Is there a figure of speech in the sentence?

Question

Is there a figure of speech in the sentence "war is a lie"?
Well, I don't see how a war can be a lie. It doesn't make sense if we interpret the sentence literally.

I thought the author meant something like "war rhetoric" instead of "war".

Also, you can't really say something like: "peace is a truth" either.

http://warcrimestimes.blogspot.com/2010/11/war-is-lie-good-read-and-ready.html

I think by war he means "every argument you've heard used to justify, glorify, instigate, promote, prolong, and expand war." If that is the case, is that a figure of speech and which one?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

wholegrainwar is a lie

This is a metaphor. Speaker meaning differs from word meaning.

In effect we are being asked to see some property of a lie that can logically be applied as an attribute of war. It could be as simple as "ugliness". Then, "War is a lie" is being used to say "War is ugly". More likely, though, we are to focus on the fact that a lie is designed to deceive, so that "War is a lie" is being used to say that "War involves deception".

Generally with metaphor, you are not being asked to replace the first term (war) with another, but the second (a lie). So "War rhetoric is a lie" is not really the speaker meaning here. Rather, war rhetoric (propaganda) is an example of why the speaker believes that "War is a lie", that is, "War involves deception".

CJ

PS.
"Metaphor creates the relation between its objects, while metonymy presupposes that relation."
(Hugh Bredin, "Metonymy." Poetics Today, 1984)

CJ

Wholegrain · Answer

Thank you. I was wondering why the sentence didn't really make much sense.

Is there a figure of speech in the sentence?

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