Synechdoche
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Synecdoche (sɪˈnɛkdəki) is a trope,or a figure of speech, in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa. [1] The word originated in late Middle English from Latin derived from the Greek wordsunekdokhē, in which sun translates to "together" and ekdekhesthai to "take up."
Synecdoche has the alternate spelling of synechdoche; the two are interchangeable. Synecdoche is not to be confused with Schenectady, New York or the movie about the city, Synecdoche, New York, in which the spelling was changed for a play-on-words effect. The two are pronounced differently.
Synecdoche is similar to another figure of speech known as metonymy. Metonymy occurs when a word is replaced by a word that is very similar. [2]
Some examples of synecdoche include:
"A new set of wheels" to represent an entire vehicle.
"The pen is mightier than the sword" in which pen represents writing and sword represents bloodshed.
"Band-Aid" used for any type of bandage
"Kleenex" used for any type of tissue
"Eastern won the game" to represent a specific team winning a game.
Synecdoche is most often used when talking about people. There are many examples in which a specific body part is used to refer to an entire person. For instance:
"Heads of state" to represent leaders of the state.
"Get your butt over here" in which butt represents an entire person.
"If we put our heads together..." in which heads represent entire persons.
"Hired hands" in which hands represents workers.
Effect:
The reason a literary trope is used is to create some effect which enhances one's writing. Synecdoche can be used by writers of fiction to avoid dwelling on unimportant details. For instance, a supporting character may never be described or even named; he or she may be referred to by one distinct characteristic, such as "bright eyes" or "blondie." Referring to a character by one of these traits may also help emphasis something important. For instance, perhaps the fact that a character is blonde will play great importance later in the story.
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Amelia Parnis- Primary
Megan Timpf- Secondary
Ashley Ricciuti- Poster
