Anthem for Doomed Youth: Personification

There is a lot of personification in this poem. If you're not sure what personification is, it is the practise of giving something that isn't human the qualities of a human. The clue is in the name: PERSONification!

"Monstrous anger of the guns"
What image does this put into your head when you think of the guns now? Why are the guns angry and not the soldiers?

Some of you thought that this meant the soldiers were not truly angry with the enemy - it was the guns that were angry. The soldiers had no choice but to fight, so they might be more sad than angry - the guns, though, turn them into monsters.

Some of you decided that this meant the guns were being used to present monstrous behaviour - the act of killing someone - and it showed just how scary the battlefield was.

"Stuttering rifles"
This is a less threatening image, but why choose 'stuttering'?

Some of you thought that this showed hesitation - the soldiers don't want to shoot - so they stutter before shooting.

Others thought it was an accurate presentation of the sounds the guns make - that 'de-de-de-de-de' sound.

"The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells"
This is an interesting choice of adjective - 'demented'. To be 'demented' means to act as if you are possessed by a demon.

Some of you thought that this created a direct link to Hell - the battlefield is Hell on Earth and the soldiers are acting in a crazy manner.

Others thought that the sounds, because they are repetitive and never ending, sounded like repeated screaming, like a crazy, demented person.

Because the shells are 'wailing', it indicates screaming or crying. There is a direct link to pain.