Question

Which lines in this excerpt from “Flight” by John Steinbeck contain personification? The farm buildings huddled like the clinging aphids on the mountain skirts, crouched low to the ground as though the wind might blow them into the sea. . . . Five-fingered ferns hung over the water and dropped spray from their fingertips. . . . The high mountain wind coasted sighing through the passand whistled on the edges of the big blocks of broken granite. . . . A scar of green grass cut across the flat. And behind the flat another mountain rose, desolate with dead rocks and starving little black bushes. . . . Gradually the sharp snaggled edge of the ridge stood out above them, rotten granite tortured and eaten by the winds of time. Pepe had dropped his reins on the horn, leaving direction to the horse. The brush grabbed at his legs in the dark until one knee of his jeans was ripped.

Answer 1

Personification is a literary device that consists of associating human attributes to an object, animal or idea. The lines of the excerpt that contain personification are the following:

"The farm buildings huddled like the clinging aphids on the mountain skirts, crouched low to the ground as though the wind might blow them into the sea". In this line, the farm buildings are developing human actions such as "huddling" and "crouching".

"Five-fingered ferns hung over the water and dropped spray from their fingertips". Personification is used in this line because the ferns are mentioned as having fingers.

"The high mountain wind coasted sighing through the pass and whistled on the edges of the big blocks of broken granite". The wind is carrying out the human actions of "sighing and whistling".

"Gradually the sharp snaggled edge of the ridge stood out above them, rotten granite tortured and eaten by the winds of time". The human characteristics of "rotten" and "tortured" are attributed to the granite and the winds developed the human action of "eating" the granite.

Answer 2

Answer: The following lines from the passage given contain personification:
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1) "The farm buildings huddled like the clinging aphids on the mountain skirts, crouched low to the ground as though the wind might blow them into the sea.."

This attributes "person-like" characteristics. Specifically, "farm buildings" (inanimate objects) "huddled" (as a past tense verb) and "crouched [as a verb] low to the ground.
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2) "....Five-fingered ferns hung over the water and dropped spray from their fingertips. . . . "

This passage refers to ferns (plants) having "fingers" [note: "five-fingered ferns") and "fingertips".
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3) "...The high mountain wind coasted sighing through the pass and whistled on the edges of the big blocks of broken granite. . . .

This passage describe the wind "sighing" and "whistling"; which are person-like traits.
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4) "...Gradually the sharp snaggled edge of the ridge stood out above them, rotten granite tortured and eaten by the winds of time...."

Describes the "granite" (type of rock") as "rotten" and being "tortured and eaten" (person-like attributes of human cruelty; and the "wind" having "tortured and eaten/ over time".
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