Synecdoche, not Schenectady

Synecdoche, paralipsis, epanalepsis. Huh? They are literary devices that many of us do not learn in school. We probably wouldn’t have been able to spell them anyway.

Synecdoche — A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa.

• All hands on deck! (It is really not just hands, but all people.)
• I haven’t worn heels in years. (It is really shoes with heels.)
• We will put no boots on the ground in Ukraine. (Boots stands for people.)
• Many faces in the crowd are my friends and relatives. (People, not just faces.)
• I bought some new wheels last week! (A car, not just the wheels.)

Paralipsis —The literary device of giving emphasis by professing to say little or nothing about a subject.

• I am not saying you are the cause of this messy kitchen, but no one else was here today.
• I don’t want to embarass Teresa, so I won’t talk about what she did.
• We won’t say a word about all the criminals in politics right now.
• No one wants to accuse her of shoplifting that expensive purse.
• I will talk only about his good side.

Epanalepsis —  The repetition of a word or a phrase with intervening words setting off the repetition, sometimes occurring with a phrase used both at the beginning and end of a sentence. It also can occur over two sentences.

• We know nothing about that — nothing.
• He smiled his perfect smile.
• I know nothing about my neighbor. We have lived next door to each other for years, yet I know nothing.
• Blow winds and crack your cheeks! Rage, blow! (from King Lear)
• Take it easy, take it easy
  Don’t let the sound of your own wheels
  Drive you crazy
  Lighten up while you still can
  Don’t even try to understand
  Just find a place to make your stand
  And take it easy (from the Eagles. Many songs use repetition, so epanalipsis is common in popular music.)