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It is personification. Simile and metaphor are both comparing X to Y, but in different ways. A simile always uses "like" or "as": "The rustling of the branches was like trees whispering to each ...
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#4: Attribution notice removed
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/14732 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/14732 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
It is personification. Simile and metaphor are both comparing X to Y, but in different ways. A _simile_ always uses "like" or "as": "The rustling of the branches was like trees whispering to each other." A _metaphor_ uses symbolism. It's something which can't be literal: "Their hissing gossip was the rustle of tree branches: indistinct, indecipherable, far above my head." _Personification_ (sometimes known as _anthropomorphism_) is ascribing human actions and/or motivations to non-human actors or objects: "The trees whispered." (Trees have no mouths or ears, so they can't whisper.) _Onomatopoeia_ is when a word sounds like the sound it's describing: _bark, boing, whoosh, hiss._ [edited to fix ridiculous error]