English literature is composed of what we call figures of speech. These are what we make use of in our daily interactions. Some examples of the figure of speech are;
But our main focus is centred solely on hyperbole; its meaning and examples give instances where it is applied in our daily life and point out some literary works where it is used.
It is a figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point known or to show emphasis on a statement. It can also be termed as an overstatement that exaggerates a particular condition for emphasis sake.
It is a literary technique where the writer or speaker intentionally uses exaggeration and overstatement for thorough emphasis and effect.
There is a difference between using a hyperbolic figure of speech and misleading your reader. Hyperbole is effective only when the audience or reader understands that you are employing such literary technique. The intended effect is not to mislead or confuse your reader rather, it is to emphasize the magnitude or gravity of something through exaggerated comparison.
In literary writing, hyperbole should be used in a natural way to go with the flow of the write-up. It can be employed in poetic writing to make the poem more powerful. It can be used in satire, to direct attention to the element of the story being made fun of. It can also be used in daily conversations, giving approach to humour, ridicule statements and in funny conversations.
Here are some of the examples of hyperbole and their use in an everyday statement in expressing feelings which aren’t realistic but buttresses a point.
The first statement projects emphasis on the quantity of food consumed by the child. We all know it’s ridiculous to say someone actually ate a dozen bowl of rice. Same can also be said for the next statement. Here the emphasis is made on the person’s state of hunger.
The third statement gives exaggeration on the things the person has to carry out; it emphasizes the numerous activities in store for that person. The next statement exaggerates the size of a human. You can absolutely say it is ridiculous for someone to look the size of a broomstick.
The fifth statement tells us the manner in which she ran. Though over-exaggerated that it was at the speed of light, which is obviously not possible but it portrays the excitement of the girl upon hearing there were goodies for her, hence the immediate rush to her mother.
These are some of the examples of hyperbolic techniques used in showing over-exaggeration to nail a point in our daily statement.
Another example of hyperbole which can be seen in poetic writing is as follow;
Another example of hyperbole can be seen in some songs such as;
These examples of hyperbole are just but a few of them. In our everyday life, we employ the use of hyperbole. In music, poem, speech writing, story writing and a whole lot of others, the hyperbolic technique is being used to create a sense of humour, give life to a literary work or create a mind-blowing piece.
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