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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
3. Kaa’s Hunting
Explanation and Analysis—Still and Cool!:
When he gets back from his time with the apes, Baloo’s reaction to Mowgli’s protestations is rich with verbal irony and hyperbole. In this passage, Baloo demonstrates his disdain toward the idea of monkeys showing genuine pity or kindness:
‘When Baloo hurt my head,’ said Mowgli (he was still on his back), ‘I went away, and the grey apes came down from the trees and had pity on me. No one else cared.’
He snuffled a little.
‘The pity of the Monkey-People!’ Baloo snorted. ‘The stillness of the mountain stream! The cool of the summer sun! [...]'
By comparing the monkeys’ pity to the "stillness of a mountain stream" and the "cool of the summer sun," Baloo uses hyperbolic language to exaggerate the unlikeliness of the monkeys' good behavior. These comparisons are hyperbolic because mountain streams are naturally flowing, not still, and the summer sun is hot, not cool. Baloo uses these unlikely scenarios to point out the absurdity of expecting empathy and kindness from the monkeys.
The verbal irony here lies in Baloo’s sarcastic tone. He implies that expecting pity from monkeys is as ridiculous as expecting the sun to be cold. Although Baloo’s own teachings might be a little too rough, he knows Mowgli is better off with him and Bagheera than with the chaotic Bandar-log.
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Explanation and Analysis—Sick and Giddy Ride:
The passage below comes from "Kaa’s Hunting," and it describes Mowgli's harrowing journey through the jungle with the Bandar-log monkeys. Kipling's narrator uses hyperbolic visual and tactile imagery to bring Mowgli’s ride to life for the reader:
Sick and giddy as Mowgli was he could not help enjoying the wild rush, though the glimpses of earth far down below frightened him, and the terrible check and jerk at the end of the swing over nothing but empty air brought his heart between his teeth. [...] he felt the thinnest topmost branches crackle and bend under them, and then with a cough and a whoop would fling themselves into the air outward and downward, and bring up, hanging by their hands or their feet to the lower limbs of the next tree.
The author's employment of visual imagery here allows readers to "see" the chaotic scramble through the jungle: they witness the branches crackling and bending, and can easily imagine limber monkey bodies being flung through the air. The entire passage paints a vivid picture of wild and chaotic movement. The tactile imagery here allows readers to "feel" what Mowgli feels: the rush of wind, the check and jerk of the swinging, and the sensation of hanging on to the branches. It’s overwhelming for the reader, as well as Mowgli himself.
The hyperbole Kipling uses to describe the "Man-cub's" reaction here also emphasizes the passage's intensity. Mowgli feeling his heart "between his teeth" is an exaggeration that conveys the extreme fear and adrenaline rushing through him during this wild ride. It's not a literal description, as his actual heart remains firmly in his chest. However, it helps the reader understand the gut-churning, exhilarating feeling of his romp through the forest.
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