Literary notes about Option (AI summary)
The word "option" in literature carries a multifaceted character, functioning both as an illustration of life’s forced choices and as a technical term in more modern contexts. It is often employed to underscore a situation where one is compelled to decide under pressure—for instance, when rifles point at one's head [1] or when historical narratives invoke the option of surrender or battle [2], [3]. At the philosophical level, thinkers articulate a lived experience of choice and risk, as seen in discussions of forced versus genuine options [4], [5], [6]. In addition, the term finds concrete usage in legal, contractual, or computational settings, where it denotes a specific right, feature, or setting, such as in contracts [7], computer commands [8], [9], and even financial arrangements [10], [11]. This versatility lends "option" a rich semantic depth that bridges everyday decision-making with abstract deliberation in literary expression.
- “Will you surrender?” said he; and what option of an answer was left to us in any case, when each had a rifle presented to his head?
— from My Adventures During the Late War
A narrative of shipwreck, captivity, escapes from French prisons, and sea service in 1804-14 by Donat Henchy O'Brien - The fair option of friendship, or submission, or battle, was proposed to the enemies of Mahomet.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - 80 Mahomet proselytized by giving to the nations which he conquered, the option of the Koran or the sword.
— from Bacon's Essays, and Wisdom of the Ancients by Francis Bacon - Scepticism, then, is not avoidance of option; it is option of a certain particular kind of risk.
— from The Will to Believe, and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by William James - Next, let us call the decision between two hypotheses an option .
— from The Will to Believe, and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by William James - But if I say, "Either accept this truth or go without it," I put on you a forced option, for there is no standing place outside of the alternative.
— from The Will to Believe, and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy by William James - I had still the option of refusing or accepting a share in this foolish and audacious enterprise.
— from A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne - Then it has an option or switch , -k , followed by an argument , PostScript .
— from Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery - In this case you don't have to use the -M option, but if you do, you must use a path argument.
— from Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery - Five-year contract, renewal option, starting salary 15,000 cr./annum with periodic increases.
— from The Lani People by Jesse F. Bone - [Pg 600] need she deposit, little by little, in a savings bank, the husband has a right to draw it out, at his option, to use it as he may see fit.
— from History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I