Student Question
Does the poem "The War Against the Trees" contain personification?
Quick answer:
Yes, "The War Against the Trees" uses personification, notably in describing bulldozers as "drunk with gasoline" and acting like men testing "the virtue of the soil." The bulldozers also "wage war" on the trees, portrayed as "great-grandfathers" and "giants" forced "to their knees." The trees are given human traits, with their "crowns" shaking from "seizures" and "roots" described as "amputated coils."
The clearest example of personification in the poem "The War Against the Trees" focuses on the bulldozers. Described as being "drunk with gasoline" (line 3), they act like inebriated men on a date, crudely testing "the virtue of the soil" (line 4). Later, the bulldozers wage war against the trees, "the great-grandfathers of the town" (line 9), "charg(ing) the trees...subverting them" (lines 13-14), and "ripping (them) from...crates much too big for hearts" (line 25).
A second example of personification is nature as it is represented by the trees. The trees are described as "giants" being "forced...to their knees" (line 18), and their ruined, ravaged bodies are given human attributes, "seizure(s) (shaking) (their) crowns" (lines 17-18), their "club roots bar(ing)...amputated coils" (line 26).
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