Tag Archives: Bird

The Thunderbird

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Morris Plains, NJ, USA
Language: English

“The Thunderbird is a mysterious being, and is said to be the biggest bird alive today. Its wingspan is over 20 feet long and it feeds on small dogs and sometimes even children. While on vacation to Fiji, my 4th grade teacher became aware of such a creature. Reports of pets going missing had aroused suspicion within the neighborhood. There is even a report of seeing that of a shadow in the sky. While out for a walk with his dog, he felt eyes on him. Surrounded by trees, on a path, he couldn’t tell where from. He left as fast as he could, without a second thought. Later that day, a report came in from the path he was on of a woman being picked up by what could only be the Thunderbird. There were huge claw marks on her shoulders and the talons had impaled her. How did she get free? Who knows. She fractured both her ankles from the fall, but was lucky to be alive. Let’s just say, that was my teacher’s first and last time in Fiji.”

This is a story the informant heard from his 4th-grade science teacher once he had finished his work. It was a way the teacher mixed the facts of science with the mystical legends and unexplained aspects of the world. He made science more engaging because he believed in more than just scientific research. It also encourages students to travel and explore the parts of the world that they don’t know.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Language: English

Text: “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”

Informant: “I first heard the proverb ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’ in the parking lot of the Palisades Mall in New York when my family was unable to find ideal parking and had to settle with a bad spot. I remember being 8 years old and not knowing what my dad meant by this. He repeated it as some sort of justification for making us walk the length of the entire parking lot. I could see the defeat and emasculation in his eyes due to his inability to find sweet parking. While this proverb is about the wisdom of settling, to me, it represents a false sense of being content.”

Interpretation: The old proverb says, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” it is better to be content with what one has than to risk losing it in the quest for something greater. But the informant’s own experience reinterprets it as a sign of grudging acceptance rather than genuine satisfaction. Their father’s use of the expression to defend choosing an unfavorable parking space conveys both common sense and a sense of silent defeat, implying that there are instances when “settling” is more about a lack of alternatives than wisdom. Irony and comedy are added by the informant’s early viewpoint, which reads the saying as an attempt to cope with disappointment rather than as a lesson in thankfulness.

Don’t Pout, There’s a Bird Coming!

Nationality: USA
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/8/16
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Folk Piece

“Don’t pout or a bird will land on that lip!”

 

Background

“It’s kind of ridiculous. Like, of course a bird isn’t going to land on my lip. But, like, kids are also crazy and would probably believe everything. When I started hearing this phrase so much it bothered me, but now as I’m older, I can see why my grandma might’ve said it. She is such a sweet old lady. Like all the time, all the time, she would tell me all of these little sayings and stuff. But yeah, no, I’m pretty sure half of them were to just behave better and keep still.”

Context

“Originally this was taught to me by my grandmother to stop me from pouting as a kid. Now I find myself teaching this to the kids I babysit.”

Analysis

This piece was definitely one of the more odd ones that I came across. Why is a bird landing on the lip? Is that a bad thing? What kind of bird could even land on a lip? I mean, in a sense, I get it. You don’t want some bird smacking you in the face. It just wasn’t as clear to me as many of the other proverbs and warnings and sayings that I had heard over the years.

So, I decided to do some research. It turns out, the more popular version of this phrase is “Don’t stick your lip out or a bird might poop on it!” This was much more clear to me; bird poop is something that’s much more familiar than a bird actually landing on me. It also could go hand in hand with a kid acting like they are ‘full of shit’ when they are pouting.

The participant’s grandmother was described to me as a very sweet, kind, old lady. The participant also comes from a somewhat religious family. This all said, it could be that the grandmother thought the original saying was too crude for her grandchildren, so she changed it a little bit. Clearly, though, if the informant can remember it after all of these years, it must have been pretty effective.

The variation of this piece of folklore is quite different, but it doesn’t change the true meaning of the proverbial phrase, much like most variations of proverbs. Still, you can tie back its origins to the more popular version – or perhaps the more popular version arose from this one. In any case, like many proverbs were designed to do, it will make kids behave.

The Bird Bridge

Nationality: Kim
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: California
Performance Date: 4/18/16
Primary Language: English
Language: Korean

The Main Piece
The Gods have always been seen as powerful figures. In this tale, the Gods of our world have revealed their righteousness and sympathy for man. When two lovers have been forcibly separated because of their dueling families, as they are locked away on two separate sides of their households, the Gods decide to intervene in the dispute. They help the two lovers see each other again by calling upon the birds of the region to create a bridge for them once a year. They are allowed to spend their time together upon the bridge until the sun rises. Then, they must depart and wait the long year once again. The performer states “I always thought that it was so cute how they would wait for each other. I mean a year is a really long time and they only had that one night, but that one night must have been super magical.” She did also say that she may have left some parts out of her story since it was a long time ago.
Background Information
My informant is Elizabeth Kim, a current first year undergraduate student and personal friend of mine at USC. Elizabeth was told this story by her father whenever she went to sleep during her youth, around the ages of six and seven years old. It was one of her favorite stories as she imagined finding her perfect soul mate, someone willing to wait every year for just one night with her. There was a time in her life where she would request the story every night. The story is a representation of true love, but also her dreams and goals as a child. As she looks back on it she says “I know it’s lame, but I still hope to find someone like that. It’s the stuff fairytales are made of ya’ know?” She says she is unsure of whether or not her dad made it up or not, but whenever she mentioned it with friends they would claim to have never heard it before.
Context
I was told this unique story as I was interviewing Elizabeth towards the second semester of our freshman year outside of Parkside Apartment at USC. The setting was casual and conversation flowed easily.
Personal Thoughts
I learned a lot about the type of relationships Elizabeth fantasized about and the context of which these fantasies were instilled in her. It was great to hear about her childhood and her love for stories. I was interested in hearing the full story since she did say she felt she may have left some parts out, so I researched more. Although I could not find the version Elizabeth mentioned, there are different versions, some not even including lovers exist all mentioning a bridge of birds. One version is: Barry Hughart’s Bridge of Birds. While plot lines, details, or circumstances may vary in different versions there remains the common factor of a bird bridge being formed which I found interesting.
Works Cited
Hughart, Barry. Bridge of Birds. N.p.: St. Martin’s, 1984. Chronicles of Master Li and Number
Ten Ox. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.