Let seed be grass, and grass turn into hay: I’m martyr to a motion not my own; What’s freedom for? To know eternity. I swear she
cast a shadow white as stone. But who would count eternity in days? These old bones live to learn her wanton ways: (I measure time by how a body sways). Source: Roethke, Theodore. “I Knew a Woman.” The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke. New York: Random House Inc., 1961. Poetry Foundation. Web. 9 June 2011. Which line is an example of the poetic technique metonymy? “Let seed be grass, and grass turn into hay:” “I’m martyr to a motion not my own;” “I swear she cast a shadow white as stone.” “These old bones live to learn her wanton ways:”
Metonymy is the substitution of one word for another, when between them there is a relation of proximity of senses that allows this exchange. Ex .: The stadium applauded the player.
Metonymy is a figure of language that arises from the need for the speaker or writer to put more emphasis on communication. In the excerpt shown in the question, metomnia is seen in the "These old bones live to learn her wanton ways" phase where the expression "old bones" represents the word "body".
