Literary notes about WHIP (AI summary)
The whip appears in literature as both a literal instrument of discipline and a metaphor for forceful, incisive action. In many narratives, it is used to convey authority and control—whether enforcing physical punishment as in harsh beatings or driving horses and mules with sudden speed ([1], [2], [3])—or to denote the rapid, cutting impact of events and emotions, as when a character’s remark slices through tension like a snapped whip ([4], [5]). Authors from Dickens to Homer meld these literal and figurative uses to enrich scenes with an undercurrent of power and urgency, highlighting how the whip’s crack can signal both tangible restraint and the swift transformation of circumstances ([6], [7], [8]).
- He came in and first tossed me some pieces of money; then struck at me with a whip.
— from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - He rode in angry agitation toward him, firmly grasping his whip and fully prepared to take the most resolute and desperate steps to punish his enemy.
— from War and Peace by graf Leo Tolstoy - Club and whip were both used upon him, and he experienced the worst beating he had ever received in his life.
— from White Fang by Jack London - 111 The ship bounded forward on her way as a four in hand chariot flies over the course when the horses feel the whip.
— from The Odyssey by Homer - Alexander’s voice didn’t rise but it cut like a whip.
— from The Lani People by Jesse F. Bone - , do yer?' said the hoarse gentleman, who was driving his donkey in a truck, with a carrot for a whip.
— from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens - “There's a Third with a Whip now,” said Montgomery.
— from The island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells - I do not wish to be beaten.' 'The Hand of Friendship has averted the Whip of Calamity; but another time, when thou takest the Road it will be with me.
— from Kim by Rudyard Kipling
