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Difficulty: MediumLiterary Devices and Figurative Language

Read the excerpt below from a prescribed narrative text:

"When the news of the betrayal reached the quiet town, grief danced openly in the streets while joy went into hiding."

Which literary device is primarily demonstrated in this excerpt?

  1. PersonificationAnswer
  2. B
    Metaphor
  3. C
    Oxymoron
  4. D
    Paradox

Answer

Personification is the primary literary device used in the excerpt.
The passage attributes human actions ('danced openly' and 'went into hiding') to non-human, abstract concepts ('grief' and 'joy'), which defines personification.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the key subjects in the excerpt.
The subjects are 'grief' and 'joy', which are abstract human emotions.
Understanding the nature of the subjects helps determine if inanimate or abstract elements are being given human attributes.
2
Examine the actions performed by these subjects.
'Grief' is said to 'dance openly' and 'joy' is said to 'go into hiding'.
Dancing and hiding are human behaviors. Attributing human physical actions to abstract entities constitutes personification.

Key Concept

Personification in Literary Excerpts
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Topics

Literary Devices and Figurative Language

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