Proverbs are an essential component to socialization across cultures (Rahill, et al., 2011). They are used to transmit social and religious values, as well as to reinforce knowledge and behavior that are essential to a culture’s existence and identity.
For this assignment, students are provided an initial sample of proverbs from around the globe, related to various themes, including but not limited to: prejudice, virtue, discrimination, social progress, the commonality of persons across different groups and others.
Paper must be 2-3 pages typed, 1-inch margins, 12 pt. Time New Roman font, College-level writing, MLA format
Guidelines:
~Some background about my culture is that I’m half Iranian and Afghani and my family is Muslim but I’m a Buddhist.
Proverb Definitions Proverbs are popular sayings which contain advice or state a generally accepted truth. Because most proverbs have their origins in oral tradition, they are generally worded in such a way as to be remembered easily and tend to change little from generation to generation, so much so that sometimes their specific meaning is no longer relevant.
For instance, the proverb “penny wise, pound foolish” is a holdover from when America was a British colony and used the pound as currency. Proverbs function as “folk wisdom,” general advice about how to act and live.
And because they are folk wisdom, they are often strongly reflecting the cultural values and physical environment from which they arise.
For instance, island cultures such as Hawaii have proverbs about the sea, Eastern cultures have proverbs about elephants, and American proverbs, many collected and published by Benjamin Franklin, are about hard work bringing success. Proverbs are used to support arguments, to provide lessons and instruction, and to stress shared values.
Proverbs are not clichés Clichés are widely used, even overused, phrases that are often metaphorical in nature. Clichés often have their origins in literature, television, or movies rather than in folk tradition. Some Common Features of Proverbs •Proverbs are passed down through time with little change in form.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is a duck. A stitch in time saves nine. Some Common Clichés She was white as a sheet. The tension was so thick you could cut it like butter. He stood as still as a deer in the headlights. I’m as fit as a fiddle. You could read her like an open book.