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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
Key Examples in White Noise
Chapter 8
Explanation and Analysis—The Landlord:
In Chapter 8, Murray and Jack meet the landlord of the boarding house where Murray lives. The landlord, in Jack's perception, is so happy and healthy that he seems to be dying of it. This oxymoron is Jack's way of exaggerating just how well off the landlord seems to be, in a striking hyperbole:
We stopped on the porch long enough for Murray to tell the landlord, who was sitting there, about a dripping faucet in the second-floor bathroom. The landlord was a large florid man of such robust and bursting health that he seemed to be having a heart attack even as we looked on.
Related Themes:
Chapter 33
Explanation and Analysis—Ultimate Device:
In Chapter 33, Vernon Dickey, Babette's father, gives Jack a gun. Vernon thinks that every man should have a gun, and Jack accepts it with a thrill. His fear of death, along with hatred toward the unknown Mr. Gray, makes Jack feel like he needs a firearm to protect himself and his family. More so, however, Jack believes the gun will allow him to overcome death entirely and master life. His reaction is full of disturbing hyperbole:
Unlock with LitCharts A+He gave me a canny look. I resumed staring at the gun. It occurred to me that this was the ultimate device for determining one’s competence in the world. I bounced it in the palm of my hand, sniffed the steely muzzle. What does it mean to a person, beyond his sense of competence and well-being and personal worth, to carry a lethal weapon, to handle it well, be ready and willing to use it? A concealed lethal weapon. It was a secret, it was a second life, a second self, a dream, a spell, a plot, a delirium.
German-made.
Related Themes:
