Personification is a literary device that gives human qualities or abilities to non-human things such as animals, objects, ideas or natural phenomena. It involves describing abstract notions or inanimate objects as if they were alive or exhibiting human traits, emotions and actions. Some examples include describing opportunity as knocking on a door, the sun greeting someone or lightning lashing out with anger. Personification can be used in songs, poems and stories to create vivid imagery and metaphors.