Final answer:
A comparison in which human qualities are given to inanimate objects or animals is known as personification; a literary device used to enhance imagery and create vivid descriptions in literature and poetry.
Step-by-step explanation:
The personification is a literary device where human qualities are attributed to inanimate objects or animals. This technique is widely used in literature and poetry to create vivid imagery and connect readers with the subject matter.
Consider the line from Wordsworth's "I wandered lonely as a cloud", where daffodils are described as dancing – this is an example of personification as dancing is a human action. In this poem, anthropomorphism is also present, as daffodils are given the human quality of dancing. Conversely, when humans are described using qualities of inanimate objects or nature, as in the simile where the speaker is likened to a cloud, it is called chremamorphism.
While simile and metaphor are also forms of figurative language that make comparisons, they do not attribute human qualities to non-human entities in the same way that personification does. Similarly, hyperbole is an exaggeration for effect, but it doesn't personify. Understanding these differences is key to analyzing poetry and other literary texts accurately.