My initial reaction would be to say that shaking someone until their teeth rattle is using the literary device hyperbole. Hyperbole uses exaggeration for the sake of emphasis. A person's teeth aren't likely to rattle from a person shaking them, but it does convey the idea of being shaken quite hard. However, what if it was possible to shake someone that hard? If a person says, "I'm starving," it could be hyperbole, but it also could be quite literal. Maybe you are writing a science fiction novel in which a character's teeth do rattle around when shaken. Then the literary device would be imagery. Imagery occurs when language is used in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses. Teeth rattling around inside someone's face is definitely targeting a reader's sense of hearing. It's possible that the technique is synesthesia too. This technique occurs when writers present ideas, characters, or places in a way that it appeals to multiple senses at the same time. If I'm being told that I am going to be shaken that violently, and I know the teeth rattling thing is possible, then my sense of hearing and my sense of touch are being targeted.
If a person says that they shook someone until their teeth rattled, that person is using a figure of speech called hyperbole. Hyperbole, also called overstatement, is when a speaker exaggerates the truth or says more than what is actually true. This is often done to emphasize an action or emotion. We cannot actually shake a person until that person's teeth rattle because it would be impossible to shake them hard enough to actually shake the teeth out of their gums. However, in saying that one shakes someone enough to make their teeth rattle, the speaker emphasizes just how hard they feel they were shaking the other person. Another example of hyperbole might be coming home from school and telling your mom, "I'm starving!" You probably aren't actually starving, but by using hyperbole, you emphasize how very hungry you are.
No comments:
Post a Comment