Read the following excerpt and answer the question.

as a blacksmith plunges a glowing ax or adze in an ice-cold bath and the metal screeches steam and its temper hardens--that's the iron's strength— so the eye of the cyclops sizzled round that stake! (odyssey, 9: 438-41)

which of the following literary devices is most prominent in the excerpt above?
-epic simile
-hyperbole
-personification

Personification

Explanation:

In this passage, the author is describing the way in which hot metal reacts when exposed to very cold water. The author tells us that the metal "screeches steam" and that its "temper hardens." Metal does not have a temper, nor does it have the ability to screech. These are qualities that only humans possess. Therefore, this is an example of personification, as a non-human object is given the characteristics of a human one.