What is
metonymy?
Metonymy is a figure of speech in which a thing or concept
is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately
associated with that thing or concept.
Purpose
of a Metonymy
As with other literary devices, one of the main purposes of
using a metonymy is to add flavor to the writing. Instead of just repeatedly
saying, "the staff at the restaurant" or naming all of the elements
of a dinner each time you want to refer to the meal, one word breaks up some of
that awkwardness.Using a metonymy serves a double purpose - it breaks up any
awkwardness of repeating the same phrase over and over and it changes the
wording to make the sentence more interesting.
Here
are some examples of metonymy:
·
Crown.
(For the power of a king.)
·
The
White House. (Referring to the American administration.)
·
Dish.
(To refer an entire plate of food.)
·
The
Pentagon. (For the Department of Defense and the offices of the U.S. Armed
Forces.)
·
Pen.
(For the written word.)
·
Sword -
(For military force.)
·
Hollywood.
(For US Cinema.)
·
Hand.
(For help.)
Consider this quote which is a metonymic adage coined by
English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839 for his play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy
"The
pen is mightier than the sword."
Sentences
Using a Metonymy
These sentences will further enhance your appreciation and
understanding of metonymies. The metonymy is underlined.
We must
wait to hear from the crown until we make any further decisions.
The
White House will be announcing the decision around noon today.
If we
do not fill out the forms properly, the suits will be after us shortly.
She's
planning to serve the dish early in the evening.
The cup
is quite tasty.
The
Pentagon will be revealing the decision later on in the morning.
The
restaurant has been acting quite rude lately.
Learn
how to use your eyes properly!
The
library has been very helpful to the students this morning.
That
individual is quite the silver fox.
Can you
please give me a hand carrying this box up the stairs?
The
United States will be delivering the new product to us very soon.
Saint
Thomas will be coming to the soup kitchen to help out next Sunday after Mass.
The
Yankees have been throwing the ball really well, and they have been hitting
better than they have been in the past few seasons.
Definition
of Proverb
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.
A proverb is most often a phrase or saying
that gives advice in an obscure way. The phrase usually has an allegorical type
of message behind that when first heard may seem a little odd. Usually a
proverb is very well known because of its popular use in colloquial language.
Use of
Popular Proverbs in Everyday Speech
Early
to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
Laugh
and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.
Absence
makes the heart grow fonder.
All
that glitters is not gold.
An army
of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.
The old
horse in the stable still yearns to run
Proverbs
surround us everyday. Whether at work, school, church or during a conversation
with a friend, the likelihood of hearing a proverb is high. With the influx of
different cultures and traditions in the United States, it is not uncommon to
come in contact with many examples of proverbs.People who have a strong
religious background might look to the Book of Proverbs in the Bible for
examples of proverbs. Others might find comfort in proverbs from different
cultures.
Proverbs
Throughout the World
Ø African Proverbs
Across the vast continent of Africa, many
African nations disseminated proverbs that were meant to educate and inspire
those who used them.Here are a few examples of African proverbs.
“A
tree is known by its fruit” – (of Zulu origin - this means that success is
shown by the deeds.)
“I
have been bitten by a tsetse fly” – (of Tanzanian origin – this means that a
person will continuously be a pest until you pay off a debt.)
“The
word of friend makes you cry – the word of an enemy makes you laugh” – (of
Algeria, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger – this means that a friend
will tell you the truth and sometimes the truth hurts, whereas an enemy will
only lead you down the wrong path by giving you advice that seems good but is
not.)
Ø Asian Proverbs
Some examples of Asian proverbs include the
following:
“The
old horse in the stable still yearns to run” – (this means that those who are
older still have things they would like to accomplish.)
“A
spark can start a fire that burns the entire prairie” – (this means that a
small problem can snowball into a huge problem that can cause major damage.)
“Give
a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him
for a lifetime” – (this means that teaching people is better in the long run
because it gives them the skills to provide for themselves as opposed to you
doing things for them.)
Ø American Proverbs
Some examples of American based proverbs
include:
"Absence
makes the heart grow fonder” – (this means that when you separate from someone
that you love by putting distance between you that you will inevitably love
them more and yearn to see them.)
"All
that glitters is not gold” – (this means that just because something looks
good, does not necessarily mean that it is good.)
"A
monkey in silk is a monkey no less” – (this means that just because someone
dresses fancy does not necessarily mean that they are fancy or of good
character.)
Ø English Proverbs
Some examples of English proverbs include:
Early
to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
It’s
no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Laugh
and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.
See
a pin and pick it up, all the day you’ll have good luck; see a pin and let it
lie, bad luck you’ll have all day.
‘Tis
better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.
Monday’s
child is fair of face/Tuesday’s child is full of grace,/Wednesday’s child is
full of woe,/Thursday’s child has far to go,/Friday’s child is loving and
giving,/Saturday’s child works hard for its living/And a child that’s born on
the Sabbath day/Is fair and wise and good and gay.
Ø Proverbs from Other Countries
Arabic
Proverb: An army of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a
sheep.
Finnish
proverb: Even a small star shines in the darkness.
Italian
Proverb: After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box.
Jewish
Proverb: God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.
Russian
Proverb: Better to stumble than make a slip of the tongue.
Spanish
Proverb: Since we cannot get what we like, let us like what we can get.
Preference
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