Everyone hears it. Everyone uses it. Just what is it?
Hyperbole, pronounced hy-PER-buh-lee, is a literary device that many high school English teachers warned their students against as dangerous and tricky. Yet, used correctly, hyperbole, or outlandish exaggeration, can be an effective way to add imagery and humor to a story.
How many times do teenagers complain that everyone is doing something, and they’ll die if they don’t get to do it too? About a million times a day. That is the meaning of hyperbole. It is the intentional use of exaggeration to make a point. Parents of teenagers reading this article probably understood the humor in that description.
Since young people routinely exaggerate as a means of getting what they want, hyperbole is often used as a character trait in stories for that age group. Tall tales characters, such as Paul Bunyan are full of this literary device. Readers recognize it as an over-exaggeration, and it makes them laugh.
Hyperbole in Mainstream Fiction and Humor
In adult writing, hyperbole is less obvious, buried in descriptive passages. Rather than saying a character is older than the hills, (which is hyperbole,) a fiction writer might instead use this description.
“His face was worn, eroded by years of hard work, deep wrinkled canyons carved into his features, laugh lines so deep a small child might get lost in them.”
Garrison Keillor, author of the famous Lake Wobegon stories, is a master of hyperbole, using his satirical sense of humor to get his points across in his books. He used the literary device often in his book Lake Wobegon Days, published in 1985, about the fictional town “where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.” He so intrigued readers with this hyperbole, that now, when someone mentions the Lake Wobegon effect, listeners know that it means people who think they are superior to everyone.
Hyperbole is also the root of jokes such as “She’s so skinny she has to run around in the shower to get wet.” Another example is, “My teacher is so old, she once proofread the bible for spelling errors.” Garrison Keillor, in the book Lake Wobegon Days, wrote, "Most men wear their belts low here, there being so many outstanding bellies some big enough to have names of their own and be formally introduced."
Using Hyperbole With Simile and Metaphor
Figurative language brings writing to life. It creates imagery and visualizations that readers can connect with and remember. Simile and metaphor are two literary devices that pair naturally with hyperbole.
Simile compares two things using the words "like" or "as." Although these examples of hyperbole and simile together are so worn as to be cliché, they serve as good examples.
- She is as old as the dinosaurs.
- He is a hard as a rock.
- It is as light as a feather.
Metaphor also compares to things, but does not use the words ‘like” or “as.”
Here are some examples of hyperbole and metaphor together.
- The boy ran with lightning speed.
- She cried a river of tears.
- He is a raging bull.
How to Use Hyperbole in Creative Writing
Writers can use this tool in creating descriptions of events or people. Burying the hyperbole in a description, rather than having an bold over-exaggeration is the way to make it more palatable and funny. Using something unexpected in the word picture will take it over the top. Using exact verbs and avoiding unnecessary adverbs is one way to do this. Using the repetition of anaphora and anadiplosis is another way.
Exaggerations should be something that people will understand and be able to visualize. Having an unexpected comparison can take writing from blasé to fresh. Instead of writing she cried a river of tears, good writers will go back and revise that expression to make it fresh, new, and uniquely their own.
Mastering the art of figurative language isn’t just for poets. Using literary devices correctly can make fiction writing more rewarding, both for the author and the readers.
Suzanne Pitner - Suzanne Pitner is a teacher and published writer. A member of RWA and YARWA, she writes fiction as Suzanne Lilly.
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