2.1.5

Pathetic Fallacy

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Pathetic Fallacy

Pathetic fallacy is when a writer gives human emotions to things that are not human, such as objects, animals or, most commonly, the weather.

Furious winds

Furious winds

  • The furious winds blew across the plains.
    • In this phrase, you are creating an image of the wind feeling fury. This is pathetic fallacy because fury is a human emotion and wind cannot actually feel any sort of emotion.
    • By giving the wind a human emotion, it helps the reader to visualise the severity of its anger.
    • The idea of the wind being able to feel this emotion also humanises it and suggests that it has a consciousness.
Sea raged

Sea raged

  • She balled her fists in anger as the sea raged behind her.
    • In this phrase, you are creating an image of the sea feeling rage. This is pathetic fallacy because rage is a human emotion and sea cannot actually feel any sort of emotion.
    • By giving the sea a human emotion, it helps the reader to visualise the severity of the rage – it almost seems ready to attack.
    • The anger of the character is also highlighted and then emphasised because the sea is echoing her feelings as well.
Sad clouds

Sad clouds

  • Mud-coloured clouds drooped sadly over the muddy streets as the criminal continued to elude them.
    • This is pathetic fallacy because sadness is a human emotion and clouds cannot actually feel any sort of emotion.
    • By giving the clouds a human emotion, it helps the reader to visualise the thick, opaque clouds blocking our view.
    • The idea of the clouds feeling sad paints a picture of them hanging low, moving slowly, and obscuring everything.

Tips for Using Pathetic Fallacy

Pathetic fallacy is when a writer gives human emotions to things that are not human, such as objects, animals or, most commonly, the weather.

Alternative use

Alternative use

  • Pathetic fallacy can also be used when the weather echoes human emotions (e.g. when something sad happens, it is raining).
  • This is a form of personification but refers purely to giving human emotions to inhuman things.
Focus on the weather

Focus on the weather

  • Focus on making the weather feel something.
Consider the mood

Consider the mood

  • Be careful with how you use the pathetic fallacy – your choice of emotion will either emphasise the mood you want to create or will change it completely.
Echo characters' emotions

Echo characters' emotions

  • Pathetic fallacy can be used to set the scene, reinforce a feeling, or foreshadow something happening in the future.
  • If you want to really emphasise the effect, have the weather echo an emotion from a character.
Choose vocabulary carefully

Choose vocabulary carefully

  • Your choice of vocabulary is vital in creating your language devices.
Jump to other topics
1

Key Terms

1.1

Key Terms

1.1.1Key Terms - Nouns, Verbs & Sentences1.1.2Key Terms - Sentence and Clause Types1.1.3Key Terms - Words, Sounds & Language1.1.4Key Terms - Types of Language1.1.5Key Terms - Images, Symbols & Mood1.1.6Key Terms - Mood & Feelings1.1.7Key Terms - Other Techniques1.1.8End of Topic Test - Key Terms
2

Language Devices

2.1

Language Devices

2.1.1Metaphors2.1.2Similes2.1.3Metaphors & Similes HyperLearning2.1.4Personification2.1.5Pathetic Fallacy2.1.6Puns & Oxymorons2.1.7Hyperbole & Emotive Language2.1.8Alliteration2.1.9Sibilance2.1.10Onomatopoeia2.1.11Recap: Language Devices2.1.12End of Topic Test - Language Devices
3

Writing Structure

3.1

Writing Structure

3.1.1Narrators3.1.2Paragraphs3.1.3Tense3.1.4Present vs Past vs Future Tense3.1.5Foreshadowing3.1.6Structure3.1.7End of Topic Test - Writing Structure
4

Section B: Reading & Writing

4.1

Writing Formats

4.1.1Letter4.1.2Reports & Essays4.1.3Journal/Diary Entry4.1.4Speech4.1.5Newspaper Article4.1.6Leaflet4.1.7Review4.1.8Travel Writing4.1.9End of Topic Test - Writing Formats
4.2

Writing to...

4.2.1Writing to Inform4.2.2Writing to Inform - Example4.2.3Writing to Explain4.2.4Writing to Explain - Example4.2.5Writing to Persuade4.2.6Writing to Persuade - Example4.2.7Writing to Argue4.2.8Writing to Argue - Example4.2.9Writing to Persuade vs Writing to Argue4.2.10Writing to Advise4.2.11Writing to Advise - Example4.2.12End of Topic Test - Writing to...
4.3

Acronym of Techniques - DAFORESTAR

4.3.1Direct Address4.3.2Alliteration4.3.3Facts4.3.4Opinions4.3.5Repetition4.3.6Exaggeration (Hyperbole)4.3.7Statistics4.3.8Triple (Rule of 3)4.3.9Emotive Language4.3.10Rhetorical Questions4.3.11End of Topic Test - DAFORESTER
5

Section C: Writing

5.1

Writing Task

5.1.1Discursive Writing5.1.2Narrative Writing5.1.3Descriptive Writing5.1.4End of Topic Test - Writing Task

Practice questions on Pathetic Fallacy

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    What is pathetic fallacy?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    Which phrase uses pathetic fallacy?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    Your character is feeling confused. How could you use pathetic fallacy to emphasise her feelings?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    Your character is feeling livid. How could you use pathetic fallacy to emphasise their feelings?Multiple choice
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Personification

Puns & Oxymorons