Literary notes about Destitute (AI summary)
The term "destitute" is employed in literature to signal an absolute lack or absence of something vital, whether that be physical resources, essential qualities, or intrinsic virtues. In some works, it describes a tangible void, as seen when landscapes are portrayed as barren and empty of water or vegetation [1], [2], or when fortifications are noted as lacking mutual support [3]. In other texts, it is used metaphorically to denote the absence of moral or emotional attributes, such as a character who is devoid of hope, resources, or even taste [4], [5], [6]. The versatility of the word is evident as it ranges from literal physical deficiencies to abstract deprivations of character or civilization, thereby enriching the descriptive language of diverse genres [7], [8], [9].
- The place where the temple of Ammon is located is entirely surrounded by a desert of far-stretching sand, which is destitute of water.
— from The Anabasis of Alexander by Arrian - It proved to be a low rocky islet, of about a league in circumference, and altogether destitute of vegetation, if we except a species of prickly pear.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition by Edgar Allan Poe - To these walls, and to some fortresses destitute of any mutual support, the Gothic monarchy was now reduced.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - ‘I am sixty years old, too,’ replied Ralph, ‘and am neither destitute nor helpless.
— from Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens - “What most surprises me,” said Chichikov, “is how, in view of your ability, you come to be so destitute of means or resources.”
— from Dead Souls by Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol - And he that is possessed of valour, though destitute of all (other) merits, will vanquish his foes.
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 - Shall the world be possessed of every other perfection, and be destitute of this one, which is the most important and valuable of all?
— from Cicero's Tusculan Disputations by Marcus Tullius Cicero - "Most excellent prince, we are arrived in Italy, destitute of all the necessary implements of war, men, horses, arms, and money.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - This Song is a plain simple Copy of Nature, destitute of the Helps and Ornaments of Art.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
