Which one of the following lines best illustrates personification?

A. The fog comes on little cat feet
B. She floated graceful as a dove
C. Spring is a dream unsung
D. A narrow wind complains all day

I had a daughter that did a lot of complaining in her teen years, and in fact, she was a person.

Personification gives human qualities to a non-human entity.

B. is a simile. C. is a metaphor.

Which of the other two gives a human quality to a non-living thing?

The line that best illustrates personification is:

D. A narrow wind complains all day

To determine which one of the lines best illustrates personification, you need to understand what personification means. Personification is a figure of speech where human characteristics are attributed to non-human things or objects. In this case, you're looking for a line where non-human things are given human-like qualities.

Let's analyze each option to find the line that fits the definition of personification:

A. "The fog comes on little cat feet."
This line from Carl Sandburg's poem "Fog" describes the movement of fog using the phrase "little cat feet." Here, the fog is given the human quality of walking softly, just like a cat. This line embodies personification, comparing the fog to a cat.

B. "She floated graceful as a dove."
While this line describes someone floating gracefully, it does not attribute human characteristics to non-human objects, as required for personification. It uses a simile to compare the person's grace to that of a dove.

C. "Spring is a dream unsung."
Though this line uses metaphorical language to compare spring to an unsung dream, it does not employ personification. Personification would involve attributing human qualities to spring itself, such as saying that "Spring whispers melodies in the air" or something similar.

D. "A narrow wind complains all day."
While this line describes a wind complaining, it does not ascribe human characteristics to non-human things. It simply uses the verb "complains" in a metaphorical sense, expressing the sound that the wind makes.

Based on the analysis above, the line that best illustrates personification is:
A. "The fog comes on little cat feet."

Remember, understanding the definition of a literary device like personification and evaluating each option in relation to that definition will help you select the correct answer.