While the right portrays liberal darling Elizabeth Warren as a rock-throwing Fembot, Warren manages to show grace under fire. In her latest viral video she responded to a Tea Party supporter who calls her a “socialist whore.” Afterward, she came up with a neat alliteration full of sound symbolism (not to mention Harvard-style paternalism).
There’s someone else pre-packaging that poison—and that’s what makes me angry.
Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren
Alliteration (uh-lit-er-AY-shun), the Peter Piper figure. It repeats the first letter or sound from consecutive words. Also,
Sound Symbolism (SOWND sim-bol-ism), the use of sounds to portray meaning and emotion.
Alliteration works best when the repeated sound enforces a meaning or adds color to a scene. In this case, Warren channels a spitting right-wing snake with rapid-fire “p’s” pre-packaged poison. The sound implies a spitting evil.
We also love the implication of “pre-packaged,” as if some dark industrial force had created a genetically modified drug to turn the heads of the weak and feeble-minded.
Of course, Warren also implies that the heckler was incapable of having a thought of his own—a condescension that liberals should try not to practice in public. On the other hand, watch the video. The man actually may not own a thought.
What do you think of her interpretation? Effective? Let us know in the comments below.