Personification is a type of metaphor wherein human qualities are attributed to something that does not really have those qualities. In this poem, Reeves compares the sea not to a person, but to a dog. While this isn't strictly personification, it is a metaphor that attributes animal qualities to something else.

This poem is centered around the extended metaphor of the sea as a "hungry dog." Like a dog, the sea "rolls on the beach," with this imagery representing the sea's waves. The "moans" of the sea dog represent the sounds made by the waves, which at night become "howls and hollos." Each behavior of the sea is translated into a corresponding behavior in a dog, such as the way the spray of the stormy sea becomes a dog "shaking his wet sides over the cliffs."

Like a dog, the sea can also be calm. The final stanza depicts the sea-dog "so quiet, so quiet" as he lies on the shore, representing the sea at rest in the quiet days of summer.

How does James Reeves use aural imagery in "In the Sea"?

I think you mean the poem "The Sea," by James Reeves. Aural imagery is imagery which appeals to our sense of hearing, rather than our sense of sight—so, the use of figurative language to create a vivid sense of place in terms of how something sounds. In this poem, Reeves uses aural imagery frequently so that the reader can almost hear the scene being described. Onomatopoeia, such as "rumbling, tumbling," creates sound pictures for us; Reeves also imagines the words the "dog" of the sea might be saying, such as "Bones, bones, bones!" Obviously, this is a continuation of the central metaphor: the sea is not really a dog, nor is it really speaking, but we understand that its "moans" bear some resemblance to these human words. They help us to create a mental picture of how the sea sounds. Likewise, the "hollos" of the sea on blustery days are accompanied by the onomatopoeiac "snuffs" and "sniffs" of the dog to create a rich tapestry of sound.

Reeves uses aural imagery, too, to describe quietude. When the sea is silent, the contrast of the dog who "scarcely snores" is drawn starkly—the absence of sound is almost as illustrative as the existence of it.

How does James Reeves portray the ocean vividly in "In the Sea"?

In this poem, the sea is characterized as a "hungry dog," an extended metaphor which gives the poem its internal cohesion. The behaviors of the sea—its sounds and actions—are imagined vividly as a dog which "rolls on the beach all day" and "moans." Just as a dog might sometimes seem to be heard speaking, the sounds of the sea can take on a human quality: "Bones, bones!" The sound of the sea is equated to the moaning and yowling of a dog, depending on its mood.

The sea dog behaves differently according to the season. The image of the dog "shaking his wet sides over the cliffs" suggests vigor and power, creating a vivid mental picture of a wet dog shaking itself, scattering water. Meanwhile, "on quiet days," the sea, like a dog, can seem at rest, too, "so quiet" on "the sandy shores."

Through the use of this extended metaphor, the poet helps us to understand the sea as a living thing by comparing it to another creature with motivations and a personality of its own. The reader understands the sea to be both a powerful beast, and one that is capable of quiet.