, pleasant effect on the room.

Personification is not used just for the sake of being creative or imaginative. Rather, it has the effect of creating a mood while providing a graphic description. Now, revert back to Wordsworth's poem (reproduced below). For the full effect, get someone to read while you sit back with your eyes closed and you try to visualise the descriptions.

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud 

by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;

A poet could not be but gay,

In such a jocund company!

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

My version of the effects of personification in the above poem will be given in The Pear Tree Centre for Education website on Friday, 1st May.

Writing Creatively II: Similes and Metaphors

In the earlier post, a poem was provided and you were asked to identify the similes in it. Another similar form of literary device is the metaphor. There are metaphors in the following poem too.

What are metaphors? A metaphor is an indirect comparison between two dissimilar objects. For instance,

"John is truly a lion. He stood up to the bullies without any fear," said Peter in admiration. 

Here, the speaker is obviously not referring to a lion that someone had named John! The speaker is comparing John's characteristics with those that are normally attributed to a lion; in other words, like a lion, John is fearless and bold.

Now, refer to the poem, reproduced below, and try to differentiate between the similes and the metaphors which are highlighted through the use of different colours.  The explanation and the effect of using these devices in the poem can be found in the blog page of The Pear Tree Centre for Education.

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud 

by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;

A poet could not be but gay,

In such a jocund company!

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

The next article will be on personification, the device used to give inanimate objects, an abstract idea or animals human characteristics.

Writing Creatively I: Use of Similes

Humans have this wonderful capacity to, not only create alphabets or symbols to articulate basic observations, feelings and thoughts but also, elicit reactions and emotions in readers through the creative use of the language. 

Similes

A simile is used when one would like to make a direct comparison between two dissimilar objects. In making the comparison, `like' or `as' is used to link the two objects and to indicate that a comparison is made.

Let's  use the following poem, Oh, my love is like a red, red rose, by Robert Burns as an example:

Oh, my love's like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
My love is like the melody
That's sweetly played in tune.

In the above stanza of the poem, love is compared, first, to a red rose, and then, to a melody.

Love is an abstract emotion but the comparison to a rose and then, a melody allows the poet to convey the poet's ideas about love. What characteristics of a deep red rose and sweet melody come to your mind?

In my mind, when I think of a deep red rose, I see it as a beautiful object, pleasant to the sight. The deep red also makes me think of blood and the heart, which is often used as a symbol of love in English literature, is the lifeline through which blood is pumped to the body. Hence, the poet sees his love as a pleasurable emotion that is necessary and life-enriching, filling one with agreeable sensations.

Similarly, just as music that is in tune evokes an enjoyable listening experience, the poet claims his love which has all the `notes' in place is engaging or appealing.

Now, just take a look at the following poem by William Wordsworth and identify the similes. How do the similes help the poet to describe the objects and/or feelings that he sees or experiences as he views the scenery around him? Suggested answers will be provided mid-week.

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud 

by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;

A poet could not be but gay,

In such a jocund company!

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Writing Graphically (Part 2)

I reproduce the bare description given in the previous post:

The heavy rain falls on the greenhouse and I am seated in the shelter. The rain is so heavy that I can hardly see anything.

 A more graphic description of the above can be found in the blog post on the website of The Pear Tree Centre for Education. Read the post to discover how graphic verbs (or action words) such as `pounds' and `slithers' and adjectives (or descriptive words) such as `zinc' and `cold' help to conjure up an image of the scene being described.

When you write next, visualise the scene or action and then, consider what would be the most appropriate words to use. Go over each verb, adjectives and adverb (word that describes an action or another adjective) to ensure that they are descriptive.

Descriptive Writing - Going Graphic

What I see, what I feel, what I think

To put these into words, to colour these into graphic descriptions, is not easy. One can merely provide the information in skeletal form and the reader would have a basic idea.  However, ask one to paint a picture of what one wants to express and one is left grasping for words, the right words, the most apt descriptions that will transfer the image as far as is possible into the reader's imagination.

Let me give you an example of how bland a piece of writing can be when I adapt an extract from
Vance Palmer's The Rainbow Bird.

The day advanced so slowly while the teacher talked on monotonously and the bored children made paper darts. However, she waited for the time when she could see the bird fly out of its home.

Yes, you get the basic idea of what is happening, but that is all. You don't get the emotions, the sounds, the characteristics of the persons included in the extract. It is a dull reading. Now, compare this with the original which is given below:

The hands crawled over the cracked face of the clock with aggravating slowness; the teacher's voice droned on and on like a blowfly against the windowpane; the other children squirmed in their seats and folded paper darts to throw across the room. But all she lived for was the moment when she would again see the coloured shape skim from its cavern in the earth, making her catch her breath as if the wings has brushed across her heart.

You have graphic descriptions in the use of words such as `crawled', `cracked', and `droned'. Moreover, when a comparison is made to the sound that a blowfly makes against the windowpane, at once, it becomes easy to hear the dull, undulating pitch of the teacher's voice. You can almost see that classroom in your mind's eye!

Write to interest, to convey the picture as you see it in your mind. Words have the power to attract attention, to impress and to elicit reactions.

Below is a bare description of a person watching the rain fall:

The heavy rain falls on the greenhouse and I am seated in the shelter. The rain is so heavy that I can hardly see anything.

In mid-week, a suggested graphic description will be offered. In the meantime, try to imagine the scene and paint a picture in words that will appeal to the reader. 

Reading Comprehension: `Unpacking' a Complex Sentence

In the previous post, another complex sentence from Jack London's White Fang was given for you to mull over and see if you can make sense of it by dissecting it into individual ideas.

The sentence is reproduced below:

(It is not the way of the Wild to like movement.) It freezes the water to prevent it running to the sea; it drives the sap out of the trees till they are frozen to their mighty hearts; and most ferociously and terribly of all does the Wild harry and crush into submission man - man, who is the most restless of life, ever in revolt against the dictum that all movement must in the end come to the cessation of movement.

 For suggested answers, please go Making Sense of a Complex Sentence which can found in the Blog page of The Pear Tree Centre for Education.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding Complex Sentences

Understanding Complex Sentences

But under it all they were men, penetrating the land of desolation and mockery and silence, puny adventurers bent on colossal adventure, pitting themselves against the might of a world as remote and silent and pulseless as the abysses of space.

(Extract from Jack London's White Fang) 

Phew! That is a mouthful! Jack London is saying a lot in that one, very complex sentence, and what exactly is he trying to get across? Firstly, let us put the sentence in perspective for those who are unfamiliar with the piece of work. In relation to the above sentence in White Fang, London is narrating the trials of men who had ventured into the unfriendly landscape of the cold regions of Canada.

Now, let's tackle the sentence in question by separating the many ideas found in the sentence. Once you isolate the ideas in the sentence, it is very easy to understand more completely what the author is attempting to communicate.

Main Idea		Meaning
1	But under it all they were men	The author is emphasising the fact that they are men, and in the later part of the sentence when he refers to them as `puny adventurers', we are also get the author's opinion about these men.
2	penetrating the land of desolation and mockery and silence	What are these men doing? They are going deep (`penetrating') into an isolated land where men does not go. This land is so bleak and empty that there is silence and yet, there is also mockery, almost as though the land is making fun of them.
3	puny adventurers bent on colossal adventure	These men are small, nothing compared to the vast land that they are in; in comparison to them the land is a giant. However, these men are stubborn as they insist on seeking an adventure that is huge.
4	pitting themselves against the might of a world as remote and silent and pulseless as the abysses of space.	What is it that they are up against in this huge adventure that they had sought to go on? They are setting themselves up against a world that is as distant, isolated and lifeless (pulseless) as deep space.

Now, take a look at the following complex sentence from the same piece of work, White Fang:

(It is not the way of the Wild to like movement.) It freezes the water to prevent it running to the sea; it drives the sap out of the trees till they are frozen to their mighty hearts; and most ferociously and terribly of all does the Wild harry and crush into submission man - man, who is the most restless of life, ever in revolt against the dictum that all movement must in the end come to the cessation of movement.

During mid-week, possible ideas contained in the above statement will be suggested in the Blog in the website of The Pear Tree Centre for Education.

Underlying Premises that Motivates Particular Actions and Reactions

To better understand why people act in the way they do, let's take a look at the following extract from Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People.  Here, you have two major camps, one subscribing to the view that self-interest should be subservient to the common good and the other holding on to the opposite viewpoint, namely that self-interest is of paramount importance.

(A bite-sized appraisal of the issue that is central to the story: Dr Stockmann discovers that the public baths that the town is planning on opening to attract the tourists are polluted and hence, injurious to health. The townsfolk, on the other hand, are afraid of alarming the tourists and driving them to neighbouring towns, thereby losing out on cashing in on the mighty tourist dollar when tourists get alarmed at the news and retreat, instead, to the neighbouring towns which will, in turn, be enriched by these tourists.)

The extract, from Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, is as follows:

Mayor Stockmann (takes a sheet of paper from his pocket).	For the protection of the public, it will be sufficient if this goes in. It's an authorised statement. If you will.
Hovstad (taking the sheet).	Good. We'll insert it right away.
Dr Stockmann.	But not mine! People think they can stifle me and choke off the truth! But it won't go as smooth as you think. Mr Aslaksen, would you take my manuscript and issue it at once as a pamphlet - at my expense - under my own imprint? I'll want four hundred copies; no, five - six hundred I'll need.
Aslaksen.	Even if you gave me its weight in gold, I couldn't put my plant to that use, Doctor. I wouldn't dare, in view of public opinion. You won't get that printed anywhere in this town.
Dr Stockmann.	Then give it back.
Hovstad (hands him the manuscript).	There.
Dr Stockmann (picks up his hat and stick).	It's coming out, no matter what. I'll hold a mass meeting and read it aloud. All my fellow townspeople are going to hear the voice of truth.
Mayor Stockmann.	There's not an organisation in town that'll rent you a hall for such a purpose.
Aslaksen.	Not one. I'm positive of that.
Billing.	Ye gods, no!
Mrs Stockmann.	But this is shameful. Why do they all turn against you, these men?
Dr Stockmann (furiously).	I'll tell you why! It's because all the so-called men in this town are old women - like you. They just think of their families and never the common good.
Mrs Stockmann (taking his arm).	Then I'll show them a - an old woman who can be a man for once. I'm standing with you, Thomas!

In the above extract, Dr Stockmann is angry because he is prevented from revealing a piece of news that would help protect the public. The other men, such as the Mayor and Aslaksen, are afraid that the disclosure will affect their and the townsfolk's interests. 

What are the different premises that lead Dr Stockmann and the other men to act in the way they do?  For answers, go to Blog Post in the Pear Tree website.