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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
Day One: Evening
Explanation and Analysis—The Hayes Society:
In Day One: Evening, Stevens recalls a controversy over the secret membership requirements for the highly influential Hayes Society, which "claimed to admit butlers of 'only the very first rank.'" While defending their membership qualifications, the Society makes an (arguably hyperbolic) allusion that many of its detractors found distasteful:
In response to further letters in A Quarterly, the Society justified its stance by saying that while it accepted some correspondents’ views that certain butlers of excellent quality were to be found in the houses of businessmen, ‘the assumption had to be that the houses of true ladies and gentlemen would not refrain long from acquiring the services of any such persons’. One had to be guided by the judgement of ‘the true ladies and gentlemen’, argued the Society, or else ‘we may as well adopt the proprieties of Bolshevik Russia’.
Recall that the Hayes Society had just revealed one of their membership requirements: a butler must work in a "distinguished household" to be a member. In other words, the butler hoping to be considered for membership should work for someone in the aristocracy ("true ladies and gentlemen"), not anyone who happens to have enough money for a large house and a full-time staff ("businessmen").
The Society then derogatorily alludes to "Bolshevik Russia." In essence, they claim that admitting butlers who have only worked for businessmen into the ranks of their members would be such a radical departure from tradition, and would be so disrespectful to the aristocracy, as to constitute communism. It's not surprising that this hyperbolic allusion annoyed many, and even Stevens disagrees with the Society's hardline stance on this issue. Communists, including the far-left Bolsheviks, did seek to dismantle class categories, including that of the aristocracy. But this proposed change in membership requirements for a society celebrating excellent butlers is a far cry from anything the Bolsheviks undertook during their control of Russia. The Society's steadfast adherence to tradition, and its alarmist reaction to the proposed altering of that tradition, illustrates how rigid and old-fashioned Stevens's profession can be.
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