Question

Read the following excerpt from a science fiction story: The man pressed his hand against the biological key-reader that locked the computer room. After touching his hand against the cold surface, the large metal door groaned and rumbled up into the ceiling. The man walked through the opening. His entrance triggered the lights in the room to come alive. In the back of the large, hollow room, he heard a machine power up, its electric board inhaling and sighing as the current pulsed through the metallic cavern. What is one figurative device the writer uses to amplify the sense of advanced technology, and what is the effect of this device?

Answer 1

One figurative device the writer uses is personification. Personification is giving an inanimate object or nonhuman character human characteristics. In this excerpt, the lines “the large metal door groaned,” “His entrance triggered the lights in the room to come alive,” and “its electric board inhaling and sighing” are all examples of how the writer personifies the machine. The writer uses this figurative device to develop the relationship between man and machine in the story. By personifying the technology, the reader gets a sense that the man is enclosed in a body of machinery and technology; it is as if he were inside another living body rather than a machine.

Answer 2

Personification is used to convey the presence of robots. As it states, "He heard a machine power up, its electric board inhaling and sighing as the current pulsed through the metallic cavern" (1), personification isn't the only device is used, the other device is imagery. The choice of words makes it easy to see the setting and actions happening in the story. Imagery may also be represented in the quote, however, personification is most prominently used.