All 7 Uses of
contempt
in
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
- He must have tired of being crippled ... and the looks he suffered of either contempt or pity had simply worn him out,
p. 13.7 *contempt = disrespect and disgust
- Stand up when you see a lady, you contemptuous scoundrel.†
p. 189.9contemptuous = showing a lack of respect
- A light shade had been pulled down between the Black community and all things white, but one could see through it enough to develop a fear-admiration-contempt for the white "things"—white folks' cars and white glistening houses and their children and their women.†
p. 49.4
- If his look had contained contempt or patronage, or any of the vulgar emotions revealed by adults in confrontation with children, I would have easily gone back to my book, but his eyes gave off a watery nothing—a nothingness which was completely unbearable.†
p. 155.4
- The economy of words showed my contempt for them all.†
p. 247.9
- How could I bear their contempt or their pity?†
p. 249.8
- On the streetcar, I put my fare into the box and the conductorette looked at me with the usual hard eyes of white contempt.†
p. 267.7
Definitions:
-
(1)
(contempt as in: feels contempt towards her) lack of respect for someone or something thought inferior -- often accompanied by a feeling of dislike or disgustA famous saying, "familiarity breeds contempt" comes from Aesop's fable, "The Fox and the Lion". (6th century BC)
When first the Fox saw the Lion he was terribly frightened, and ran away and hid himself in the wood. Next time however he came near the King of Beasts he stopped at a safe distance and watched him pass by. The third time they came near one another the Fox went straight up to the Lion and passed the time of day with him, asking him how his family were, and when he should have the pleasure of seeing him again; then turning his tail, he parted from the Lion without much ceremony.
The moral is traditionally, "Familiarity breeds contempt"; though an alternative moral is "Acquaintance softens prejudices." -
(2)
(contempt as in: held in contempt of court) the crime of willful disobedience to or disrespect for the authority of a court or legislative bodyFormally, this is called "contempt of court," but it is often shortened as just "contempt."