Earth's Fiery Mountains: The Science of Volcanoes - Literary Devices 3: Simile, Metaphor and Personification (Grade 6)

The author gives the volcano the human quality of 'breathing' to describe the release of steam and gas. Therefore, the volcano is the object being personified.

A 'sleeping giant' is a metaphor for something that is currently inactive ('sleeping') but is powerful and could become a major threat ('giant') if it 'wakes up,' or erupts.

The simile compares the pyroclastic flow to a 'speeding freight train' to emphasize its incredible speed and destructive force, not its sound or what it carries.

This is a metaphor because it directly compares the lava flow to a 'burning river' without using the words 'like' or 'as'.

The metaphor 'engine room' is used to help the reader understand that the magma chamber is the source of the volcano's power, similar to how an engine powers a machine.

The phrase 'creeping like a river of black tar' uses 'like' to make a comparison, so it is a simile. 'The volcano's fiery heart' directly compares the magma chamber to a heart, making it a metaphor. 'The mountain roars its fury' gives the mountain human-like anger and the ability to roar, which is personification. 'Magma is molten rock' is a factual definition, making it a literal statement.

This is not in the passage. I need to add it. Let's adjust the passage. I will change 'This lava flow is a burning river, creeping like a river of black tar across the land.' to 'This hungry lava devoured the landscape, a burning river creeping like black tar across the land.' No, that changes the structure. I will add it to the end of the paragraph. Let's re-read the plan. The plan says 'the hungry lava devoured the landscape' is an example of personification. I need to include it. I will add it to the description of lava flows. Let's rephrase: 'In some eruptions, thick lava...spills from the volcano's crater. This hungry lava devours the landscape as a burning river, creeping like a river of black tar...' This works. The personification 'hungry' and 'devoured' suggests that the lava is consuming and destroying everything in its path in a relentless way.

Similes use 'like' or 'as' to compare things. Metaphors make a direct comparison. Personification gives human qualities or actions to non-human things. The phrases are sorted based on these definitions.

'The volcano's angry roar' refers to the loud sound of an explosion. 'A blanket of ash' describes the thick layer of ash that covers the ground. 'The volcano's engine room' is a metaphor for the magma chamber, the source of power. 'A sleeping giant' is a metaphor for a dormant volcano that is currently quiet but could become active.