a
condition,
state or
period of extreme discouragement or
depression. A
slough is a piece of land that has soft,
muddy ground, especially a
place in a road that heavy vehicles and horses cannot
pass due to it being filled with
mire, wet
mud, etc. Despond is a
state of dejection or
loss of
spirit due to losing
hope. This
phrase comes from a book written by
English author and
minister John Bunyan (1628-1688) called Pilgrim's Progress. The story tells of the spiritual
life of
man and of its hero
Christian who is traveling through the
world to
reach the Celestial City (signifying Heaven). Early in his travels he must
pass through a deep
bog called the
Slough of Despond. After entering the
bog he loses heart and cannot escape due to the burden of
sin he carries on his back. He is eventually rescued, however, by a
character named
Help. He then continues on his way overcoming the other remaining obstacles and is
successful in his journey.
any serious
depression or discouragement. From Pilgrim's Progress, a
novel written as an allegory by
John Bunyan (1628 - 1688,
English author). The story is about the spiritual
life of
man. Every
character, location or
incident in the story bears a
picture-creating name, such as the
Slough of Despond, a deep
swamp in which the
main character gets bogged down and gets rescued by another
character named
Help.