The Only Use of
Sisyphus
in
Uncle Tom's Cabin
- Miss Ophelia, in a few days, thoroughly reformed every department of the house to a systematic pattern; but her labors in all departments that depended on the cooperation of servants were like those of Sisyphus or the Danaides.
Chpt 1.18Sisyphus = Greek mythology: a king in ancient Greece who offended Zeus and whose punishment was to roll a huge boulder to the top of a steep hill; each time the boulder neared the top it rolled back down and Sisyphus was forced to start again
Definitions:
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(1)
(Sisyphus) Greek mythology: a king in ancient Greece who offended Zeus and whose punishment was to roll a huge boulder to the top of a steep hill; each time the boulder neared the top it rolled back down and Sisyphus was forced to start againAs a result of the legend, the expression "Sisyphean task" refers to an endless, futile task.
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(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Less commonly, the phrase Sisyphus Triangle refers to a geographic region