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Literary notes about Onslaught (AI summary)

In literature, the term "onslaught" is often employed to evoke a sense of overwhelming, relentless force that can be either physical or metaphorical. Authors use it to describe fierce battles and military maneuvers, as seen when an intricate plan targets the Guelfs [1] or when a defenseless porter faces an aggressive charge [2]. At the same time, the word extends to abstract realms—portraying the impact of unstoppable societal or intellectual forces, a motif that underscores the destructive power of change or challenge [3]. In these varied contexts, "onslaught" effectively conveys the intensity of conflict and the dramatic shift that accompanies any all-encompassing attack.
  1. With Ugo’s connivance an onslaught was planned upon the Guelfs.
    — from The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: The Inferno by Dante Alighieri
  2. Then the shouting and the struggling, and the onslaught that was made on the defenceless porter!
    — from A Christmas Carol in Prose; Being a Ghost Story of Christmas by Charles Dickens
  3. So terrific was the onslaught that no one could come to her rescue with a public explanation or defense.
    — from The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2) by Ida Husted Harper

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