Author Archives: Timothy Perille

Fear Proverb

Black, Indian

English

18, student

28 April 2011

“Only fear can defeat life”

To Aliyah this quote is all about courage. She is a small black girl who grew up in a rough area of town. All her life she was picked on and tossed around so she had to be brave and stand up for herself. Her dad taught her this and gave her a lion stuffed animal just has his mom had done for him. Together Aliyah and her father share an affinity of  lions and have grown closer.

This is a folk proverb that teaches people to be brave. It has been passed down in Aliyah’s family. When Aliyah learned the meaning, it was in a liminal stage in her life, puberty. She learned that shoe couldn’t cower in the corner that instead she needed to stand up and fight. I interpret this proverb to mean that people should expel fear because living in fear can destroy a person.

Annotation: p. 161 The Life of Pi, Yann Martel

Tim Perille

18

1027 W. 34th St. Los Angele CA

Polish flight joke

Danish

English

18, student

20 April 2011

“Did you hear about the Polish helicopter crash?

-He got sooooo coooold that he turned off the fan”

Her father taught Christina this joke, they share a liking for Polish jokes. Growing up in Denmark, Polish jokes were common for Christina. She learned from her friends, on TV, and at school. They are passed down, and even though they are mean, Christina says, “ya but we have jokes about everyone, my dad always says you gotta keep a thick skin, a firm handshake and a drink in the left hand.

This joke represents blaison populaire because it draws on popular stereotypes and belittles the Polish people. These jokes are learned and passed down making them perfect folklore specimens. Christina isn’t really a racist but she, like many other, enjoy laughing at other country’s foibles and making light-hearted jokes

Tim Perille

18

1027 W. 34th St. Los Angele CA

Polack Joke

Danish

English

18, student

20 April 2011

“How do you stop a polish army on horseback?

-stop the carousel”

Her father taught Christina this joke, they share a liking for Polish jokes. Growing up in Denmark, Polish jokes were common for Christina. She learned from her friends, on TV, and at school. They are passed down, and even though they are mean, Christina says, “ya but we have jokes about everyone, my dad always says you gotta keep a thick skin, a firm handshake and a drink in the left hand.

This joke represents blaison populaire because it draws on popular stereotypes and belittles the Polish people. These jokes are learned and passed down making them perfect folklore specimens. Christina isn’t really a racist but she, like many other, enjoy laughing at other country’s foibles and making light-hearted jokes

Tim Perille

18

1027 W. 34th St. Los Angele CA

Polack jokes

Danish

English

18, student

20 April 2011

“Why did the Polack cross the road?

-He couldn’t get his dick out of the chicken”

Her father taught Christina this joke, they share a liking for Polish jokes. Growing up in Denmark, Polish jokes were common for Christina. She learned from her friends, on TV, and at school. They are passed down, and even though they are mean, Christina says, “ya but we have jokes about everyone, my dad always says you gotta keep a thick skin, a firm handshake and a drink in the left hand.

This joke represents blaison populaire because it draws on popular stereotypes and belittles the Polish people. These jokes are learned and passed down making them perfect folklore specimens. Christina isn’t really a racist but she, like many other, enjoy laughing at other country’s foibles and making light-hearted jokes

Tim Perille

18

1027 W. 34th St. Los Angele CA

Proverb on Success

Danish

English

18, student

20 April 2011

“Reap what you sow”

To Christina this is particularly important because she has always felt like she does things without thinking. She describes this proverb as “the way I get my dues” meaning she uses this proverb to justify when things go wrong. Christina’s Dad taught her this phrase, he is very wealthy and has “reaped” a lot in this life. She learns a lot from her father and considers his life an inspiration. When things don’t go her way, she says, “I just gotta try hard, I know I screwed up but I’ll try again.”

This folk proverb has been passed down to Christina like most proverbs are—from word of mouth. This proverb means a lot to Christina because she works hard and desperately wants to succeed. Even though the tone in the proverb with words like “reap” makes it sound very fatalistic, the message is positive and one that Christina treasures.

Annotation: This quote also showed up in the popular novel Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini

Tim Perille

18

1027 W. 34th St. Los Angele CA