Hyperbole is a rhetorical device that uses exaggerated statements to make a point or claim. Hyperbole is often used to catch a reader's and listener's attention with its exaggerated and overstatements. Some examples of hyperbole are:
I've seen the movie a <u>hundred times.</u>
She reached home faster than <u>the speed of light.</u>
I wouldn't sell my cat for a <u>million dollars.</u>
Likewise, in the following excerpt, Mark Twain used the rhetorical device of Hyperbole by stating that if it were him, he wouldn't sell the dog even for <u>hundred of dollars</u>. He emphasizes the preciousness of the dog through the comedic technique of Hyperbole.