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Literary notes about Identify (AI summary)

The term “identify” in literature conveys a variety of functions that range from symbolically linking disparate entities to the precise act of recognition and classification. In some writings, the word is used to associate one element with another for deeper symbolic meaning—for instance, aligning figures with mythic or divine attributes or contrasting human qualities with conceptual ideals [1, 2, 3]. In other contexts, “identify” plays a technical role, as in the precise examination and sorting of objects or details, whether in scientific discourse or investigations into character and motive [4, 5, 6]. Additionally, authors explore how personal and collective identity is shaped by the act of self-identification, thereby merging the literal with the metaphorical [7, 8, 9]. This layered use enriches the narrative, inviting readers to consider both the tangible and abstract dimensions of identity.
  1. Adopting this interpretation, several fathers identify the ‘thrones’ with the cherubim: e.g. Greg.
    — from St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon by J. B. Lightfoot
  2. Some scholars identify the centaurs with the Gandharvas.
    — from The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Valmiki
  3. This seems to identify Attis with the sun's rays.
    — from The Works of the Emperor Julian, Vol. 1 by Emperor of Rome Julian
  4. Identify soluble colors in the solution and insoluble pigments in the sediment.
    — from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers
  5. The time used in order to identify a single letter is a quarter of a second, the time to pronounce it one-tenth of a second.
    — from Criminal Psychology: A Manual for Judges, Practitioners, and Students by Hans Gross
  6. After he was arrested the alleged victim did not see him to identify him—he was presumed to be guilty.
    — from The Red Record by Ida B. Wells-Barnett
  7. " Cornelius Vanderbilt saw his opportunity in the steamboat, and determined to identify himself with steam navigation.
    — from Pushing to the Front by Orison Swett Marden
  8. But I shall not therefore drop one iota of my convictions, or cease to identify myself with that truth which an evil generation hates.
    — from Middlemarch by George Eliot
  9. To use Debian, you must identify yourself to the system.
    — from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

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