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Literary notes about GRAPPLE (AI summary)

The term “grapple” in literature serves as a dynamic verb that encapsulates both physical and metaphorical struggles. In epic poems and adventure narratives, it often refers to literal combat or confrontation, as seen in the depiction of heroic battles in Beowulf [1, 2, 3, 4] and in scenes where characters engage in fierce physical encounters [5, 6, 7]. At the same time, writers frequently employ it to illustrate the inner struggle of contending with overwhelming circumstances or abstract concepts, such as the daunting mysteries of existence or moral dilemmas [8, 9, 10, 11]. This dual usage underscores the word’s ability to convey a tangible sense of conflict—whether character versus character or the human mind wrestling with a profound challenge—adding depth and intensity to literary scenes [12, 13, 14].
  1. The foe I must grapple, fight for my life then, Foeman with foeman; he fain must rely on The doom of the Lord whom death layeth hold of.
    — from Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem
  2. He hoped in his strength, his hand-grapple sturdy.
    — from Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem
  3. 25 O’er the ale-vessel promised warriors in armor They would willingly wait on the wassailing-benches A grapple with Grendel, with grimmest of edges.
    — from Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem
  4. Nearer he strode then, the stout-hearted warrior Beowulf and Grendel grapple.
    — from Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem
  5. They seemed to be gripping one another in one last revengeful grapple.
    — from The island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells
  6. I seen him grapple four and knock their heads together—him unarmed.”
    — from Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
  7. Finding ourselves too slow of sail, we put on a compelled valour, and in the grapple I boarded them.
    — from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare
  8. Life was too big a mystery to grapple with.
    — from The Empty Sack by Basil King
  9. It is only so that we really grapple with the question to which mankind generally require an answer: ‘What is a man’s duty in his present condition?’
    — from The Methods of Ethics by Henry Sidgwick
  10. The consideration of these facts impresses my mind almost in the same manner as does the vain endeavour to grapple with the idea of eternity.
    — from On the Origin of Species By Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin
  11. I long to grapple with danger, to be excited by fear, to have some task, however slight or voluntary, for each day's fulfilment.
    — from The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
  12. The result of the grapple was, that the more Thor tightened his grasp, the firmer she stood.
    — from The Younger Edda; Also called Snorre's Edda, or The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson
  13. But when it hath overtaken thee, thou must grapple with it courageously.
    — from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1
  14. Who valuable gift-gems of the Geatmen 1 carried As peace-offering thither, that he thirty men’s grapple 10 Has in his hand, the hero-in-battle.
    — from Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem

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