> "Fear had become a heavy cloak, suffocating us with its weight."
Here, fear is given human qualities: it acts like a physical cloak, literally weighing down the boys and preventing them from breathing freely. This personification vividly conveys the overwhelming and suffocating nature of the fear they live with constantly.
This is an example of how the author, Ishmael Beah, uses personification to:
* Emphasize the emotional impact of war: By personifying fear, he highlights its powerful hold over the characters.
* Create a more relatable image: Readers can understand the feeling of being "suffocated" by fear even if they haven't experienced war.
* Enhance the story's impact: The personification adds a layer of depth and emotion to the narrative.
This is just one example, and you can find many other instances of personification throughout the book as Beah vividly portrays the horrors of war and its effects on the characters.