This is a literary device that uses a commonly held attribute to stand in for something else. In the example given of George W. Bush’s September 11 address to the nation, Bush can simply say that the conflict is one between good and evil without needing to explain that the U.S. are the “good guys” and that terrorists are the “bad guys.” What is dangerous about this technique is that is prevents any discussion of how these terms are applied, it makes them off limits by relying on “common sense.” In the instance of this speech, it also allowed the “bad” to represent all of Islam without Bush having to answer for such a bigoted assertion. Often metonymy allows the speaker to communicate something that he or she would not like to take responsibility for.

In The Fray Contributor