Question

In the beginning of the book, Lorraine Hansberry provides a very detailed description of the stage set displaying the tenement the family lived in. Do a close reading to answer the following questions.

The furnishings "have clearly had to accommodate the living of too many people for too many years - and they are tired."

Q. What literary device has been used?

Answer 1

The literary device used in the sentence "they are tired" is personification. In this case, the inanimate object (furnishings) are being given human-like qualities (tiredness) to convey the sense of wear and tear due to years of use by multiple people.