Question

read the first two stanzas of \foreign lands\. which excerpt contains hyperbole?

up into the cherry tree
who should climb but little me?

i held the trunk with both my hands
and looked abroad on foreign lands.

i saw the next-door garden lie,
adorned with flowers, before my eye,

and many pleasant places more
that i had never seen before.

Explanation:

Define hyperbole in poetry

Using the Hyperbole Identification knowledge point
Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration used to make a point or emphasize a feeling, which is not meant to be taken literally.

Analyze the poem's context

Using the Poetry Analysis knowledge point
In Robert Louis Stevenson's poem "Foreign Lands," a young child climbs a cherry tree in their garden. From this small tree, the child describes looking out at the surrounding neighborhood.

Evaluate each excerpt

• "Up into the cherry tree / Who should climb but little me?" describes a literal action of climbing.
• "I held the trunk with both my hands / And looked abroad on foreign lands." contains hyperbole. A child climbing a small garden tree cannot literally see "foreign lands" (other countries). Calling the neighboring yards or areas "foreign lands" is a playful, imaginative exaggeration of the view.
• "I saw the next-door garden lie, / Adorned with flowers, before my eye," describes a literal view of a neighbor's garden.
• "And many pleasant places more / That I had never seen before." describes seeing new local spots, which is literal.

Answer:

• Up into the cherry tree

Who should climb but little me?

• **I held the trunk with both my hands

And looked abroad on foreign lands. (Correct answer)**

• I saw the next-door garden lie,

Adorned with flowers, before my eye,

• And many pleasant places more

That I had never seen before.