The given excerpt "Three drowsy poppies brooded by the wall, Lonely and tall" contains a literary device known as personification. Here's why:
1. Personification is when human traits, characteristics, or actions are attributed to non-human things. In this case, the poppies are described as "drowsy" and "lonely," which are human emotions or states of being. Poppies, being flowers, do not have the ability to feel drowsiness or loneliness in the human sense, so this attribution of human-like feelings to them is an example of personification.
2. Metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things by stating that one thing is another. In the given excerpt, there is no direct comparison being made; rather, the poppies are described with human emotions, not as something else.
3. Simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using "like" or "as." Since the excerpt does not use "like" or "as" to make a comparison, it is not an example of a simile.
4. Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement or claim that is not meant to be taken literally. The description of the poppies as "drowsy" and "lonely" in the excerpt does not represent an exaggerated or extreme statement, so it does not fit the definition of hyperbole.
Therefore, the correct literary device used in the given lines is personification.
