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Literary notes about INOCULATE (AI summary)

In literature, the word "inoculate" is employed with a variety of connotations that range from the literal to the metaphorical. For instance, in [1] the term is used in a playful yet sinister manner, suggesting the deliberate introduction of an idea or substance deemed as the "source of all evil." This contrasts with [2], where Rousseau employs the term metaphorically to imply that nature itself will provide a fitting and impartial remedy to cleanse or transform the human condition. Meanwhile, in [3] the use of "inoculate" takes on a more literal, almost primitive medical application, describing the process of applying a toad's secretion to a wound as a treatment. These examples illustrate how the term can adapt its meaning based on context, reflecting both the evolution of language and the diverse narrative purposes it can serve.
  1. They had never done him any harm, but he resolved to inoculate them with the "source of all evil."
    — from Amusements in Mathematics by Henry Ernest Dudeney
  2. The natural man is always ready; let nature inoculate him herself, she will choose the fitting occasion better than we.
    — from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  3. They pluck out those from the part they wish to paint, and inoculate the fresh wound with the milky secretion from the skin of a small toad.
    — from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass

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