Literary notes about upgrade (AI summary)
The word "upgrade" is used in literature with a striking duality, serving both as a literal description of physical ascent and as a metaphor for improvement or enhancement. In many narratives, it evokes the tangible struggle of navigating difficult terrain—a steep road or track where progress is measured by effort, as when a machine or horse struggles uphill [1], [2], [3]. Simultaneously, "upgrade" carries a modern, technical resonance, denoting the act of refining or updating systems, whether in computer software or broader social or infrastructural developments [4], [5]. This multifaceted usage enriches the text by linking the physical exertion of an uphill climb with the conceptual journey toward progress and innovation [6], [7].
- The result was that the machine stalled precisely like a motor car on an upgrade and, with next to no headway, "pancaked," sank vertically—downward.
— from The Silver Menace by Murray Leinster - Once or twice I lost sight of both him and the elk; the altitude was great, and the horse was laboring like a steam-engine on an upgrade.
— from Camping with President Roosevelt by John Burroughs - We were eight miles from Soissons, on the upgrade of a cobbled road, full in the sun.
— from My Home in the Field of Honor by Frances Wilson Huard - When you upgrade, you want to delete obsolete files and add new ones, without breaking any part of the system.
— from The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs - In recent years the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other services.
— from The 2001 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency - But our fundamental goals must be to reduce dependency and upgrade the dignity of those who are infirm or disadvantaged.
— from U.S. Presidential Inaugural Addresses by United States. Presidents - Now, second, to make sure folks keep earning higher wages down the road, we have to do more to help Americans upgrade their skills.
— from State of the Union Addresses of Barack Obama, 2009-2016 by Barack Obama
