Figures of Speech Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in literature that expresses an exaggerated statement. It is used to create emphasis, evoke strong feelings, or make a point more dramatic or humorous. Hyperbole often involves the use of extreme language to make a particular idea or situation more vivid and memorable. For example, if someone says, “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” they are using hyperbole to convey the intensity of their hunger, not to be taken literally.
Functions of Hyperbole:
- Exaggeration for Emphasis: It adds emphasis by exaggerating, making ideas more noticeable.
- Humour: Hyperbole is often used for comedic effect, creating a funny or absurd image.
- Emotional Impact: It intensifies emotions, making the reader feel more strongly about a situation.
Read More: Literary Term Play
- Rhetorical Device: Writers use hyperbole to grab attention and persuade readers.
- Visual Imagery: It helps create vivid mental images, making the writing more descriptive and engaging.
Examples
1. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No. This my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.”[Macbeth, Shakespeare]
Ans: This is an example of hyperbole, Macbeth, the tragic hero, feels the unbearable prick of his conscience after killing King Duncan. He regrets his sin and believes that even the oceans of the greatest magnitude cannot wash the blood of the king off his hands. We can notice the effective use of hyperbole to make common human feelings remarkable and intense to such an extent that they do not remain ordinary.
2. “I had to wait in the station for ten days an eternity.” [Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad]
Ans: This is an example of hyperbole. Here, the waiting of ten days seemed to last forever and never end. Here, the hyperbole creates a humorous effect.
Read More: Literary Term Comedy
Previous Years Questions and Solutions
NTRCA Exam-2005, 2014
1. They stretched in a never-ending line
Along the margin of bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance. [Wordsworth]
Ans. This is an example of hyperbole. It is quite an overstatement that the poet saw ten thousand daffodils at a glance. Though he saw many daffodils, it was impossible to count the number of daffodils. Here, hyperbole is used for the sake of emphasis.
NTRCA Exam-2006, 2010
1. I loved Ophelia;
Forty thousand brothers
Could not with all their quantity of love. [Hamlet, Shakespeare]
Ans. This is an example of hyperbole. It is an overstatement that forty thousand brothers would not make up the sum of the speaker’s (Hamlet’s) love for Ophelia. Here, hyperbole is used for the sake of emphasis.
NTRCA Exam-2007
2. Where are the songs of Spring?
Ave, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too. [Keats]
Read More: Literary Term Epic
Ans. This is an example of hyperbole. It is an overstatement because though there is no sweet music in autumn as we find in spring, the poet consoles autumn to be happy with its music. Here, hyperbole is used for the sake of emphasis.
NTRCA Exam-2009
1. Put a tongue
In every work of Caesar that should move
The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny.
Ans. This is an instance of hyperbole. It is quite an overstatement that every work of Caesar should move the stones of Rome and rise and mutiny. Here, hyperbole is used for the sake of emphasis.
NTRCA Exam-2011, 2014, 17th
1. Here is the smell of blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. [Shakespeare]
Read More: Figures of Speech Anti-Climax
Ans. This is an example of hyperbole. It is an exaggeration because it is made to appear that not even all the perfumes of Arabia possess the capacity to sweeten one single hand. Here, hyperbole is used to emphasize the guilty conscience of the speaker.
