Question

Which line in the poem London, 1802 by William Wordsworth uses metonymy to refer to art and literature?

Answer 1

Line 3 used metonymy, when Wordsworth refers to the "pen" here, he doesn't actually mean some giant all-powerful writing implement Instead, he's referring to the whole English literary tradition of the past.

Answer 2

The lines are:

“altar, sword, and pen,

Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower

Have forfeited their ancient English dower

Of inward happiness.”

In these lines from the poem “London,” the word ‘pen’ stands for art and literature. Metonymy is the figure of speech which uses one word to explain and denote about a larger concept or idea related to it. Wordsworth uses ‘pen’ as a metonymy to refer to art and literature as England’s one of the great traditions. He adds that along with religion and military, England’s history is full of literary works too.