How to Write a Personification Paper
Personification is a literary device whereby a writer figuratively gives non-human objects and ideas human characteristics. A paper on personification could explore the idea of personification as a literary device or analyze the uses of personification in a specific literary work. Writing a paper on personification is all about understanding the reasons people use the device and explaining these reasons to the audience. A personification paper may range in length from two to 50 pages, depending on the topic and purpose.
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Instructions
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Choose a topic that explores some aspect of personification, whether that be the concept itself or its use in a particular literary work. Make sure your topic is specific enough to be covered in a single paper. A topic like "the use of personification in literature" is too broad for a paper, while "the uses of personification in chapter 6 of Steinbeck's 'East of Eden'" is too specific. Choose something in between, like "the uses of personification in Steinbeck's 'East of Eden.'"
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Read over the work you are studying, and make note of every use of personification you see. Use these notes as a source of examples in your paper.
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Review your notes and attempt to find patterns in the use of personification. Ask yourself whether one type of object is personified over and over. Ask yourself whether personification is used to build a literary motif. Make notes on any other patterns you detect.
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Develop a thesis statement. Review your notes, and find three to five arguments that you can make about the use of personification in the book. Distill these arguments to a single sentence (e.g. "The use of personification in Milton's paradise lost establishes motif q by developing x, y and z.") If you are writing a conceptual paper about personification, choose three to five arguments on the general use of personification in literature.
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Write an outline of your paper. A good paper consists of an introductory paragraph, several body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph. Under "introduction," simply write "hook, background, thesis." For each body paragraph, state one of your arguments and the example you will use to back the argument up. For the conclusion, write "restated thesis, closing remark."
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Flesh out your outline with full paragraphs. In the intro, write a hook line (e.g. "Personification is a powerful literary device..."), some background information and your thesis statement. In the body paragraphs, state the main argument, an example and an analysis of the example. In the conclusion, restate the thesis and make a brief concluding remark.
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References
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