Synecdoche - Academic Mode

Definition of synecdoche
Synecdoche is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole, or you can use a whole to represent a part. Synecdoche can also use larger groups to refer to smaller groups, or vice versa. You can also call a thing by the name of the material it is made from, or you can refer to a thing in a container or packaging by the name of that container or packaging. they resemble each other to some extent, they are not the same. The synecdoche refers to the whole of a thing by the name of any of its parts. For example, calling a car "wheels" is a synecdoche because a part of the car, its "wheels," means the whole car. However, in metonymy, the word used to describe a thing is closely related to that particular thing, but is not necessarily a part of it. For example, using the word "crown" to refer to power or authority is a metonymy, used to replace the word "king" or "queen."

Examples of synecdoche from everyday life
It is very common to refer to a thing by the name of its parts. Let's look at some examples of synekdoche we often hear in casual conversations:

The word "bread" refers to food or money, as in "Writing is my bread and butter" or "He is the only breadwinner."
The term "gray beard" refers to an old man.
The word "sail" refers to an entire ship.
The word "suit" refers to a businessman.
The word "boots" usually refers to soldiers.
The term " Cola "is a common name Synecdoche for all carbonated drinks.
" Pentagon "is a Synecdoche when it refers to some decision makers.
The word" glasses "refers to glasses.
Examples of Synecdoche in the literature
Example 1: The hoarfrost of the old Seefahrers (By Samuel Taylor Coleridge))
“The westerly wave was all a flame.
The day was good and almost over!
Almost on the western wave
Rest the broad, bright sun "

The" western wave "is a synecdoche as it refers to the sea with the name of one of its parts, a wave.

Example 2: Sonnet 116 (by William Shakespeare)
" O No! It's an always set brand
that looks to storms and will never be shaken. "

The phrase" always set brand "refers to a lighthouse.

Example 3: Ozymandias (by Percy Bysshe Shelly)
" Say that his sculptor is good These passions are
What survives, shaped by these inanimate things,
The hand, which she mocked. ”

“ The hand ”in these lines refers to the sculptor who carved the“ inanimate things ”into a large statue.

Example 4: The Sharer Secret (By Joseph Conrad)
“ At midnight I went on deck and put that To my mate's great surprise, ship to the other side. His terrible whiskers darted around me in silent criticism. ”

The above word“ whiskers ”lines refer to the entire face of the narrator's partner.40a 4
Example 5: The Description of the Morning (by Jonathan Swift)
“ Prepare for it before scrubbing the entrance and stairs.
The young man with the broom stumps began to trace. ”

In the previous lines, the phrase“ broom stumps ”refers to the entire broom.

Example # 6: The lady or the tiger? (By Frank R. Stockton)
"her eyes met hers as she sat there paler and whiter than anyone in the vast ocean of anxious faces that surrounded her."

“Faces” refers to people, not just their faces.

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

In addition, the use of synecdoche helps writers achieve brevity. For example, saying "The soldiers were equipped with steel" is more concise than saying "The soldiers were equipped with swords, knives, daggers, and arrows.

Like any other literary device, synecdoche when used appropriately adds distinctive color to words, making them appear alive. To insert this "life" factor into literary works, writers creatively describe simple and ordinary things with the help of this literary device.