Literary notes about poor (AI summary)
The word "poor" in literature carries a range of connotations, from tender sympathy to incisive social commentary. It is often employed to evoke a sense of vulnerability or to underscore hardship, as when a character's plight is gently noted with pity ([1], [2], [3]). At other times, it marks the stark realities of economic disadvantage or social inequity, highlighting the gap between affluence and deprivation ([4], [5], [6]). In some passages, "poor" takes on an ironic or affectionate nuance, deepening character portraits and emotional landscapes ([7], [8]). Through such varied uses, the term resonates with readers by blending pathos, humor, and critique into a single, powerful adjective.
- ‘She’s tired, poor thing!’ said the Red Queen.
— from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll - Poor boy, I reckon he’s lied about it—but it’s a blessed, blessed lie, there’s such a comfort come from it.
— from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Complete by Mark Twain - Raymond had spoken, thoughtless of her presence, and she, poor child, heard with terror and faith the prophecy of his death.
— from The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - The rich devour the poor, and the devil devours the rich, and so both are devoured.
— from A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs - Better is the poor man that provideth for himself, than he that is glorious and wanteth bread.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - It is fit the rich should help the poor, for the poor cannot help themselves.
— from The Complete Herbal by Nicholas Culpeper - ‘Married a young lady of that part, with a very good little property, poor thing.—-And this action of the brain now, sir?
— from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - Oh, my poor master—once almost my husband—whom I had often called “my dear Edward!”
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë
