While explicating figures of speech as a major aspect of literary appreciation through phonetic design, 'buzz' is an important word. In the literary context, it is often quoted as the best example of onomatopoeia, that is, the sound reflecting the sense. The very word shows the movement of the bee, indeed a unique creature in this world.
A symbol of hard and sincere work, this wee, teeny-weeny existence is centrally important to our very way of the world. It is the fulcrum of the very eco system. If the apocryphal story enjoys any truth value, Einstein is believed to have maintained that the whole human race will vanish in four days if we manage to delete the bee from our midst. She is not a bother, she is a helpmeet as she pollinates in a huge way in her search of honey.
It is a very difficult work, hopping from flower to flower, gathering droplets of honey, and later transfer the honey thus gathered to the beehive. The worker bees perform this very difficult task in a very disciplined and selfless way. They prepare the unique beehive with finesse and bees' wax. It has a unique hexagonal structure, at the center of which, laying eggs, stays the 'queen bee', always a unique symbol of importance and power, especially of the feminine variety.
The division of labour is unique, precise and yet elegant, The work may indeed thus be worship. Hence its very structure buzzes, both with a lovely sound, and with joy.
Believe me, the bees have a quite advanced communication system that I always quote while explicating the differences between human and animal communication, and to some extent, cognition.
The buzz word is hence a metaphor for the major idea doing the rounds at any given time. So closely knit is this tiny bee with us that to be a bee or not to be cannot be the question. No wonder, the buzz word is the world!
Pratima@Domesticated but never tamed, the bee can stand for our communication. Let it always be honeyed, and should never sting.
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