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Literary notes about Servitude (AI summary)

The term “servitude” has been employed in literature to evoke notions of both physical constraint and moral or existential bondage. In narrative texts, authors often use it to denote the harsh penalties imposed by authorities, as seen in depictions of penal servitude in various Chekhov stories ([1], [2], [3], [4], [5]), where it symbolizes not only punishment but also the relinquishing of personal freedom. At the same time, philosophical and political works—ranging from Plato’s contemplations on liberty ([6], [7]) to Rousseau’s critiques of societal obedience ([8], [9])—employ “servitude” to underscore how institutional and ideological forces can subtly bind individuals. Even in metaphorical contexts, as in Seneca’s reflections and Montaigne’s essays ([10], [11]), the word suggests that many willingly enter a state of self-imposed subjugation, making servitude a multifaceted literary motif for exploring the limits of freedom.
  1. He would try to escape: he would be caught, tried, penal servitude, flogging.
    — from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  2. that he gave up his soul to God, you understand, and the other two were sent to penal servitude in Siberia.
    — from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  3. And I am not fit for penal servitude!
    — from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  4. He will no doubt be convicted and sent to penal servitude.
    — from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  5. They will send me back to penal servitude, you know!
    — from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
  6. Thus liberty, when out of all order and reason, passes into the worst form of servitude...
    — from The Republic by Plato
  7. Thus liberty, when out of all order and reason, passes into the worst form of servitude….
    — from The Republic of Plato by Plato
  8. Do you not see how cruel it is to increase this servitude by obedience to our caprices, by depriving them of such liberty as they have?
    — from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  9. Christianity preaches only servitude and dependence.
    — from The Social Contract & Discourses by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  10. [“Servitude enchains few, but many enchain themselves to servitude.”—Seneca, Ep., 22.]
    — from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne
  11. [“Servitude enchains few, but many enchain themselves to servitude.”—Seneca, Ep., 22.]
    — from Essays of Michel de Montaigne — Complete by Michel de Montaigne

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