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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 17
Explanation and Analysis—World Within a World:
At first, the narrator feels personally satisfied with his work as an organizer for the Brotherhood, as he both believes in their mission and is pleased by his successes. In his description of his early days working with the Brotherhood, the narrator uses a series of metaphors, hyperboles, and allusions:
The Brotherhood was a world within a world and I was determined to discover all its secrets and to advance as far as I could. I saw no limits, it was the one organization in the whole country in which I could reach the very top and I meant to get there. Even if it meant climbing a mountain of words. For now I had begun to believe [...] that there was a magic in spoken words. Sometimes I sat watching the watery play of light upon Douglass’ portrait, thinking how magical it was that he had talked his way from slavery to a government ministry [...]
He metaphorically describes the Brotherhood, with its various chapters, secret clubs, and internal leadership, as a “world within a world,” hyperbolically suggesting that the organization constitutes its own “world” hidden within the wider world. Highly idealistic at this point in the novel, he claims that he “saw no limits” and felt that he “could reach the very top” of the organization, “even if it meant climbing a mountain of words.” These various metaphors related to mountain-climbing further develop the sense that the Brotherhood is its own “world” in some way, one which can be explored like any land or territory. In another instance of hyperbole, he claims that he started to believe that “spoken words” are magical. Alluding to American statesman, orator, and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, he exaggeratedly claims that Douglass “talked his way” out of slavery. His feverish, excited speech here reflects his excitement about the Brotherhood prior to his later disillusionment.
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