An example of anthropomorphism in popular science writing:
"The CENP-A [Centromeric Protein-A] in these thousands of octamers at the centromeres gives the spindle apparatus something to hang on to, when it's trying to pull the chromosomes apart. One of the effects of inserting CENP-A into the octamers is that it makes the centromere regions more rigid. If we think about trying to pull a blob of jelly, compared with a boiled sweet, it's obvious that the increased rigidity will be an advantage for the action of the spindle apparatus."
Nessa Carey (2015) Junk DNA. A journey through the dark matter of the genome. London: Icon Books Ltd.
This is metaphorical, as the spindle apparatus does not have intentions.
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That the spindle apparatus is rigid, more like a boiled sweet than a blob of jelly, seems intended as an analogy, although the mapping seems to swap what is considered being pulled. However, from a Newtonian perspectives, forces are always mutual, so if the boiled sweet (spindle apparatus) is being pulled, then so is the chromosome.
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