The phrase "the pen is mightier than the sword" uses which figure of speech, where an object stands for the wider idea it represents?

  • A. metonymy
  • B. simile
  • C. oxymoron
  • D. alliteration

Explanation

The pen stands for writing and persuasion, and the sword for military force, so each object represents the larger institution associated with it, which is metonymy. An oxymoron combines contradictory terms, as in deafening silence. Alliteration concerns repeated initial sounds rather than meaning.

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