The Songwriter's Idea Book by Sheila Davis

Author:Sheila Davis [Davis, Sheila]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Music, Not Read
Publisher: F+W Media, Inc.
Published: 2011-09-27T04:00:00+00:00

The “Mismetaphorizing” of Symbol

I hope that this short course in metonymy and its subtypes will help alert you to the trendy and widespread misapplication of the term metaphor: Virtually every day some review, headline, or editorial labels a disease, a political scandal, or criminal event “a metaphor for______________” (fill in the blank). The speaker or writer of that phrase wants to convey that the subject under discussion represents a meaning greater than itself. But as you have seen, metaphors lack an actual existence; for example, such common metaphoric expressions as “I'm coming apart at the seams” or “you're pulling my leg” or “jumpstart the economy” are fanciful figures of speech. In contrast, AIDS, Watergate, and the Columbine High School massacre are no mere figures of speech, but factual occurrences. So none of them can possibly be a metaphor for anything. Each event, however, may well represent a larger meaning, and thus act as a (concrete) symbol of that meaning. Remember, metaphor and symbol are not synonymous terms—some dictionaries to the contrary.

Differentiating metaphor from symbol will not only help you to write more successful lyrics, it will enrich your understanding of everyday events. The next time you hear an anchorman (or a statesman) characterize the latest random shooting as “a metaphor for our violent society” you will know that the appropriate identification is “a symbol of our violent society.”

WrapUp

This theory on metonym and symbol is meaty and rich, so it may take a while to completely digest. Give it all the time it requires. Read over the definitions and examples. Play with the exercises. Internalize an understanding of making metonyms. Then when you least expect it, it'll happen. You'll look up from a new lyric and exclaim: “Look what I did: I made a compound metonym!” Or even more exciting, “I wrote a symbolic lyric!”

Answers to Exercise on Subtypes of Metonymy

Image Type of metonym

Emily Dickinson/Robert Frost creator for creation

Vivaldi creator for creation

handshake/fist symbol for symbolized

paunch/pouch/pension effect for cause

vitamin D cause for effect

dirt man attribute for subject

chalice symbol for symbolized

ambition effect for cause

frown effect for cause

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