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   ladyvols1 Teacher
   High School - 9th Grade

   eNotes Editor

   According to the dictionary, "Synecdoche can be a defined as a figurative representation in which the part of an object is used as a linguistic placeholder for the whole object (part represents whole)."  An example of this in "To Kill A Mockingbird" can be found in chapter 20 when Atticus is giving his summation at the end of the trial.  Atticus stands up and addresses the "court."  He turns to the judge and says "With the court's permission."  This is an example of using a part to represent the whole.  The court is including all of the people, the jury, and the judge.  Even though he does not name all of these people we know when he is speaking to the "court," he is speaking to all of the people in the room and especially to the men on the jury and the judge.

   The dictionary states that a "metonymy occurs as a linguistic device when an object represents a concept."  An example is when Miss Maudie asks Jem to "give her a hand," what she is really asking for is his help.

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   http://www.enotes.com/literary-terms

   http://www.enotes.com/to-kill-a-mockingbird

   http://www.enotes.com/to-kill-a-mockingbird/style

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   Posted by ladyvols1 on Wednesday June 3, 2009 at 9:02 PM