Metonymy Examples

Metonymy Examples Metonymy Metonymy is when you substitute an attribute or something closely related to a thing for the name of the thing. Examples of Metonymy: Suit = business man Crown = monarch/monarchy Oval Office = presidency/president Lend a hand = help pen = written word (i.e. "The pen is mightier than the sword.) Examples of Metonymy from Literature: From Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind-Georgia refers to the government, people of Georgia: "I'm mighty glad Georgia waited till after Christmas before it seceded or it would have ruined the Christmas parties." From F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby-Fitzgerald uses the place name to stand for the people who live in the place: "The party preserved a dignified homogeneity, and assumed to itself the function of representing the staid nobility of the countryside-East Egg condescending to West Egg, and carefully on guard against its spectroscopic gayety." From Shakespeare's MacBeth-table refers to those who are present: "I drink to the general joy o' the whole table." From Shakespeare's Julius Caesar-Antony uses "ears" as a way to ask the crowd to listen: "Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears . . ."