Question

Explain how the poem uses personification to describe the bayou in Anguilla. What effect does personification have on the meaning of the poem? Cite evidence from the text in your answer.

Answer 1

Answer:

The personification helps to make the bayou seem alive at night. It becomes like a metaphor of human freedom in this poem that refers also to the injustices of slavery.

Explanation:

Anguilla is mentioned as a town on the bayou in the poem called A September Night  by George Marion McClellan.  The author uses phrases like "the bayou's face is gemmed with stars," and how the bayou is "too full for sleep," in order to portray the energy from the bayou at night. The sounds and activities of the wildlife and the slaves make the town and the bayou around it seem alive like a person. Another example of the personification that bridges with other metaphors in the poem is the phrase "...Anguilla sits half bird-like dreaming on her summer nest."