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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 45
Explanation and Analysis—A Dramatic Will:
The extreme drama of Henchard’s will is an example of hyperbole in The Mayor of Casterbridge. In Chapter 45, Hardy uses the pathetic and pitiful language of Henchard’s final words to really drive home how much of a failure Henchard’s life has become. This language is so self-pitying, however, that it also makes him seem faintly ridiculous to the reader. When Abe Whittle finds the will for Elizabeth-Jane and Farfrae after Henchard’s death, the “crumpled scrap of paper” reads:
MICHAEL HENCHARD'S WILL
“That Elizabeth-Jane Farfrae be not told of my death, or made to grieve on account of me.
“& that I be not bury’d in consecrated ground.
“& that no sexton be asked to toll the bell.
“& that nobody is wished to see my dead body.
“& that no murners walk behind me at my funeral.
“& that no flours be planted on my grave,
“& that no man remember me.
“To this I put my name. “Michael Henchard”
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