Read the passage.

Taking the Plunge

How does personifying the narrator's arms and legs, as if they were separate people who could make their own decisions, affect this excerpt from the passage?

I'm already slower than the few people who were ahead of me, and I'm not sure my arms and legs have gotten the message yet that they're supposed to be climbing. I can feel the people behind me boring with their eyes into the back of my neck, so come on now, arms: one, two, three, start climbing!

A.) It demonstrates that the story is only a fantasy occurring in the narrator's mind.
B.) It suggests that living things are more complex than they appear to be.
C.) It emphasizes that the narrator is having trouble making her limbs obey her. D.)It reveals that the narrator has superstitious ideas about the human body.

Personification refers to a literary device that consists of assigning human attributes to something that is not human such as objects, animals or ideas. In this excerpt personification is used to assign human attributes to the parts of the body as if they were independent beings this happens as the narrator says "I'm not sure my arms and legs have gotten the message" and "arms: one, two, three, start climbing!". In this case, the use of personification can be explained as the narrator is having difficulties in climbing and feels it is because her arms and legs are not working in the way it was expected and due to this refers to her arms as something independent considering the body parts do not seem to support the narrator's objective this does not mean the narrator is in a fantasy or has superstitious ideas, but instead is having difficulties in climbing as it seems she does not have control over her legs and arms or these parts seem not to obey or work in the way she wants. Thus, the use of personification is to emphasize the feelings of the narrator as she is having difficulties to make her legs and arms work while climbing.

estelamedela estelamedela · Answer 2 · 2019-03-16T12:50:58+01:00

C.) It emphasizes that the narrator is having trouble making her limbs obey her. This is the right version.

The narrator's limbs have got "slow" because she has got really tired. She is trying to climb up a mountain. She feels this state mainly through her arms and legs. These cannot move in spite of her will power; she wants them to move but they do not respond. Therefore, the personification: "my arms and legs have gotten the message yet ......" and "....come on now, arms: one......, start climbing!" seem to indicate her limbs have their own volition.

These options are not right:

A.) It demonstrates that the story is only a fantasy occurring in the narrator's mind. ( It is not a fantasy; she is truly climbing up a mountain).

-B.) It suggests that living things are more complex than they appear to be. ( The writer is not reflecting upon any issue; she is just narrating events).

D.)It reveals that the narrator has superstitious ideas about the human body.( She is just expressing her real feelings with personifications).