HYPERBOLE AND METONYMY

HYPERBOLE AND METONYMY

Hyperbole

        Hyperbole, derived from a Greek word meaning “over-casting” is a figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration 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 Hyperbole examples are given below.

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 unlike simile and metaphor, hyperbole has a humorous effect created by an overstatement.

Hyperbole Examples from Literature

Example #

In American folk lore, Paul Bunyan’s stories are full of hyperboles. In one instance, he exaggerates winter by saying:
“Well now, one winter it was so cold that all the geese flew backward and all the fish moved south and even the snow turned blue. Late at night, it got so frigid that all spoken words froze solid afore they could be heard. People had to wait until sunup to find out what folks were talking about the night before.”
Freezing of the spoken words at night in winter and then warming up of the words in the warmth of the sun during the day are examples of hyperbole that have been effectively used by Paul Bunyan in this short excerpt.





references :
http://literarydevices.net/hyperbole/
https://www.google.com/search?q=hyperbole&client=firefox-beta&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjuqaPDhurMAhXJn5QKHVFlCxMQsAQIQw&biw=1366&bih=631#imgrc=jaQSRHaJHd31tM%3A

 

Metonymy

           Metonymy is a figure of speech (or trope) in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it's closely associated (such as "crown" for "royalty").
Metonymy is also the rhetorical strategy of describing something indirectly by referring to things around it, as in describing someone's clothing to characterize the individual. Adjective: metonymic.
One famous example of metonymy is the saying, "The pen is mightier than the sword," which originally came from Edward Bulwer Lytton's play Richelieu. This sentence has two examples of metonymy:

• The "pen" stands in for "the written word."
• The "sword" stands in for "military aggression and force."

Metonymy: Stand-Ins for Other Words

A Word Functioning as a Metonymy

Understanding the context of a metonymy is important. For example, the word "pen" is not always standing in for the written word; often, it just refers to the physical object of a pen.
The examples below include both the metonymy and the possible words for which the metonymy would fill in:

• Crown - in place of a royal person
• The White House - in place of the President or others who work there
• The suits - in place of business people
• Dish - for an entire plate of food
• Cup - for a mug
• The Pentagon - to refer to the staff
• The restaurant - to refer to the staff
• Ears - for giving attention ("Lend me your ears!" from Mark Antony in Julius Caesar)
• Eyes - for sight
• The library - for the staff or the books
• Pen - for the written word
• Sword - for military might
• Silver fox - for an attractive older man
• Hand - for help
• The name of a country - used in place of the government, economy, etc.
• The name of a church - used in place of its individual members
• The name of a sports team - used in place of its individual members

While these word examples provide a good example of what a metonymy is and how it functions, sentence examples will further help to explain the use of this figure of speech.

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.

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.

References: http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-metonymy.html#64ti1RQQgkZhLcTT.99