Which literary device entails giving human characteristics to a nonhuman entity?

The correct answer is personification, which is a literary device that involves attributing human traits, emotions, or behaviors to nonhuman entities, such as animals, objects, or abstract concepts. This technique allows writers to create vivid imagery and foster emotional connections between the reader and the subject, making it easier to convey complex ideas and feelings.

For example, when a writer describes the wind as "whispering through the trees" or "angry waves crashing against the shore," they are personifying natural elements, helping the reader to visualize and relate to those experiences on a human level. This device enhances storytelling by allowing nonhuman characters or elements to act and react in ways that we can understand and empathize with.

While metaphor involves direct comparisons between different things to illustrate a point, personification specifically relates to bestowing human qualities. Alliteration focuses on the repetition of initial consonant sounds in a series of words, creating rhythm or emphasis rather than imbuing nonhuman entities with human characteristics. Apostrophe is a figure of speech wherein a speaker addresses an absent person, an idea, or a thing, enhancing emotional expression rather than creating human traits in nonhuman entities. Thus, personification stands out as the distinctive device for providing human characteristics to non