Literary notes about encourage (AI summary)
In literature, "encourage" is employed in a variety of nuanced ways that reflect both literal and metaphorical support. It can denote the act of nurturing and guiding, as in pastoral admonitions and the careful molding of character ([1], [2]), or serve as a caution against fueling unwarranted actions and expectations, whether in political, social, or personal domains ([3], [4]). The term is similarly used to motivate, whether urging a speaker to develop confidence ([5]) or bolstering morale in moments of despair or challenge ([6], [7]). At times, it even carries a more ambivalent tone, implying the inadvertent promotion of negative behaviors or the risk of overindulgence ([8], [9]). Thus, across works ranging from classical poetry to modern novels and treatises, "encourage" becomes a versatile term that both inspires and warns, depending on its context ([10], [11]).
- Those that to rustic uses thou wouldst mould, As calves encourage and take steps to tame, While pliant wills and plastic youth allow.
— from The Georgics by Virgil - I shall come on purpose to encourage a young beginner.
— from Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - "Don't encourage flattering expectations.
— from Middlemarch by George Eliot - Why should we ever encourage the so far unconcerned Russian to come to India by showing our fear?
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - Let this encourage you if, like Moses, you are prone to complain that you are not a ready speaker.
— from The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie and J. Berg Esenwein - We tried to be cheerful and encourage each other, and Mina was the brightest and most cheerful of us.
— from Dracula by Bram Stoker - The effort always to do your best will enlarge your capacity for doing things, and will encourage you to push ahead toward larger triumphs.
— from Pushing to the Front by Orison Swett Marden - It makes me wretched that you should encourage a man so generally despised as Drummle.
— from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - " "I was afraid to encourage it in myself.
— from The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - We other gods must all do as you bid us, but her you neither scold nor punish; you encourage her because the pestilent creature is your daughter.
— from The Iliad by Homer - "You may not fight yourself," said the others, "but you encourage and guide your men to the fight."
— from The Fables of Aesop by Aesop
