At the beginning of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem and Scout believe that Boo Radley is a monstrous menace who's been locked away in his family's home to prevent him from wreaking havoc on society. It is believed, for instance, that he stabbed his father with a pair of scissors, and so Jem and his sister see Boo as some kind of boogeyman. However, Jem begins to realize the truth behind Boo's reputation when he and Scout begin finding gifts in the knothole of a neighborhood tree. Gradually, Jem understands that Boo is leaving the gifts for them, and so he suspects that Boo is far kinder than the local rumors would suggest. Jem's opinion of Boo is further changed by his experience of Maycomb's prejudice later on in the book. Witnessing his neighbors' senseless racism in the wake of the Tom Robinson trial, Jem theorizes that Boo is not being locked away against his own will; instead, the local recluse remains locked up to voluntarily stay away from society. This revelation is important, as it shows that Jem has ultimately come to see Boo as a kind, sensitive person who (much like himself) is fearful of the corrupt social structures that dominate society.
Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
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