Transcript metonymy - Cloudfront.net

By:
Jonathan C. & Francis Le
Metonyms
Sometimes instead of using the subject, a
writer will use an attribute of that subject or
something related to it. This is called
metonymy and is used to highlight a certain
aspect or detail of the subject. Another name
for using a part for the whole is “synecdoche.”
Metonyms
Using metonymy, we put ourselves in
someone’s hands, have mouths to feed, bring
home the bacon, and grumble about city hall.
Because it is keen and vivid, metonymy is
valuable in aphorisms: “The Pen is mightier than
the Sword,” and “The hand that rocks the cradle
rules the world.”
Metonyms
Modern American poet Edna St. Vincent
Millay uses metonymy in her poignant “Love Is
Not All: It Is Not Meat or Drink.” Dylan Thomas,
modern Welsh poet, also relies on metonymy in
“The Hand That Signed the Paper.”
Metonyms – Some Examples
“… a pair of ragged claws
Scuttling across the floors
of silent seas.”- T.S. Elliot
(Lobster)
“A mob of cameras engulfed the
celebrity as he came out of the
building.” - Francis Le
(paparazzi)
“A gleaming pair of metal wings glided
over the city.”
-Jonathan Czintos
(airplane)