Category Archives: Proverbs

Self Importance Proverb

Nationality: Caucasian
Age: 54
Performance Date: 2/20/23

Text: “The Cemetery is full of people who couldn’t be replaced” 

Context: 

My dad told me he remembers hearing this from his father on occasion. He describes it as a reminder that you can always be fired or replaced, and not to take yourself too seriously. He notes that it was essentially a warning about excessive self importance. My dad remembers being met with this phrase if he was being big headed, or cocky. 

Analysis:

This phrase is somewhat of a cross between a proverb and a dark joke. It’s not metaphorical in the typical sense of a proverb, but it uses pre-formulated language to communicate the largely agreed upon idea, that excessive self importance is a bad thing. It’s interesting to note that my grandfather grew up Christian in the Midwest on a farm. This community typically frowns on self importance, so his use of the phrase may reveal rural Christian American beliefs. Then there is the other aspect of this phrase, which is that it makes light of mortality, and the dissolving of identity through death.This phrase falls into the camp of dark humor, which as a genre serves a few societal purposes. It’s possible to apply Peter Narvaez’s idea that in the television age, we are inundated with images of death and destruction while being told that we should mourn for individuals who we have no direct relation to. Dark humor becomes a way of rebelling against the societal pressure to mourn, as well as the institutions that put these tragedies in front of us on a daily basis. In addition, jokes about death such as this one, deal with the inescapable fact that no matter what, death is inevitable. Unlike Narvaez, I also believe that dark humor serves another purpose as a coping mechanism to deal with heavy subjects such as mortality. 

Dog Fleas Proverb

Nationality: American
Age: 31
Occupation: Law Student
Residence: Salt Lake City, UT
Performance Date: 2/24/23
Primary Language: English

Background

My informant is my brother-in-law, who grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. He says he frequently heard his father tell him this, who would invoke the proverb to warn him against hanging out with the wrong crowd. He is of Western European descent and identifies as American.

Context

This is a proverb, so the text remains largely the same with each iteration of speech. This proverb is used as a warning against associating with the wrong people.

Text

“If you lie down with dogs, you’ll get fleas.”

Analysis

As a proverb is supposed to convey some sort of wisdom or inherent truth, this proverb serves as a warning. It is common in English to hear a person refer to another person who is perceived as having a low moral character as a “dog.” This is likely due to dogs historically subsisting off of food scraps and scavenging in the cities and villages of human settlements. Dogs have a reputation of being dirty scavengers, and so the application to those with low moral standing is apparent. And, since dogs often have fleas, something that is unpleasant to be afflicted with, the proverb has both literal and metaphorical meaning. From here, it is easy to see how the proverb serves its warning: associating with those with low moral standing is likely to influence one’s own behavior.

The “dogs” might also refer to those of low socioeconomic standing, however, especially given the association with fleas. Fleas can be seen as a disease or affliction, and the proverb might also be meant to warn against associating with those with poor hygiene due to economic factors. On a larger societal level, this proverb might serve to maintain social boundaries based on class.

Little Frog Tail

Nationality: American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Performance Date: February 14th, 2023
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Spanish Proverb: “Sana sana colita de rana”

Translation: “Heal heal little tail of the frog”

Context:

The informant is of Mexican origin and has spent most of her childhood around family members of Hispanic culture. They have heard this proverb said whilst growing up by the elders in the family (parents and other guardians). Specifically, it was heard if a child was to have the flu or get injured and was said whilst treating the informant and ‘“healing” them either by providing medicine to drink or placing a bandage on a wound. Traditionally, it was repeated whilst the parent (in her scenario) was treating the wound until the process was complete or the child had stopped feeling the exaggerated amount of pain that had been associated with an injury. Although the phrase did not make sense, her family interpreted it as a distraction in order to prevent a child from continuously crying.

Analysis:

The proverb was used as a form of comfort that the informant had needed throughout their childhood when being injured as it provided reassurance whilst they were in a state of sadness or illness. The association of animals and injury present an encapsulating approach to the proverb as the fascination that children, specifically toddlers, may have with stories and tales of creatures/animals allow them to feel the warmth through the healing action that their parents are performing. This indirectly allows the child to associate the warmth they feel with animals to their interaction with their parents at being placed into a state of ease when they are hurt, binding it to animals and perhaps presenting the cycle of nature and how all organisms experience pain and can heal. The language provided in “little tail of the frog” is ironic as most species do not have tails and conveys that the pain is not actually there, furthermore presenting this proverb as a slight incantation which is prevalent through ancient Mexican culture. This mechanism allows the parents to provide the feeling of comfort and allow children to feel connected to the nature that encompasses Mexico and the various wildlife that live there, reminding them of their heritage.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Context:

M is a student at USC. She told me about a common proverb about doctors that is considered a joke in her family because her parents are doctors.

Text:

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Analysis:

This proverb traditionally means that eating apples or being healthy by eating nutritious food will help prevent unwanted doctor’s visits caused by poor health or illness. On the other hand, since my informant’s parents are doctors, she thinks this common proverb is more of a joke because it suggests that she can avoid her parents by eating apples. Avoiding parents is something all teenagers can relate to, and it appears that children of doctors do as well.

“A child is a parent’s mirror” – Japanese Proverb

Occupation: Student
Performance Date: 2/19/2023
Primary Language: Japanese

1. Text

Main piece: The informant shared a Japanese proverb that goes: “A child is a parent’s mirror”.

2. Context

Relationship to the piece:

Informant: “This one I heard it from my mom”

Interpretation:

Informant:

“I think it’s both [good and bad]”

“like if a child is nasty, then the parent is nasty”

“but if the child is well mannered usually the parent is too”

3. Analysis

This Japanese proverb is similar to proverbs in other cultures like the Korean proverb “If you plant beans you get beans” and the North American proverb “an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”. This common comparison between parent and children across various cultures shows that people often judge parents by their children and vice versa. It also suggests that a child’s upbringing is very influential to their character. It seems to suggest that the parent-child bond is very strong and is difficult to break from. However, these proverbs come from traditional and conservative views of how families are structured and do not serve to explain all families. Therefore, the idea that children reflect their parents is not absolute but a cautionary message to parents raising children and children growing under the shadow of their parents to be better versions of themselves or break away from the mistakes or flaws of their parents.