Final answer:
The excerpt uses personification by giving cows human-like emotions to enhance the imagery and emotional impact.
Step-by-step explanation:
The excerpt "Gaunt, hopeless cows stood unmilked in the field" is an example of personification. Personification is a type of figurative language where non-human things are given human characteristics. Here, cows are described with human-like emotions, such as feeling 'hopeless,' which is something typically associated with humans rather than animals. By attributing the emotion of hopelessness to the cows, the author gives them a human trait, thus employing personification to enhance the imagery and emotional impact of the scene.