Literary notes about succor (AI summary)
The term succor is used in literature to evoke a sense of urgent help or relief, whether in times of personal despair or large-scale crisis. Its employment spans both the literal and the metaphorical: authors invoke succor to describe military reinforcements, divine interventions, and personal acts of mercy. In some narratives, it underscores the hope of receiving vital support amid political and social struggle, as when southern citizens are warned of the absence of lasting assistance ([1]) or when the specter of external aid looms over battles ([2]). In more intimate moments, characters appeal for or offer succor as a means of emotional or moral rescue, as seen in desperate pleas for mercy ([3]) and personal expressions of solidarity ([4], [5]). Meanwhile, epic tales and historical chronicles highlight succor as a beacon of hope in the midst of overwhelming adversity, symbolizing both tangible aid and the consolations of loyal friendship ([6], [7], [8]). This layered usage of succor not only enriches the narrative but also connects diverse works—from historical treatises to timeless novels—by a unifying desire to mitigate suffering and support the vulnerable in critical times.
- If the federal tie were broken, the citizens of the South would be wrong to rely upon any lasting succor from their Northern countrymen.
— from Democracy in America — Volume 1 by Alexis de Tocqueville - What hope for French succor to Canada, when the English fleet had Louisburg under its lee?
— from The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 by A. T. Mahan - “Lord, have mercy on us, and succor us!”
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - Succor and comfort you will find not in me, though I have come only to aid you if I can.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - You must thank Him, and pray to Him for succor.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - At these words he placed himself, with Abubeker, on a throne or pulpit, 130 and instantly demanded the succor of Gabriel and three thousand angels.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - "Will you succor and protect him as a brother-man—a resident of the old Bay State?"
— from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass - Nor was it from caprice we asked the question, for there is a wounded and dying man who demands the succor of the church.
— from Twenty years after by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
