Literary notes about Offer (AI summary)
The term "offer" is used in literature to signal a proposal or presentation that invites acceptance or refusal, and its versatility allows authors to imbue it with numerous shades of meaning. At times it appears as a personal gesture, as in the sharing of advice or affection ([1], [2]), while distinctly formal uses are evident when characters extend terms or make contractual arrangements ([3], [4], [5]). In both secular and sacred texts, "offer" often carries ritualistic connotations—appearing in sacrificial contexts ([6], [7], [8], [9])—thereby linking everyday interactions with deeper cultural or religious traditions. Meanwhile, its rhetorical deployment in dramatic and poetic works, as seen in Shakespeare’s plays ([10], [11]), illustrates its power to articulate both vulnerability and authority. Through these varied examples, literature demonstrates that the act of offering can range from a modest, heartfelt proposition to a grandiose, life-altering commitment.
- The only advice I can offer you is, to give her time.”
— from The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins - She said she had little to offer, but that we were welcome if we would share it with her.
— from The Mysterious Stranger, and Other Stories by Mark Twain - At Shanghai Jamieson left us, to start a newspaper on terms which promised him a better future than the Consular service could offer.
— from A Diplomat in Japan by Ernest Mason Satow - I offer you five thousand francs—not a sou more.”
— from The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar by Maurice Leblanc - Indeed I cannot hold out longer, and to-day I shall lay down arms and accept such conditions of agreement as the court may offer me.”
— from Pan Tadeusz; or, The last foray in Lithuania by Adam Mickiewicz - Offer up the sacrifice of justice, and trust in the Lord: many say, Who sheweth us good things?
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - You shall do no servile work therein, and you shall offer a holocaust to the Lord.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - know that if thou do not fulfil all my desires, I shall then cut off my limbs and offer them as a sacrifice into a blazing fire.’
— from The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 1 - And for his trespass he shall offer a ram to the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - Your wife would give you little thanks for that, If she were by to hear you make the offer.
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare - BRUTUS. Was the crown offer’d him thrice?
— from The Complete Works of William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare