The personification is the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form. In this short story by Rudyard Kipling, "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi", the animal characters all have actions and emotions that can be considered human-like.
Each of the animal characters in the book speaks and feels, in one manner or another, like a human. All of the animals interact with one another, share information, and make plans. Have students find an example of this for different characters by making a spider map or Frayer Model. Students should use a quote from the story and explain it to prove that the author has personified the animal in some way.
| CHARACTER | QUOTE | EXPLANATION |
|---|---|---|
| Rikki Tikki Tavi | "Angry as he was, Rikki-tikki was very frightened as he saw the size of the big cobra." | Kipling describes his emotions like a human. |
| Chuchundra | "Chuchundra sat down and cried till the tears rolled off his whiskers." | Humans cry for emotional reasons; animals do not. |
| Nag and Nagaina | "When the house is emptied of people," said Nagina to her husband... | Marriage is a human institution. Animals do not actually get married. |
| Darzee & His Wife | "We are very miserable," said Darzee. "Our babies fell out of the nest yesterday." | Darzee and his wife understand the causes of their feelings in a way most animals do not. |
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard illustrating how each character is personified in "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi".