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 A place for discussion on poetry, reviews, contests, etc. |
The Use of Hyperbole in Poetry HYPERBOLE is a figure of speech written in striking exaggeration -- used to evoke strong feelings, paint a bigger-than-life image, or to get a point across with great emphasis. Hyperbole expresses extreme emotion that adds emphasis without the intention of being literally true. Many people use hyperbole to make something seem larger or more important than it actually is. By exaggerating something in an extreme way, hyperbole can capture and hold a reader’s attention. ><><><><><>< Here are some examples in which poets employed hyperbole to make certain parts of their poems stand out. I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed—and gazed—but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils. Concord Hymn by Ralph Waldo Emerson By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled, Here once the embattled farmers stood And fired the shot heard round the world. The foe long since in silence slept; Alike the conqueror silent sleeps; And Time the ruined bridge has swept Down the dark stream which seaward creeps. On this green bank, by this soft stream, We set today a votive stone; That memory may their deed redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone. Spirit, that made those heroes dare To die, and leave their children free, Bid Time and Nature gently spare The shaft we raise to them and thee. The Twelfth of Never by Livingston and Webster You ask how much I need you, must I explain? I need you, oh my darling, like roses need rain. You ask how long I’ll love you; I’ll tell you true: Until the twelfth of never, I’ll still be loving you. Hold me close, never let me go. Hold me close, melt my heart like April snow. I’ll love you till the bluebells forget to bloom; I’ll love you till the clover has lost its perfume. I’ll love you till the poets run out of rhyme, Until the twelfth of never and that’s a long, long time. ><><><><><>< Write your own poem, serious or humorous, using hyperbole to emphasize a point! |
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