metonymy,synecdoche and hiperbole

I. What is a Metonymy?

The pen is mightier than the sword.

Although literally a pen has no power over a sword, we understand this phrase means that the written word, persuasion, and the sharing of ideas are more powerful than fighting, physical force, and war. This phrase uses metonymy (pronounced mi-ton–uh-mee), which is the replacement of words with related or associated words. In the example, we replaced “written words” with “the pen.”

The word metonymy is derived from the Greek phrase metōnymía meaning “a change of name.”

 Examples of Metonymy

Example 1

Hollywood has been releasing a surprising amount of sci-fi movies lately.

Hollywood is literally a district in Los Angeles, but because it has come to be linked to the entertainment business, celebrities, and movie-making, it is a common example of metonymy. Instead of listing various directors and films released in various areas, “Hollywood,” an associated word, will suffice.

Example 2

The Importance of Metonymy

Because associative and referential thinking are so natural and automatic to us, metonymies can be found and understood frequently in everyday language, literature, and pop culture. Metonymies allow for brevity by replacing lists with an associated category. They summarize complicated processes or programs with shortened phrases. Finally, they emphasize the most important and defining characteristics of a subject such as a “Margherita” for a “Margherita pizza.”

IV. Examples of Metonymy in Literature

Example 1

From Richard Russo’s novel Straight Man:

As I drift back into sleep, I can’t help thinking that it’s a wonderful thing to be right about the world. To weigh the evidence, always incomplete, and correctly intuit the whole, to see the world in a grain of sand, to recognize its beauty, its simplicity, In this example, the narrator is not literally talking about an understanding of the entire world, but an understanding of how life works in a particular society of the world. With metonymy, this idea can be presented as simply “the world.”

 http://study.com/academy/lesson/metonymy-in-literature-definition-types-examples.html

Synecdoche Definition

      Synecdoche is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part.

Synecdoche may also use larger groups to refer to smaller groups or vice versa. It may also call a thing by the name of the material it is made of or it may refer to a thing in a container or packing by the name of that container or packing.

Synecdoche Examples from Everyday Life

It is very common to refer to a thing by the name of its parts. Let us look at some of the examples of synecdoche that we can hear from casual conversations:

• The word “bread” refers to food or money as in “Writing is my bread and butter” or “sole breadwinner”.
• The phrase “gray beard” refers to an old man.
• The word “sails” refers to a whole ship.
• The word “suits” refers to businessmen.
• The word “boots” usually refers to soldiers.
• The term “coke” is a common synecdoche for all carbonated drinks.
• “Pentagon” is a synecdoche when it refers to a few decision makers.
• The word “glasses” refers to spectacles.
• “Coppers” often refers to coins.

Examples of Synecdoche in Literature

Coleridge employs synecdoche in his poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner:

“The western wave was all a-flame.
The day was well was nigh done!
Almost upon the western wave
Rested the broad bright Sun”

function of Synecdoche

     Literary symbolism is developed by the writers who employ synecdoche in their literary works. By using synecdoche, the writers give otherwise common ideas and objects deeper meanings and thus draw readers’ attention.

Furthermore, the use of synecdoche helps writers to achieve brevity. For instance, saying “Soldiers were equipped with steel” is more concise than saying “The soldiers were equipped with swords, knives, daggers, arrows etc.”

Like any other literary device, synecdoche when used appropriately adds a distinct color to words making them appear vivid. To insert this “life” factor to literary works, writers describe simple ordinary things creatively with the aid of this literary device.

www.literarydevices.com/synecdoche/ 

Hyperbole Definition

 

Hyperbole, derived from a Greek word meaning “over-casting” is a figure of speech, which involves anexaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.

It is a device that we employ in our day-to-day speech. For instance, when you meet a friend after a long time, you say, “Ages have passed since I last saw you”. You may not have met him for three or four hours or a day, but the use of the word “ages” exaggerates this statement to add emphasis to your wait.  Therefore, a hyperbole is an unreal exaggeration to emphasize the real situation. Some other common 

Common Examples of Hyperbole

• My grandmother is as old as the hills.
• Your suitcase weighs a ton!
• She is as heavy as an elephant!
• I am dying of shame.
• I am trying to solve a million issues these days.

It is important not to confuse hyperbole with simile and metaphor. It does make a comparison but unlikesimile and metaphor, hyperbole has a humorous effect created by an overstatement.

Let us see some examples from Classical English literature in which hyperbole was used successfully.

Hyperbole Examples from LiteratureFunction of Hyperbole

The above arguments make clear the use of hyperbole. In our daily conversation, we use hyperbole to emphasize for an amusing effect. However, in literature it has very serious implications. By using hyperbole, a writer or a poet makes common human feelings remarkable and intense to such an extent that they do not remain ordinary. In literature, usage of hyperbole develops contrasts. When one thing is described with an over-statement and the other thing is presented normally, a striking contrast is developed. This technique is employed to catch the reader’s attention.

http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-hyperboles.html