I recently used a euphemism in describing a friend. Euphemism
is using a more positive term rather than a negative one. She is pretty frank
every time she speaks, as in she usually does not mind voicing her opinions
which can sometimes be offensive. I was talking to her and she said, “People
think I’m really mean. I don’t get it. I’m not mean!” I said to her, “Oh you’re
just not afraid of being honest and telling the truth.” Although I meant that
in a way, what I really thought was that she really could be too much sometimes
with her words that they can cross the line and be insulting. Another type of
rhetorical device I recently used is hyperbole. Hyperbole uses exaggeration to
twist the facts. I actually feel like I use this quite a lot during school.
Because of schoolwork and other stresses, I always complain exaggeratedly. I
was talking to my sister about things I have to do for the next week and told
her that I’m so tired all the time and I barely have time to do other things.
In reality, I'm not that tired and I can still manage. I also do have time to do leisurely stuff too.
I could relate to both of your stories. I also have a friend that is kind of blunt when she talks to people, even if it would hurt the other person's feelings. I know she doesn't mean to do it, but it just comes out offensively. I've told her before that she should be more sensitive of other people's feelings and how she says things to people, even though she's trying to just speak her mind. It's a lot easier to "sugarcoat" with friends because you don't want them to take it offensively and get mad at you. I have also used your example of hyperbole many times. I would be at school or work saying I'm so exhausted, but once I get home, I'm not longer tired and can do things that I wasn't motivated to do before.
ReplyDeleteThe euphemism to describe to a friend is good. This will keep us from pushing away friends. Telling you friends something positive is good. I have to step a while away from the blog. But, if your friend only hears the positive than negative will still occur, or you will not understand why you see it as negative. Your hyperbole will help us understand our own flaws. Well noticing them will help us understand how we communicate. These elements of speech are great because they help keep a conservation. I think, what if our communication wasn’t so colorful? I would have to say it would be boring. At least our hyperboles are what people know of us.
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