Question

Read this excerpt from Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi: My father was a justice of the peace, and I supposed he possessed the power of life and death over all men and could hang anybody that offended him. Which of the following literary devices is best shown in this passage?

Answer 1

Hyperbole. Judges, while powerful do not hold the power of life and death alone.
No man can be judge, jury, and executioner.

Answer 2

The correct answer is option "Hyperbole".

Step-by-step explanation:

This is a figure of speech that contains an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis, this should not be taken literally. In the passage above, the literary device explained is used when the speaker states that their father has “the power of life and death over all men”, obviously exaggerating cause we all know no one has this power.