Question

Personification is a type of figurative language in which human qualities are given to nonliving things. In lines 45-47, how does Soueif personify the city of Cairo?

Answer 1

Ahdaf Soueif calls the city living, giving her a perspective and inserting itself in everything she writes.

Explanation :

Personification is the literary device to give human characteristics to non-human entities.

‘The chair cried hoarsely’,  is an example. Only humans can cry hoarse. The terrible sound produced by the chair is like a human crying hoarse.  

The city stood close to the author is giving her a perspective of the world, ‘looking over my shoulder’.

The author was born and brought up in Cairo. The author is in love with the city and finds it reflecting on everything she observes or writes.