was thinking in terms of a fable, told in the first person. "My name is so-and-so. Before I earned that name from Master X I was just a product, serial number 3430924 born in ... etc etc." Yes, feeling and thoughts

If that does not tickle your fancy you can write a story about one particular object, just telling us its story or using it to make any comments or observations you associate with the whip. If you want to generalize - you are welcome to it.