Literary notes about Topple (AI summary)
The term "topple" is employed with versatile dynamism in literature, functioning both in its literal sense and as a potent metaphor for decline or collapse. At times, it vividly depicts physical imbalance—a precarious chair on the brink of falling ([1]), a rickety wheel threatening to give way ([2]), or even an entire structure at risk during a storm ([3], [4]). In other instances, the word transcends the tangible, symbolizing the downfall of status or order; a figure may be toppled from a high position by misfortune ([5]), or institutions and ideals might be described as tumbling into ruin ([6], [7]). Even in poetic language, such as in Shakespearean turns of phrase, "topple" conjures images of both physical and mental disintegration ([8], [9]). Thus, the word richly conveys an impending loss of stability, whether tracking particles of chaos or the collapse of grand systems.