Black

English

18, student

Atlanta, GA

23 April 2011

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”

Taylor grew up in the South and her mamma use to always use sayings like this. When Taylor performs these proverbs she thinks of her mom and her family. You can hear the longing in her voice as she signs out the phrase. Taylor sometimes doesn’t like the phrase because it makes her feel old. She thinks it comes from the South because a lot of her friends let their old dogs sit out on the porch.

This is a folk proverb playing on the idea that its hard for old people to learn new things. Although this phrase is very common, it is still folklore and has special meaning for Taylor. When she hears the phrase she remembers her family, her dogs, and her home. This proverb has been passed down orally and spead out to make it famous.

Annotation: This proverb has surfaced in movies like the Black Stallion and Shiloh and in readings like Seabiscuit in the scene when they try to teach the horse to start when he hears a bell.

Tim Perille

18

1027 W. 34^th St. Los Angele CA