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Definition of Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations intended to emphasize a point... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements are usually quite obvious exaggerations... read full definition
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which a writer or speaker exaggerates for the sake of emphasis. Hyperbolic statements... read full definition
Hyperbole
Explanation and Analysis—First Time in His Life:
When describing the way that B. Wordsworth engages with the world during their outings together, the narrator uses a pair of hyperboles, as seen in the following passage:
We went for long walks together. We went to the Botanical Gardens and the Rock Gardens. We climbed Chancellor Hill in the late afternoon and watched the darkness fall on Port of Spain, and watched the lights go on in the city and on the ships in the harbour.
He did everything as though he were doing it for the first time in his life. He did everything as though he were doing some church rite.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Face Growing Older:
When B. Wordsworth gets sick near the end of the story, he becomes weaker and can no longer traipse about Port-of-Spain with the narrator, forcing the narrator to visit him at home. In one of these scenes, the narrator uses a hyperbole when describing the changes happening in his friend, as seen in the following passage:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[B. Wordsworth] was looking through the window at the coconut tree, and he was speaking as though I wasn't there. He said, "When I was twenty I felt the power within myself." Then, almost in front of my eyes, I could see his face growing older and more tired. He said, "But that – that was a long time ago."
Related Themes:
