Hyperbole
Definition of 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.”
The definition of hyperbole comes
from the Greek for “to throw beyond” or “exaggeration.”
Common Examples of Hyperbole
As noted above, there are many
examples of hyperbole in common speech. One of the most frequently used
hyperboles in English is the word “literally”—many people in contemporary
speech use this word when they actually mean the opposite, i.e., figuratively.
An example would be “I was literally starving.”
In this case, the speaker is probably not suffering from malnutrition, but
instead was merely quite hungry, and thus was only figuratively starving.
There was some controversy recently when
definition of the word “literally” was updated to include the definition “to
acknowledge that something is not literally true but is used for emphasis or to
express strong feeling.” Thus, “literally” has become one of the primary ways
to exaggerate and hyperbolize a certain statement.
Here are some more common examples of hyperbole:
- 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.
Some jokes also take advantage of hyperbole, like the “Your
Mama” jokes. For example:
- Your mama is so lazy she got a remote controller to operate her remote.
- Your mama is so old her social security number is 1.
- Your mama is so ugly they didn’t give her a costume when she auditioned for Star Wars.
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 #1
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.
Example #2
TRUE! — nervous — very, very
dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my
senses — not destroyed — not dulled them. Above all was the sense of
hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard
many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily —
how calmly I can tell you the whole story.
(“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe)
In his short story “The Tell-Tale
Heart,” Edgar Allen Poe writes from the perspective of an unreliable narrator.
This narrator displays hyperbolic tendencies throughout the story, as he is
subject to paranoia and delusions. This excerpt is the first paragraph of the
story; the narrator images himself able to hear “all things in heaven and in
the earth,” as well as “many things in hell.” Clearly, as an audience we know
that the narrator is not able to hear all things. Yet this belief plays a key
role in the story, as ultimately the narrator conflates his hyperbolic
imagination with reality.
Examples of
Hyperboles
A hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration used to make
a point. It is like the opposite of “understatement.” It is from a Greek word
meaning “excess.”
Hyperboles can be found in
literature and oral communication. They would not be used in nonfiction works,
like medical journals or research papers; but, they are perfect for fictional
works, especially to add color to a character or humor to the story.
Hyperboles Add Excitement and Fun
A boring story can come to life or
become comical with the use of a hyperbole. Some examples of hyperboles
include:
- “I’ve told you a million times”
- “It was so cold, I saw polar bears wearing jackets”
- “She is so dumb, she thinks Taco Bell is a Mexican phone company”
Here are some common examples of hyperboles:
- I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
- I have a million things to do.
- I had to walk 15 miles to school in the snow, uphill.
- I had a ton of homework.
- If I can’t buy that new game, I will die.
- He is as skinny as a toothpick.
- This car goes faster than the speed of light.
- That new car costs a bazillion dollars.
- We are so poor; we don’t have two cents to rub together.
- That joke is so old, the last time I heard it I was riding on a dinosaur.
- They ran like greased lightning.
- He's got tons of money.
- You could have knocked me over with a feather.
- Her brain is the size of a pea.
- He is older than the hills.
Hyperboles in Media and Literature
If used properly, a hyperbole can
encourage consumers to buy products.
Marketing research from Roger J. Kreuz, PhD for the Military
Personnel Research Science Workshop in June 2001 in Memphis TN, has shown that
75% of ads use at least one figure of speech. Examples of hyperboles in
advertising include:
- “adds amazing luster for infinite, mirror-like shine” (Brilliant Brunette shampoo)
- “It doesn't get better than this” (Oscar Meyer)
A great example of hyperbole in
literature comes from Paul Bunyan’s opening remarks in the American folktale
Babe, the Blue Ox:
“Well now, one winter it was so cold that all the geese flew
backward and all the fish moved south and even the snow turned blue. Late at
night, it got so frigid that all spoken words froze solid afore they could be
heard. People had to wait until sunup to find out what folks were talking about
the night before.”
Another example comes from "As
I Walked Out One Evening" by W.H. Auden:
"I'll love you, dear, I'll love you till China and
Africa meet,
And the river jumps over the mountain
And the salmon sing in the street,
I'll love you till the ocean
Is folded and hung up to dry
And the seven stars go squawking
Like geese about the sky."
Following are some short hyperboles from literature:
- The skin on her face was as thin and drawn as tight as the skin of onion and her eyes were gray and sharp like the points of two picks.
- It was not a mere man he was holding, but a giant; or a block of granite. The pull was unendurable. The pain unendurable.
- People moved slowly then. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County.
- It's a slow burg. I spent a couple of weeks there one day.
- Why does a boy who’s fast as a jet take all day and sometimes two to get to school?
Remember, hyperboles can be found in many sources including
literature and oral communication. Look for these fun comparisons!
Hyperbole
Examples
Hyperbole is a figurative language technique where
exaggeration is used to create a strong effect. With hyperbole, the
notion of the speaker is greatly exaggerated to emphasize the point. The
word “hyperbole” is actually composed of two root words: “hyper” which means
“over,” and “bole” which means “to throw.” So, etymologically,
“hyperbole” translates roughly to “over throw” or “to throw over.” True
to it’s origins, hyperbole or language that is hyperbolic overstates a point or
goes a bit too far. Here are fifty examples of hyperbole:
- Charlie gazed hopelessly at the endless pile of bills stretching across the counter.
- That woman has no self-control.
- That was the easiest question in the world.
- Nothing can bother him.
- I can smell pizza from a mile away.
- I went home and made the biggest sandwich of all time.
- My dad is always working.
- Patty drank from a bottomless glass of Kool-Aid.
- Allie has a million pairs of shoes in her closet.
- Old Mr. Johnson has been teaching here since the Stone Age.
- Forget knocking it out of the park, Frank can knock a baseball off the continent.
- The lesson was taking forever.
- I’ve seen this movie at least 80,000 times.
- Vanessa never has anything interesting to say.
- These shoes are killing me.
Conclusion
hyperbole is part of the group of opposition
figure of speech figure of speech that expresses something contrary to the
state of the originals. It aims to strengthen the impression of intent
expression. Hyperbole is derived from the Greek that means something excessive.
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