Hyperbole: Hyperbole is an exaggeration. An example from the book is when Daisy first sees Nick in Chapter 1 and says she is "paralyzed with happiness."
Nick's description of Gatsby's Rolls-Royce contains hyperbole: It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns.
We pushed aside curtains that were like pavilions, and felt over innumerable feet of dark wall for electric light switches — once I tumbled with a sort of splash upon the keys of a ghostly piano.”Chapter 8 page 147 Explanation: In the book The Great Gatsby, This particular quote is an example of a Hyperbole because ...
-hyperbole- pg 107 "The pebbles of the drive crunched under his feet." *-simile- pg 111 "At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete." -imagery- pg 99 "But his heart was in a constant, turbulent riot."
In literature, hyperbole functions to emphasize ordinary human emotions in a way that makes them extraordinary. This creates an effect that grabs the reader's attention more than ordinary language would. Hyperbole in literature can also create contrasts between the mundane and the important aspects of the story.
Though the characters and settings may vary, tall tales generally have some common traits: hyperbole or exaggeration.
He is older than the hills. I will die if she asks me to dance. She is as big as an elephant! I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
Hyperbole Is Extreme Exaggeration
In using hyperbole, you take an ordinary exaggeration to new heights. If I'm really hungry, I might say, “I'm so hungry I could eat that entire pizza” even though I really mean I could eat a slice or two beyond my usual consumption.
1. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. 2. She's as old as the hills.
Often the names of Dickens' characters are synonymous with their unique traits. For instance, with Scrooge, his inhumanity and meanness. His coldness and stinginess are conveyed by means of hyperbolic phrasing: '…a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses refined figurative language such as simile, metaphor, personification, and symbolism to convey the mood and themes of the novel.
Tom Buchanan learns that his wife, Daisy, is having an affair, which is ironic given that he is also having an affair. Daisy is the driver of the vehicle that hits and kills Myrtle Wilson. This is ironic since Myrtle is the mistress of her husband. These are both examples of dramatic irony.
What effect is created by the greenhouse hyperbole? The greenhouse from Gatsby's came at two o'clock, so the flowers were unneeded. The number of flowers that Gatsby sent over was exaggerated, highlighting both his excess and his luxury.
'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. '
She was so happy; her smile was a mile wide.
Hyperbole Definition
That extreme kind of exaggeration in speech is the literary device known as hyperbole. Take this statement for example: I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse. In truth, you wouldn't be able to eat a whole horse.
Exaggeration simply means going over the top. An example is when you are waiting for your friend, and you've been waiting 5 minutes, but you say to him: 'I've been waiting for like half an hour!' Hyperbole means UNREALISTIC exaggeration.
Hyperbole is a rhetorical and literary technique where an author or speaker intentionally uses exaggeration and overstatement for emphasis and effect.
Some Common Day-to-Day Examples of Hyperbole
I am so hungry I could eat all the food here. My brother said that he had a million things to do when he was actually sitting idly. Amrita carried home a ton of papers that she had to grade before Friday. Rory went on forever about the city she lived in.
Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement or claim that is not meant to be taken literally. For example, I've told you a million times!
Hyperboles are not meant to trick your reader. It should be clear that the statement is exaggerated in order to emphasize something specific. To be clear, hyperbole is not lying, but it's also not something to take literally.
Hyperbole is a figure of speech that uses exaggerated comparisons or overstatements for emphasis and literary effect. Like all figures of speech, hyperbole is not meant to be taken literally. “Loving with the fire of a thousand suns” refers to the “burning” passion of loving someone.
The difference between hyperbole and metaphors
Hyperbole always uses exaggeration, while metaphors sometimes do. This is a metaphor: “His words were music to my ears.” The speaker compares words to music. In contrast, a hyperbolic version of the same idea would be, “That's the greatest thing anyone has ever said.”