What is Synecdoche? Transcript (Spanish and English Subtitles Available in Video. Click HERE for the Spanish Transcript)By Peter Betjemann Show
To understand synecdoche, you need to first understand the concepts of metaphor and metonymy. If you don’t have a solid grasp of metaphor and metonymy, videos on both of those concepts are available through the Oregon State Guide to Literary Terms. Metaphor, metonymy, and synecdoche are all kinds of figurative language that use one thing to help us understand something else. A metonym, as you know, replaces something you want to characterize with something else associated with it. A synecdoche is a kind of metonym, but the associated thing is actually a component part, a piece, of whatever you are characterizing. When we talk about getting “boots on the ground,” we’re using a synecdoche: by boots, we mean soldiers. But boots are part of the soldiers (at least when they are dressed), so this expression is really a synecdoche rather than just a metonym. The super-classic example of synecdoche, that you’ll find on every website, is “fifty keels plowed the deep.” Fifty ships sailing on the ocean are represented by their keels, a component part of the vessel thus standing for the whole. The poet Allen Ginsberg was a great lover of synecdoche. Two examples are afforded by his poem “A Supermarket in California,” and understanding these examples helps us interpret Ginsberg’s themes. In the poem, the narrator fantasizes about following the nineteenth-century poet Walt Whitman around a mid twentieth-century grocery story. He overhears Whitman ask the grocer, in the meat section, “who killed the pork chops?” That’s a synecdoche – it was of course the pig, not the pork chop, that was killed; the pork chop is the fragmented part that stands for the whole. A few lines later, the narrator addresses Whitman as his “dear father, greybeard, lonely old courage teacher.” “Greybeard,” here, is also a synecdoche. Ginsberg affectionately invokes Whitman’s famous beard to stand for the whole man and to indicate how Whitman’s wise example gives him courage. How can tracking Ginsberg’s use of synecdoche help us interpret the poem? This is a verse in which the narrator struggles with feelings of connection and disconnection – he feels connected to Whitman, but isn’t sure that Whitman’s optimistic vision of society applies to the dismantled post-World-War-II culture in which Ginsberg lives. The first synecdoche about the pork chops, is horrifying and a little gross – it’s meant to shock, and to capture a world in which we think only in terms of cut-up commodities that we purchase (“pork chops”). The second synecdoche does the opposite – it creates an affectionate, tender, and reverential connection between Ginsberg and Whitman by referring to the earlier poet as Ginsberg’s “greybeard,” his wise and older source of inspiration. Across “A Supermarket in California,” then, synecdoche is used to establish both moods of the poem – that of fragmentation and that of connectivity. To see the synecdoche is not just to see the clever use of a particularly kind of literary language, but to encounter the central themes of the poem as a whole. Further Resources for Teachers: In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, Slim calls the people who work on the farm "the hands." Students will likely be familiar with this synecdoche, but they may benefit from exploring how this synecdoche conveys Slim's tone--the attitude that he takes towards these workers. What does it mean to call people "hands?" What does it emphasize and what does it de-emphasize? This activity may help students to understand the power of synecdoches to both celebrate and denigrate in ways that resonate with our video. Interested in more video lessons? View the full series: The Oregon State Guide to English Literary TermsA language used to convey a complicated meaning, colorful writing, clarity, or evocative comparison What is Figurative Language?Figurative language refers to the use of words in a way that deviates from the conventional order and meaning in order to convey a complicated meaning, colorful writing, clarity, or evocative comparison. It uses an ordinary sentence to refer to something without directly stating it. Understanding figurative language is an important part of reading the Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A), where management may use a metaphor to help explain complicated concepts or directions that the company is taking.  Fiction writers use figurative language to engage their audience using a more creative tone that provokes thinking and sometimes humor. It makes fiction writing more interesting and dramatic than the literal language that uses words to refer to statements of fact. Types of Figurative LanguageThere are several types of figurative languages that are used in modern writing. They include: 1. SimileA simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things and uses the words “like” or “as” and they are commonly used in everyday communication. A simile is used with the aim of sparking an interesting connection in the reader’s mind. An example of a simile is, “The cat sat in the chair like a king overlooking his kingdom.” The cat’s sitting posture is compared to that of a king who relaxes in a special chair that is reserved for him and not any other person in the kingdom. Other examples of similes include:
2. MetaphorA metaphor is a statement that compares two things that are not alike. Unlike similes, metaphors do not use the words “like” or “as.” Such statements only make sense when the reader understands the connection between the two things being compared. An example of a popular metaphor is “Time is money.” The statement compares time and money, and it does not literally mean that the amount of time you have equals the money that you have. Instead, it means that time is a valuable resource, and it should be used effectively to earn money. Any time wasted means that a person loses the chance to make more money. Other examples of metaphors include:
3. HyperboleHyperbole is an exaggeration that is created to emphasize a point or bring out a sense of humor. It is often used in everyday conversations without the speaker noticing it. The exaggeration is so outrageous that no one would believe that it is true. It is used to add depth and color to a statement. An example of hyperbole is, “I would die for you.” The sentence does not necessarily mean that one person is literally willing to die for the other, but it used to exaggerate the amount of love that one person has for another person. Death is only used to show the extent of affection. Other examples of hyperbole:
4. PersonificationPersonification is the attribution of human characteristics to non-living objects. Using personification affects the way readers imagine things, and it sparks an interest in the subject. An example of personification is, “The sun greeted me when I woke up in the morning.” The sun is a non-human object but has been given human characteristics since greetings can only be performed by living creatures. Other examples of personification include:
5. SynecdocheSynecdoche is a type of figurative language that uses one part to refer to the whole, or the whole to refer to the part. For example, a set of wheels can be used to refer to a vehicle and a suit to refer to a businessman. When referring to a car as a set of wheels, the wheels are only a part of the car and not the whole thing. Similarly, a typical businessman wears a suit alongside other accessories such as a watch and a briefcase. Other examples of synecdoche include:
6. OnomatopoeiaOnomatopoeia is a language that names something or an action by imitating the sound associated with it. They add some reality to the writing. Examples of onomatopoeia include:
More ResourcesThank you for reading CFI’s guide to Figurative Language. To keep learning and developing your knowledge, we highly recommend the additional CFI resources below:
What is it called when a part represents the whole?synecdoche, figure of speech in which a part represents the whole, as in the expression “hired hands” for workmen or, less commonly, the whole represents a part, as in the use of the word “society” to mean high society.
Is a type of metaphor in which the part stands for the whole?'Synecdoche' is when the word for a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing, or less commonly, the word for a whole is used to refer to a part.
When the speaker uses one part of something to represent the whole thing is called?Definition. Synecdoche is a rhetorical trope and a kind of metonymy—a figure of speech using a term to denote one thing to refer to a related thing.
What is an example of a metonymy?Common examples of metonymy include in language include: Referring to the President of the United States or their administration as “the White House” or “the Oval Office” Referring to the American technology industry as “Silicon Valley” Referring to the American advertising industry as “Madison Avenue”
|
Which type of metaphor uses a part of something to represent the whole thing?
zusammenhängende Posts
Urheberrechte © © 2024 de.apacode Inc.
