Read this excerpt from Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi:
He would speak of the 'labboard' side of a horse in an easy, natural way that would make one wish he was dead.
Which of the following literary devices is best shown in this passage?
A.
Imagery
B.
First person
C.
Irony
D.
Hyperbole
C. Irony
The literary device best shown in this passage is C. Irony. Now, let me explain how I arrived at this answer.
Irony is a figure of speech where the intended meaning of words or actions is different from their literal or expected meaning. In this passage, the use of irony is evident in the phrase "would make one wish he was dead." The speaker is expressing that the natural way in which the person speaks about horse anatomy is unpleasant or annoying to the point where the listener wishes for their demise. The statement is clearly hyperbolic, as the listener doesn't actually mean that they want the person to die. Therefore, the correct answer is C. Irony.