Definition
of Metonymy
Metonymy is a figure of
speech in which something is called by a new name that is related in meaning to
the original thing or concept. For example, it’s common practice to refer to
celebrity life and culture in the United States as “Hollywood,” as in
“Hollywood is obsessed with this new diet.” The meaning of this statement is
not that the place itself has any obsession, of course, but instead refers to
the celebrities and wannabe celebrities who reside there.
Examples
of Metonymy
As noted above, “Hollywood”
can act as a metonym for celebrity culture. There are many other place names
that act metonymically in the same way, such as “Wall Street” for the financial
sector and “Washington” for the United States government. However, there are
many more words in common usage that are metonyms. Here are more examples of
metonymy:
1.
The big house—Refers to prison
2.
The pen—Can refer to prison or to the act of
writing
3.
Stuffed shirts—People in positions of
authority, especially in a business setting
4.
The crown—a royal person
5.
The New York Times/Morgan Stanley/Wells
Fargo, etc.—any organization or company name is often used to stand in for the
people who work there, such as “The New York Times stated that…” or “Wells
Fargo has decided….”
Examples of Metonymy in Life
We use metonymy frequently in our everyday
life. For a better understanding, let us observe a few metonymy examples:
1.
England
decides to keep check on immigration. (England refers to the government.)
2.
The pen
is mightier than the sword. (Pen refers to written words and sword to military
force.)
3.
The
Oval Office was busy in work. (“The Oval Office” is a metonymy as it stands for
people at work in the office.)
4.
Let me
give you a hand. (Hand means help.)
Function of Metonymy
Generally, metonymy is used in
developing literary symbolism i.e. it gives more profound meanings to otherwise
common ideas and objects. By using metonymy, texts exhibit deeper or hidden
meanings and thus drawing readers’ attention. In addition, the use of
metonymy helps achieve conciseness. For instance, “Rifles were guarding the
gate” is more concise than “The guards with rifles in their hands were guarding
the gate.”
Furthermore, metonymy, like other literary devices,
is employed to add a poetic color to words to make them come to life. The
simple ordinary things are described in a creative way to insert this “life”
factor to the literary works.
Proverb
is a brief, simple and popular saying, or a phrase that gives advice and
effectively embodies a commonplace truth based on practical experience or
common sense. A proverb may have an allegorical message behind its odd
appearance. The reason of popularity is due to its usage in spoken language as
well as in the folk literature. Some authors twist and bend proverbs and create
anti-proverbs to add literary effects to their works. However, in poetry, poets
use proverbs strategically by employing some parts of them in poems’ titles
such as Lord Kennet has written a poem, A Bird in the Bush, which is a
popular proverb. Some poems contain multiple proverbs like Paul Muldoon’s poem
Symposium.
Use of Popular Proverbs in Everyday Speech
1.
Early
to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
2.
Laugh
and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.
3.
Absence
makes the heart grow fonder.
5.
An army
of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.
6.
The old
horse in the stable still yearns to run
Function of Proverb
Proverbs play very important roles in different types of
literary works. The most important function of proverbs is to teach and educate
the audience. They often contain an expert advice with a role for educating the
readers on what they may face if they would do something. Hence, proverbs play
a didactic role, as they play a universal role in teaching wisdom and sagacity
to the common people. Since proverbs are usually metaphorical and indirect;
therefore, they allow writers to express their message in a less harsh way.
The most important English Proverbs
This is a list of some of the most important and
well-known English proverbs. Below each one, there's a simple explanation.
The meanings of some of these phrases have shifted over
the years, so a proverb might have originally had a different meaning than the
one I explain.
1. "Two wrongs don't make a right."
Tweet This! When someone has done
something bad to you, trying to get revenge will only make things worse.
2. "The pen is mightier than the sword."
Tweet This! Trying to convince
people with ideas and words is more effective than trying to force people to do
what you want.
3. "When in Rome, do as the Romans."
Tweet This! Act the way that the
people around you are acting. This phrase might come in handy when you're
traveling abroad notice that people do things differently than you're used to.
4. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."
Tweet This! You can get better
service if you complain about something. If you wait patiently, no one's going
to help you.
5. "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."
Tweet This! Strong people don't give
up when they come across challenges. They just work harder.
6. "No man is an island."
Tweet This! You can't live
completely independently. Everyone needs help from other people.
7. "Fortune favors the bold."
Tweet This! People who bravely go
after what they want are more successful than people who try to live safely.
8. "People who live in glass houses should not throw stones."
Tweet This! Don't criticize other
people if you're not perfect yourself.
9. "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."
Tweet This! Bad things might happen,
so be prepared.
10. "Better late than never."
Tweet This! It's best to do
something on time. But if you can't do it on time, do it late.
Example :
REFERENCE :
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