'CYCLIST gets down and begins to prop his bicycle,
CYCLIST: All right. If you're sure it won't take long.
BARBER: I am known for my lightning clippers Even the soldiers know me. I can shave the head of an entire battalion between one coup and the next.
sit down and relax your back. Cycling is not easy when you've abandoned it for some time...
Wole Soyinka, The Beautification of Area Boy.
The literary devices in the dialogue above are
Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally. In the dialogue, the Barber says, "I can shave the head of an entire battalion between one coup and the next." This is clearly an exaggeration to emphasize the speed at which he works. Allusion is a reference to something outside the immediate text. The Barber gives a famous reference to the era when coups succeeded one another in Nigeria's history.
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