Hyperbole
Hyperbole
What is Hyperbole?
Hyperbole is the use of
obvious and deliberate exaggeration. Hyperbolic statements are
often extravagant and not meant to be taken literally. These statements are
used to create a strong impression and add emphasis. We use hyperbole
frequently in everyday language, saying things like “I’m so hungry I could eat
a cow,” or “We had to wait forever for the bus.” Hyperbole sometimes makes use simile
or metaphor
to create the effect of exaggeration, such as “He’s as strong as an ox.”
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Common Examples of Hyperbole
- My grandmother is as old as the hills.
- Your suitcase weighs a ton!
- She is as heavy as an elephant!
- I am dying of shame.
- I am trying to solve a million issues these days.
- The suitcase weighed a ton.
- I’m so angry, I could kill him!
- I’ve asked you not to do that a thousand times.
- If he doesn’t call by tonight, I will absolutely die.
- She’s as skinny as a toothpick.
It is important not to confuse
hyperbole with simile and metaphor.
It does make a comparison but unlike simile
and metaphor,
hyperbole has a humorous effect created by an overstatement.
Significance of Hyperbole in Literature
Authors use hyperbole to evoke
strong feelings or emphasize a point. Hyperbole can be used to overstate any
type of situation or emotion, and can be used humorously or seriously.
Hyperbole is most often found in poetry, as poets use it to make comparisons
and describe things in more embellished terms. However, it is commonly used in prose
and plays as well.
Examples of Hyperbole in Literature
Example:
The forward violet thus did I chide:Sweet thief, whence didst thou steal thy sweet that smells,
If not from my love’s breath?
(“Sonnet 99” by William Shakespeare)
In this sonnet, Shakespeare
imagines that the sweet smell of a violet has come from his lover’s breath.
This is a clear overstatement, as it is impossible for nature to have taken its
smell from the lover. In fact, his lover’s breath is almost surely not as
sweet-smelling as a violet, yet Shakespeare’s love overcomes reason. This
hyperbole example gives us greater insight into Shakespeare’s all-encompassing
love for the subject of the poem.
Hyperbole can be used in a form
of humour, excitement, distress, and many other emotions, all depending on the
context in which the speaker uses it.
References
:
1. http://literarydevices.net/hyperbole/
3. http://www.literarydevices.com/hyperbole/
