By studying the meaning of words in Russian, you can better understand the logic of constructing literary texts and significantly enrich your vocabulary. For example, if you ask people what an escape is, opinions will be divided. Someone will decide that we are talking about an escape, others will start talking about plants, and everyone will be right about it. Out of context, it is impossible to determine which meaning is meant.
Homonyms in Russian: escape or escape?
If different objects, phenomena or actions are called the same word, that is, a combination of letters, these are homonyms. The concept was introduced by Aristotle, who conducted a linguistic analysis and systematized the signs of a homonym. Consequently, not only the Russian language can boast of the presence of such words, this phenomenon is noted in almost all known languages of the world. The semantics of homonyms can coincide in the most unexpected ways. Analyzing what an escape is, you can find some common signs, even if they are not at first glance - the plant seems to arrange an escape from under the ground, throwing out a new sprout. Many homonyms are built on such very distant semantic parallels, for example - a scythe as a tool, like a woman's hairstyle and a sandbank, this is something long, narrow andelongated.
Escape from prison or captivity
One of the main meanings is flight, and against the will of those who put the fugitive in a place of confinement. In most cases, the legality of deprivation of liberty is not considered, although in criminal law the unauthorized leaving of a protected area is considered an offense when it comes to a person deprived of liberty by a court decision. What is escape in the broadest sense of the word with this particular semantics? Any place of deprivation or significant restriction of freedom of movement of citizens is controlled by persons endowed with appropriate powers. Even if these powers are not recognized as prisoners, their actions still qualify as an escape.
Freedom is partially deprived of persons undergoing compulsory military service, and completely - prisoners in correctional facilities, as well as prisoners captured as a result of hostilities or for criminal purposes. And if escaping from prison is a crime, then the so-called AWOL in the army carries less severe consequences for violators. At the same time, no one can blame the flight of captives, this is a natural human desire for illegally taken away freedom.
The Emotional Appeal of Fictional Escape
In the world there are a huge number of books, films and musical compositions dedicated to fugitives of all stripes. After all, what is escape, if not active action in order to regain the lost will? This evokes an emotional response from viewers and readers, they empathize, sincerely supportfreedom fighters, especially if they are positive characters. Sometimes even a negative hero, deftly gaining his freedom, causes sympathy, despite all his bad qualities. This topic has been used for centuries and is unlikely to lose relevance. We all feel the limitations of our will in one way or another, so we will empathize and enthusiastically follow the adventures and plot twists.
Escape as a psychological technique
There are terms like "escaping reality" or "escaping responsibility". Moving away from any hurting realities or restrictions, a person makes a psychological flight, sometimes inventing many reasons, excuses and tricks to break free.
In this case, the meaning of the word "escape" is rather figurative, because physically a person does not really disappear anywhere, but he fences himself off from the irritant by any means, sometimes causing indignation of others. Moreover, this action can be both conscious and prepared, and unconscious, when a person does not suspect that his psyche is taking protective measures to maintain balance.
The ultimate escape from reality is amnesia, either short-term or absolute. If the psyche regards certain events as excessively traumatic, it can "escape", that is, turn off any memory of the incident.
Plant shoot
No less widely used is another semantic content of this homonym. This is the young part of the plant, on whichthere is a growth bud and the possibility of developing lateral shoots. What does "escape" mean in botany? This sprout can be anywhere, for example, branches from the main branch are also called shoots, as well as young shoots that have made their way from the root of the parent plant.
Shoots can easily propagate many fruit bushes and trees, ornamental plants. This method of propagation can turn one cherry tree into a whole garden if the sprouts that have made their way from the roots are not cut off in time. At the same time, even individual young plants that have barely hatched from a seed in the ground are called shoots. Such a sprout is called a shoot of the first order, but the lateral branches from the central one are numbered in order. This is how shoots of the second, third, fourth order appear, and so on. There may be quite a lot of side shoots depending on the type of plant.
Figurative meaning of the word
If an escape is a sprout, then one can easily understand why this word is so often used in a figurative sense. In figurative speech, what kind of phenomena do not acquire shoots - evil, mercy, and even the economy. The imagination of people is limitless, the authors do not climb into their pocket for a biting comparison or metaphor, so you can meet this word in a figurative sense in almost any field, even if it is so inappropriate.
Escapes of evil - this phrase has become the most hackneyed in literature. Emotionally, it is intended to evoke a feeling of anxiety in the reader or viewer: there is no evil yet, but it is already showing signs, the first sprouts have already broken through. In artisticworks, with the help of such phrases, the general tone of the narration is formed, but this phenomenon makes its way even into journalism. Journalists sometimes resort to figurative comparisons - metaphors - trying to get emotional involvement from readers. For example, undertakings in the field of charity will be called "the first shoots of mercy", no one will even have an analogy with escaping from prison - here the context, not even a hint of botany, implies the meaning "sprouts of mercy".
