What are three examples of hyperbole in Graduation by Maya Angelou?

Answer 1

In Maya Angelou's poem "Graduation," three examples of hyperbole include: "the air was heavy with the breath of the unlettered," which exaggerates the impact of illiteracy; "the whitefolks' schools got all the money," which hyperbolically suggests extreme inequality in funding; and "the graduating class tried to sing a song," which exaggerates the lack of musical talent among the students. Hyperbole is used by Angelou to emphasize the challenges and injustices faced by African American students during segregation.

Answer 2

Maya Angelou uses hyperboles to show the shift from the graduation ceremony being a happy ceremony that is so infectious that they are in the midst of a "graduation epidemic." That is the first hyperbole. The second hyperbole comes when the white man speaks at the graduation ceremony and how his words slam down the door of opportunity like "rain through a ragged umbrella" The third hyperbole compares the graduation ceremony to "an ancient tragedy."

Answer 3

1. "The air was convivial with chatter and laughter, not loud but vivacious."
2. "Blazing a path for us, the valedictorian was like a guiding light through the darkness."
3. "The applause that followed his speech was a thunderous roar that seemed to shake the very ground we stood on."