Personification depends much on a vivid imagination and is adapted
especially to poetical composition. It has two distinguishable forms:
(1) when personality is ascribed to the inanimate as in the foregoing
examples, and (2) when some quality of life is attributed to the
inanimate; as, a _raging_ storm; an _angry_ sea; a _whistling_ wind, etc.

An _Allegory_ (from the Greek _allos_, other, and _agoreuein_, to speak),
is a form of expression in which the words are symbolical of something.
It is very closely allied to the metaphor, in fact is a continued metaphor.

_Allegory_, _metaphor_ and _simile_ have three points in common,--they
are all founded on resemblance. "Ireland is like a thorn in the side of
England;" this is simile. "Ireland _is_ a thorn in the side of England;"
this is metaphor. "Once a great giant sprang up out of the sea and lived
on an island all by himself. On looking around he discovered a little
girl on another small island near by. He thought the little girl could be
useful to him in many ways so he determined to make her subservient to
his will. He commanded her, but she refused to obey, then he resorted to
very harsh measures with the little girl, but she still remained obstinate
and obdurate. He continued to oppress her until finally she rebelled and
became as a thorn in his side to prick him for his evil attitude towards
her;" this is an allegory in which the giant plainly represents England
and the little girl, Ireland; the implication is manifest though no
mention is made of either country. Strange to say the most perfect allegory
in the English language was written by an almost illiterate and ignorant
man, and written too, in a dungeon cell. In the "Pilgrim's Progress,"
Bunyan, the itinerant tinker, has given us by far the best allegory ever
penned. Another good one is "The Faerie Queen" by Edmund Spenser.