Main Piece: Lee: Sure. “You miss 100 percent of the shots you do not take” Phonetic Script:

Context: This piece of folklore was collected in a Taco Bell I work at. I asked my fellow employee if there were any sayings or proverbs that he knew. This was the conversation that led to the proverb. Me: Hey Lee? Lee: What’s up? You need help with the orders? Me: No. I wanted to ask you something. Do you know any saying or any proverbs? Lee: (with a shocked expression) yes I do. Me: Do you mind telling me it and if I write it down. Lee: Sure. Background:  Lee is a third generation American. However, his ancestral roots originate in South Korea. Lee said that he learned this proverb from his parents. He does not recall which one said it first but just stated that both of his parents constantly say this proverb. I asked Lee what this proverb meant to him and he replied “This proverb is special to me and my family. Whenever we are afraid of something new or a challenge that is ahead, we always say it. It helps my family push through many obstacles and has gotten me to where I am. I actually was not going to apply to college because I did not think I would be accepted but I remembered the proverb and I just did it. Now I am in Cal State La and I am doing very well. Analysis: This proverb like many other served the purpose to give common wisdom to a person. In my opinion this proverb is very powerful. Although the proverb says you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take, it does not necessarily refer to actual shooting. For example, it is not limited to just gun shots or a basketball shot. It represents any new challenge or something new that you have never done. The proverb is saying that you will never succeed at something if you never even try.

Main Context: “You give someone a fish, they eat for one day. You teach them how to fish, they eat everyday” Context: This piece of folklore was collected in a Taco Bell I work at. I asked my fellow employee if there were any sayings or proverbs that he knew. He gave me one and then after when we both took our breaks he told me this proverb. This time we were sitting down at a table in the dining area and eating.  Background:  Lee is a third generation American. However, his ancestral roots originate in South Korea. Lee said that he learned this proverb from his parents. He does not recall which one said it first but just stated that both of his parents constantly say this proverb. I asked Lee what this proverb meant to him and he replied: Lee: This proverb is not as meaningful as the other one. This proverb is more like… well my parents use it as a constant reminder that I should just copy or give someone answers. Like that doesn’t solve the problem. It only temporarily helps. Analysis: Proverbs are used as a shorthand form of communication to relay a truthful yet meaningful point. They hold weight through repetition and we could see this through Lee’s perception of the proverb. His parents are attempting to prove the point that he should just have something handed to him or to just hand anyone anything. He needs to learn or teach them how to do it. According to the proverb, this is because if you just hand them something, it will only temporarily alleviate the issue. If you teach them then they would know how to do it all the time. You can also see that this proverb hold its weight through repetition because Lee says his parents use it as “a constant reminder”.

Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

This proverb is very commonly used. In any given situation I try to be the most positive that I can, and always prepare for something to happen even if it’s not probable. This proverb and what it meant to her. When you have a positive mindset it is much easier to attract great energy and not have something bad happen, however, there are coincidences where people think everything’s going fine and something sudden happens that is horrible. And an example where this proverb really comes into play was during my friend’s math class. Every day after class the professor would assign students homework. She said that the student should all prepare to hand in their homework to count as a quiz Grade but it was dependent upon their gas on a tour a coin toss. It’s not guaranteed that they will always guess right, but by preparing for the worst, which would be to hand in the homework or do not hand it in if you didn’t complete it, your grade would drop. Hoping for the best would be that you guessed right, and do not have to hand in your homework, so if you didn’t do it and you guys all gas right you would be saved. This proverb can be applied to almost any situation and is just a great thing to keep in the back of your mind on a day-to-day basis.

Keep your friends close and enemies closer.

When my brother went to college, he encountered a lot of difficulties making friends. He explained to me how keeping his friends close and enemies closer really helped him. If your friends are close, you trust them and have a compliance that they will not do anything bad to you. Your enemies, however, will. You never know what information they have about you, so it’s important to get to know every single person that you meet. While you may not know that someone is your enemy, it is important to learn things about every individual you and counter just in case of a scenario that May hurt you. When you have a situation where someone can have leverage on you, your enemy, it is important to also have leverage on them so you will not be completely thrown under the bus. You normally don’t have to worry about these kinds of things with your friends, because well, they are your friends.