Hyperbole is exaggeration in prose and poetry used to express humor and accentuate interesting and vibrant images. Shakespeare to Lear used hyperbole to add interest to their writing. Students can easily employ this poetic technique in their own poetry.
Preparation for the Lesson on Hyperbole
1. Know and be able to teach the basics of hyperbole.
Hyperbole: exaggeration used to aid imagery, usually used in humorous poems or light-hearted prose. Hyperbole can make a point in an entertaining way, or it can be used to make fun of someone or something.
Example: Glenda’s chicken lays so many eggs that she sits on a ten foot pyramid of neatly stacked white eggs each day.
2. Find poetry or song lyrics that have good examples of hyperbole. The following classic poems use hyperbole:
“To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell , "The Concord Hymn" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Go and Catch a Falling Star" by John Donne, "The People, Yes" by Carl Sandburg, "Speed Adjustments" by John Ciardi, or most of Edward Lear’s limericks.
Example poem using hyperbole:
I Swear I Only Napped a Minute
Eyes fluttered shut
Drool formed a pool
The nap was only to last a minute
The sun set
Winters came and went
The nap was only to last a minute
Wrinkles formed
Young men grew white beards
The nap may have lasted more than a minute
3. Design handouts for the students that explain hyperbole and offer practice.
Example Items for Hyperbole Lesson Handout
Directions: Identify which of the following sentences use hyperbole. Next, create three examples of hyperbole about a school day or homework.
- The blue bells were broken by Billy Brown
- The mountain of paperwork weighed heavily on the teacher’s desk
- Randy's house was so big that it took a week to walk from one end to the other
- The leaves danced in the summer breeze
- After Mindy ate her mother's garlic bread, she could singe any one's eyebrows off with her breath
- Sarah’s hair was a curtain of yellow silk against her back
- The engagement ring Steven gave Miranda was so small that a magnifying glass was needed to see it
- He was so skinny that when he turned sideways he was as thin as a nickle
- The oak tree’s limbs stretched in the sunlight
- My mother’s lecture on good manners lasted two weeks one afternoon
Teaching the Lesson on the Poetic Technique of Hyperbole
- Discuss the definition of hyperbole.
- With enthusiasm, read three-to-five poems that have great examples of hyperbole to the class. Point out the examples of hyperbole in the poems.
- Give the handout on hyperbole to the students. When they have completed the handout, go over the answers. Then, have students share their hyperbole examples.
- Ask students to write an eight-to-ten line poem using two-three examples of hyperbole in class.
- Assign students to write a final copy of the poem for homework. Students should illustrate the poems too.
- Assess the poetry by using a rubric. Criteria for assessment could be the following: use of hyperbole, word choice, creativity and neatness.
- Have students share their illustrated poems. Give students prizes for the most humorous use of hyperbole.
Using hyperbole is not only for poetry; it can be used in prose as well. Poetry is meant to be read aloud and enjoyed. Giggling is allowed in this lesson.
Other relevant article: Middle & High School Lessons at Suite 101
