Question

review the passage. the hyperbole is shown in bold.
true!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous i had been and am; but why will you say
that i am mad? the disease had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them.
above all was the sense of hearing acute. i heard all things in the heaven and in the
earth. how, then, am i mad? hearken! and observe how healthily—how calmly i can tell
you the whole story.
from edgar allen poe, \the tell - tale heart\
what is the effect of the hyperbole on the passages meaning or tone?
it produces a feeling of madness.
it suggests that the speaker is wise.

Explanation:

The hyperbole "I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth" is an over - the - top claim. In the context of the passage from "The Tell - Tale Heart", the speaker is trying to defend against the accusation of being mad but this extreme statement about hearing everything in heaven and earth is not a sign of wisdom. Instead, such an exaggerated claim about one's sensory abilities contributes to a sense of irrationality and madness, as it is not a normal or rational thing to be able to hear everything in heaven and earth.

Answer:

It produces a feeling of madness.