~synecdoche+&+metonymy~


 * ~*SYNECDOCHE & METONYMY*~**


 * //Synecdoche//**- //a literary device in which either//


 * //a **__part__** is substituted in for the **__whole__** e.g. "fifty sail" for "fifty ships"//
 * //a **__whole__** for a **__part__** e.g**.** "society" for "high society"//
 * //a **__descriptor__** for the **__object it describes__** e.g. "wicked" for "witch"//
 * //something **__general__** for something **__specific__** e.g. "prehistoric beast" for "mammoth"//
 * //the **__material__** something is made from for **__the object itself__** e.g. "boards" for "stage"//

Synecdoche is employed quite often by Larkin, notably so in his poem "Whitsun Weddings".

On the last line of the fourth stanza, only the color of the girls' attire ("lemons, mauves, and olive-ochres") is mentioned. However, the reader can deduce by the context (Larkin describes other things the girls wear) that Larkin is talking about their dresses. Thus, he has effectively substituted in a **descriptor for a whole.** By doing this, Larkin manages to draw more attention to the garish colors of the dresses, rather than to the mere fact that they are wearing dresses.

Also, the whole second line of the last stanza is an example of synecdoche - **"bright knots of rail"**, which is only a part of the **train tracks**, is used to represent the tracks as a whole. Racing across "knots of rail" is the exact same thing as "racing across the train tracks", except Larkin has decided to use more vivid imagery by substituting a **part for the whole.** Rather than saying something as mundane as "train tracks", Larkin, through synecdoche, uses the vivid imagery of "bright knots of rail" to describe his journey homewards more vividly.

//**Metonymy**- when something is replaced by a concept/place/object that is closely related to it or is an attribute of it.//

Larkin makes use of metonymy in "Whitsun Weddings", **replacing the phenomenon of water pollution with something that is related to it**: the visual signs of it, such as "floating of industrial froth", which is basically pollutants floating on the canal water. Through doing this, he gives the reader a concrete image that is relevant to the poem, as opposed to just naming a concept, which is too general to fit in with the specific description of the surroundings.

Another example of metonymy can be found in Larkin's poem "MCMXIV (1914)". In the 6th line of this poem, Larkin uses metonymy in that he describes the sun on "those moustached archaic faces", rather than just saying the sun shines on them. Thus, Larkin has substituted **attribute** of the men in for the men themselves. By describing a specific attribute of the men, Larkin is able to characterise them, by describing their faces as being moustached and archaic. This seems to conjure up a notion of gentry, which would not have happened had Larkin not been able to describe their faces, a specific attribute of the men themselves.