Read the poem.

incident
by countee cullen

once riding in old baltimore,
heart-filled, head-filled with glee,
i saw a baltimorean
keep looking straight at me.

now i was eight and very small,
and he was no whit bigger,
and so i smiled, but he poked out
his tongue, and called me, “ni*ger.”

i saw the whole of baltimore
from may until december;
of all the things that happened there
that's all that i remember.

which statement best describes the role that hyperbole plays in developing the theme of “incident”?

it expresses the themes of the poem by creating vivid imagery.

it adds to the tone of the poem by creating suspense.

it reinforces the significance of a single word.

it emphasizes the author’s innocence.