Final answer:
The hyperbole in chapter 13 of 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' is found in the narrator's exaggerated statement about carrying his nose as high as a giraffe's, highlighting his extreme confidence and setting up a contrast that adds tension and humor to the narrative.
Step-by-step explanation:
The hyperbole in the first paragraph of chapter 13 of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain can be identified in the exaggeration used by the narrator. Hyperbole is a literary device that involves exaggerated statements that are not meant to be taken literally but to emphasize a point. In this case, Twain uses hyperbole to express the main character's extreme confidence in his abilities as a steersman on the Mississippi River.
The sentence 'I was bowling down the bend above island 66, brimful of self-conceit and carrying my nose as high as a giraffe's,' serves as the hyperbole. Clearly, someone cannot literally carry their nose as high as a giraffe's, but this expression vividly exaggerates the steersman's pride in his own expertise. This hyperbole is used to set up a contrast between the character's overblown confidence and the reality of his situation, which ultimately creates a humorous effect and adds to the tension in the narrative as readers anticipate the outcome of this misplaced confidence.