You see, Hyperbolic Hannah and Apocalypse Adam understand
something about communication that we often forget. The conveying of truth isn’t simply a matter of relaying
defensible data. It’s about something more. The conveying of truth strives to
give the effect of the truth. So
while you and I might be more precise with the history of an event, by
exaggerating the details Hannah and Adam are attempting to make you feel what happened. Compare:
I ran a marathon.
I almost died running around the entire city!
Most likely they didn’t almost die. And most likely they
didn’t traverse the city limits. But with their statement you get to feel a
portion of what they did. Which one is more true? Both. It simply depends on
how you look at it. And it might do some good for Christians to remember that truth involves effect and feeling: "If you're going to bore people, don't bore them with the Gospel. Bore them with calculus, bore them with earth science, bore them with world history. But it is a sin to bore people with the Gospel" (Howard Hendricks).
Something is true or genuine if it is accomplishing its
intended end. So a reflection in a mirror is a false you but a true image—at least
that’s what St. Augustine says. A joke is a false reality but one which
highlights what ought to be true reality. An exaggerated story is a false
history but a true experience.
Consider for example sections of Scripture that include
hyperbole or exaggeration: will the trees actually clap? Maybe… but do people actually have a log stuck in their eye? Probably not. Of course, you could deny that
these fit into the category of exaggeration, and you could deny that
exaggeration is a form of truth; you can go on criticizing everyone who speaks
thus as liars. Just remember to condemn yourself for the last time you said, “I’m
starving.”
Exaggeration isn’t boy crying wolf.
Exaggeration is the little old lady swallowing a fly.
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Related:
Humor as Truth
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Related:
Humor as Truth
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