Literary notes about Forcible (AI summary)
The word “forcible” appears in literature with a remarkable range of applications, from describing physical exertion or coercion to denoting the strength and clarity of expression. In some texts, authors use it in a literal sense—illustrating acts of physical force, as when a ragtag mob seizes an armoury [1] or when a tug leads to the abrupt loss of a kite [2]—and in more controversial contexts, such as the forcible administration of poison [3] or abduction [4]. At the same time, “forcible” is often employed metaphorically to emphasize the impact and persuasiveness of language: it characterizes clear, logical arguments that sweep the reader or listener along with them [5, 6], and it describes expressive, vigorous speech or writing that leaves no room for ambiguity [7, 8]. In each instance, the term enriches the narrative by adding nuance to both physical action and intellectual engagement.
- At that moment the mob, under a bold leader, had seized the opportunity to take forcible possession of the armoury.
— from My Life — Volume 1 by Richard Wagner - A forcible tug by the other player resulted in the abrupt loss of his kite.
— from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda - The forcible administration of poison is by no means a new thing in criminal annals.
— from A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle - This forcible abduction, so roughly carried out, was accomplished with the rapidity of lightning.
— from Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne - This supposition, however, rests entirely upon conjecture, and is not only discredited by its own improbability, but by a yet more forcible argument.
— from The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Complete by Suetonius - The slightly rasping voice was "almost instantly forgotten in the beauty of his argument," which was "clear, forcible, logical and persuasive."
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - The habitual use of the active voice makes for forcible writing.
— from The Elements of Style by William Strunk - Thou hast frighted the word out of his right sense, so forcible is thy wit.
— from Much Ado about Nothing by William Shakespeare