Hyperbole

Hard Times

by Charles Dickens

Hard Times: Hyperbole 1 key example

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
Book 1, Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—A Young Vagabond:

Josiah Bounderby often uses sad stories of his childhood as a tool to win the sympathy of the townspeople. In Book 1, Chapter 4, he uses hyperbole to heighten his story's emotional appeal:

As soon as I was big enough to run away, of course I ran away. Then I became a young vagabond; and instead of one old woman knocking me about and starving me, everybody of all ages knocked me about and starved me. They were right; they had no business to do anything else. I was a nuisance, an encumbrance, and a pest. I know that very well.