Monday, July 22, 2013

Can you help me find examples of hyperbole in "The Most Dangerous Game"?

A hyperbole is a figure of speech that involves an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis. There are several examples of hyperbole throughout the short story "The Most Dangerous Game." When Rainsford initially meets General Zaroff, the general comments on Ivan's ethnicity and utilizes a hyperbole by saying,

"Ivan is an incredibly strong fellow...but he has the misfortune to be deaf and dumb. A simple fellow, but, I'm afraid, like all his race, a bit of a savage" (Connell, 4).

General Zaroff's comment that "all his [Ivan's] race" are savages would be considered a hyperbole. To categorize every Cossack as being a bit of a savage is an exaggeration.
Later in the short story, Rainsford is attempting to avoid and harm General Zaroff and ends up digging a deep ditch. Connell utilizes a hyperbole by describing Rainsford's emotions while he waits behind a tree, hoping that the general will fall into his pit of spikes. Connell writes,

"He [Rainsford] lived a year in a minute" (13).

Rainsford cannot live a year in a minute, but the hyperbole emphasizes how long the moment seems to him.
https://literarydevices.net/hyperbole/


The characters in the story "The Most Dangerous Game" often use hyperbole or exaggeration that adds an extra emphasis to what is said. For example, at the beginning of the tale, when Rainsford is still on the boat, he and Whitney catch sight of Ship-Trap Island, which sailors dread. Whitney uses hyperbole when he tells Rainsford, "Even cannibals wouldn't live in such a God-forsaken place." This is clearly an exaggeration, as cannibals are the fiercest of people and do not generally fear much.
Whitney also notes that the crew seems nervous as they pass the island, and he remarks that even the captain seems jumpy. He says, "Yes, even that tough-minded old Swede, who'd go up to the devil himself and ask him for a light." This is another example of hyperbole, as no one can really approach the devil.
Later, General Zaroff says, "You were surprised that I recognized your name. You see, I read all books on hunting published in English, French, and Russian." It is doubtful that General Zaroff has read every single book published on hunting in three languages, no matter how well read he is.
Hyperbole in the story emphasizes how terrifying General Zaroff and his island are and how extreme the game the general is playing truly is. The characters' use of hyperbole in dialogue and the narrator's use of hyperbole in descriptions emphasize the surreal quality of what is going to happen in this tale. 

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