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Irony
Definition of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Key Examples in A Visit from the Goon Squad
Chapter 13: Pure Language
Explanation and Analysis—Word Casings:
Rebecca's academic research in Chapter 13 deals with the emergence of "pure language" in English during the near future. Importantly, and perhaps ironically, the speaker uses a metaphor to describe the manner in which commonplace words have lost their meaning.
Rebecca, Alex's wife, is in every sense "an academic star." She has recently published a book on the phenomenon that, amid this new technological age, certain words have become obsolete and meaningless. Alex reconstructs her scholarly arguments:
Her new book was on the phenomenon of word casings, a term she'd invented for words that no longer had meaning outside their quotation marks. English was full of these empty words—"friend" and "real" and "story" and "change"—words that had been shucked of their meanings and reduced to husks.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Lulu's Language:
Chapter 13 of A Visit from the Goon Squad focuses on the evolution of language in the near future, particularly as it is influenced by the technological age. Idioms and metaphors within this "pure language" indeed expose a generational divide between Alex and Lulu as they work on Bennie's social media campaign.
Partway through Chapter 13, Alex and Lulu communicate through their handsets using both oral and written speech. As they speak, they face gaps between their two languages, and Lulu corrects Alex when he uses obsolete phrases:
Unlock with LitCharts A+"No one says 'viral' anymore," Lulu said. "I mean, maybe thoughtlessly, the way we still say 'connect' or 'transmit'—those old mechanical metaphors that have nothing to do with how information travels."
Related Themes:
