Category Archives: Proverbs

The Cat that Got Burned

Nationality: Mexican-American
Age: Middle-Aged
Occupation: Retired
Residence: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Performance Date: April 23, 2017
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Do you have any sayings that you would like to share?

“Oh my god, my… my father-in-law always… one time told us that, uhh… something, when something bad happens to you, you get so scared, when you see anything, and then he told us whole… uhh… saying, that when the little cat got burned, just to see anywhere some ashes, he’s run away. He gets all scared. [laughs] Is one of them.”

 

Analysis: This is a short and straightforward proverb that’s supposed to be humorous. It lambasts the tendency of people, in this case represented by a small cat, to be overly cautious and afraid of something that they may have a negative association with, like fire. It seems that the informant’s culture really values wisdom learned through experience and risk-taking, as the proverb would appear to criticize those who are too cautious to the point of paranoia or excessive fear.

Devil in Angel’s Clothing

Nationality: Iranian-American
Age: 78
Occupation: Retired
Residence: La Canada, CA, USA
Performance Date: March 12, 2017
Primary Language: English
Language: Persian/Farsi

Informant Tahereh Behshid is 78 years old and recalled a proverb she was taught as a young child.

I wanted to know if you could possibly talk about some proverbs you might have used when you were a child in Iran, and the context that you would use those proverbs in. So… do you have an example for me?

“Yes, my name is Tahereh Behshid, and the thing we usually heard from parents, it was [speaking in Farsi] ‘shaytan delah baseh fereshte.’ The devil in angel’s clothing. That means you watch out for the people, they come to you, around you. When they act very nice to you, you have to see what their intention is. So… that’s what it was.”

Analysis: Like many proverbs passed from parent to child, this one deals with imparting a valuable life lesson in very few words. Tahereh grew up as a poor woman in a rapidly modernizing urban area of Iran’s capital, and so with the influx of strangers to her hometown, this advice was likely to be especially valuable. She taught the same lessons, albeit in English, to her own children in the United States, who then passed them on to their children.

A Wolf is Still a Wolf, even if Raised among Humans

Nationality: Iranian-American
Age: 77
Occupation: Small Business Owner
Residence: La Canada, CA, USA
Performance Date: March 12, 2017
Primary Language: English
Language: Persian/Farsi

Do you have a proverb that you were taught as a child that you would like to share?

“The translation is like this… The wolf is still a wolf, even if raised among humans. Probably should say by humans, huh?… [speaking in Farsi] ‘Al-gorbetteh ghorgzadeh ghorg shabat… gar chabeh a debi bezorghche’ .”

And what context would you use this in?

“Uhh, generally used in the areas that you uhh… you work hard to uhh… eh… to change somebody’s nature, and uhh… you never succeed because it’s change people’s nature. Something to that effect.

Note: For a published version of this proverb, see Simin K.Habibian, 1001 Persian-English Proverbs, (Bethesda: IBEX, 1995).

Analysis: Like his wife, Tahereh, Masood spent a great deal of time in a poor but rapidly modernizing region of Iran’s capital. The strains of living in such an environment were likely reflected in the sorts of proverbs they were taught, which emphasized double-checking people’s motives and avoiding treachery. As mentioned with regards to TB’s childhood proverb, MB also taught his children with proverbs similar to this, and those messages were passed down farther.

Unity in Numbers

Nationality: Canadian
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 03/20/17
Primary Language: French
Language: English

Subject: Proverb

Informant: Phillipe was born in Quebec, Canada and has two sisters and a brother. His family is originally from Quebec, therefore he grew up with french as his native tongue.  He currently studies Finance in California.

Original Script: L’union fait la force / Union Makes Strength

Background information by informant: This proverb is very powerful in Canada because it addresses the core of Canadian culture. The best way to become strong and powerful in anything is through the unification of individual elements. That is especially true when attempting to organize and manage such a large and powerful country such as Canada

Context of performance: This proverb prevails in any team setting, especially in sports. However, it also emerges in academic environments such as business classes in school.

Thoughts: Even though a proverb such as this one is very applicable to a competitive team setting, it is curious to note how it can expand its original intended boundaries to generate a much larger effect in an entire culture. Consequently, this creates a powerful unity within all members of a particular culture.

Barrel and Wine Proverb

Nationality: Italian
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: 4/26/17

Subject: Proverb

Informant: Guido was born in Rome, Italy in a traditional Italian family. He currently studies business in California and plays rugby for his college team.

Original Script: La botte vecchia fa il vino buono / The old barrel makes the good wine.

Background information by informant: It describes the respect and regard that Italians have for not only old material items, but also for their elders. The culture understands that as you age, you gain valuable knowledge and experience that you continue to carry with you.

Context of performance: It proverb comes through in the manner that most Italians pay a lot of respect to their elders throughout their day to day.

Thoughts: A proverb can be a lot more than simply a short saying. It can allude to the manner in which a culture interacts with each other and what they attribute value too. Additionally, it also influences later generations to value similar things.