the bear stood on his hind legs as if he were a tree
yes
An example of personification is ' the stuffed bear smiled as the little boy hugged him close.'
It is a metaphor because it's comparing bear and death without using "like" or "as".
The Teddy Bear looked at me, content with his new home. When the Teddy Bear was ripped to shreds by my poodle I could see the heartbreak in its eye. No matter what I do I will always enjoy my loving Teddy Bear.
Personification
It is personification without meaning to use personification
Oh, what a happy little question! In "Touching Spirit Bear," there is a lovely example of personification when the author describes the wind as "whispering secrets through the trees." Isn't that just delightful? It helps us feel the connection between nature and the characters in the story, creating a beautiful and vivid image in our minds.
There is no personification going on here.
No, personification does not have a prefix
personification
Yes, you technically can personify backwards. It is typically called 'backwards personification.' An example of it is giving a human animal characteristics, such as, "I dug into my food like a bear killing its prey." Or you could give a person the characteristics of an object, although this is much more difficult. Something like, "I sat there; motionless, like memories in a picture frame." These are just some minor examples of what you can do with backwards personification.
personification