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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
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Rape:
The following example of hyperbole is taken from the section of Dune Messiah before the Chapter 1 epigraph. This section, entitled "Excerpts from the Death Cell Interview with Bronso of IX," contemplates the circumstances of Alia's birth from a historian's perspective.
It was a Fremen ritual by which that same melange awakened the unborn Alia in the Lady Jessica’s womb. Have you considered what it meant for Alia to be born into this universe fully cognitive, possessed of all her mother’s memories and knowledge? No rape could be more terrifying.
In the above passage, the historian compares the circumstances of Alia's birth to a rape, using hyperbole to emphasize the violation of being forced to carry another's memories and knowledge. Specifically, the historian in question states that "no rape could be more terrifying"—a gross instance of overstatement. Rape is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can undergo.
The historian in this passage poses an interesting question: can the mind be violated as well as the body? Are violations of the mind more impactful than violations of the body? Certainly this framework presumes mind-body dualism, implying that physical circumstances undergone by the body do not impact the mind as severely. Trauma is trauma; what impacts the body must also impact the mind, and vice versa.
Related Themes:
Chapter 23
Explanation and Analysis—Half Mad:
In the following example of hyperbole from Chapter 23, Paul contemplates the expanse of his empire in a simultaneously sullen and awestruck manner:
Awareness turned over at the thought of all those stars above him—an infinite volume. A man must be half mad to imagine he could rule even a teardrop of that volume. He couldn’t begin to imagine the number of subjects his Imperium claimed.
Paul considers the scope of the stars and compares their infinity to that of his empire, using hyperbole to state that it would be foolish to even consider ruling over "a teardrop of that volume." This instance of hyperbole is yet another moment in which Paul considers his own limitations and unwillingness to rule.He recognizes that as one person, he cannot meaningfully represent the interests of thousands of people, let alone millions. His espoused divinity has made it such that few will question his authority to rule, yet Paul himself cannot resist questioning his own supreme power.
Paul feels inadequate, but—crucially—he should feel inadequate. It is true that one person cannot hope to govern millions of people alone, nor is this advisable. Yet this is the precarious position Paul finds himself in, with seemingly no alternative other than martyrdom.
Related Themes:
