Which literary device endows inanimate objects or abstract concepts with human characteristics?

The correct answer is personification, which is a literary device that attributes human characteristics, emotions, and behaviors to inanimate objects or abstract concepts. This technique allows writers to create vivid imagery and connect readers emotionally to non-human elements by giving them human traits. For instance, when a writer describes the wind as "whispering" through the trees, it invokes a sense of intimacy and understanding, helping the reader to visualize and feel the scene more deeply.

In contrast, alliteration focuses on the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words in close proximity, which is used to create rhythm and musicality in poetry and prose. Metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things that does not use "like" or "as," serving to imply that one thing is another, often for illustrative purposes. A simile, similarly, is a comparison but uses "like" or "as" to highlight similarities between two different things. Each of these devices serves distinct functions in writing and does not involve the attribution of human traits to non-human subjects like personification does.