Metaphor?

Question

I got this the other day as an assignment, but I don't understand some lines.

" A mother today is drowned in canned sentiment and lilacs one day a year, and ..."

(This is adopted by A. W. Zelomek : Changing America)

I think that "sentiment" and "lilacs" are nouns, which are modified by "canned".

I looked into the dictionaries but the meanings I found was only " Lilac is a kind of tree"

Do Americans use this word as " blue", which means a sort of ”feeling depressed"?

Please explain this to me...Thanks in advance.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

blue catI think that "sentiment" and "lilacs" are nouns,

Correct.

blue cat which are modified by "canned".

Not correct.

It is [canned sentiment] and lilacs.

Lilacs are flowers that have a very very sweet smell. Butterflies love them. But the smell can be overpowering and sickening.

"Canned sentiment" is hackneyed, overused, sentimental phrases expressing adoration and love It is as if they come in a can that can be purchased at a cheap price.

blue catone day a year,

That is a holiday in May called "Mother's Day"

Anonymous · Answer

blue catI think that "sentiment" and "lilacs" are nouns, which are modified by "canned".

No. Only the sentiments are canned. He is using the adjectival participle "canned" figuratively ("prepared in standardized form for nonspecific use or wide distribution" https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canned). The lilacs are real. They are a flower with a strong smell. He is referring to their perfume and not the whole flower, and certainly not the whole bush. Their scent is often used in scented soaps and candles and such.

blue catDo Americans use this word as " blue", which means a sort of ”feeling depressed"?

Not at all.

He seems to be talking about Mother's Day.

Metaphor?

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