eroverbs ana the Classroom

2()()

Tbta aect1on uy properly be titled Proverba and the

claaa roo•. The teachers or E~Jgliah abould be able to •ke

good uae ot proverbs in their teaChing. Pr0verba can be uaec:l.

aa add! tional teaching tools end their study and teaching can

bolster up the standard ot t.nglish in our country. Teachera

who have been usin,; proverbs in the college claasea nave found

them extremely uaetul in many ways. To generate greater

interest the r.t•t should be cast wide and proverba rrom other

lanlf,uages translated into Engliah shoUld be used and COIII,PSI'ed • with English proverbs nearest in meaning. PrOverbs should be

suggested by students aa well. A selected proverb should be

written on the blackboard and ita meaning explained. Alter

this stage the teacher should carefully read the proverb

many times and the students asked to Ust«l to every sound

very carefully. Some atudents should be uked to repeat the

proverb. li'aul ta 1n their reading, pronunciation, enunciation

and so on are to be corrected. The students ere to be

drilled in these sounds till they come to a reasonable

standard and till they have grasped the proverb as a complete

unit o! speech. A couple of examplea can be civen. The

proverb 'when poverty coua in at the door, love niea out

' of the window', provides us with a review o;t the wwel. aowda:

11!· in po-~y; '"'·in loDJ /J:/, iD.8rJ I If. 1a

wipdgw. A rur\fs~ pro verb in U!glish reads, • ptl •Us ettiirlg

wittJout seeing it, sign potbins witi;out reading it'. This

201

enablea ua 1:10 practiae aounda I rj' I 1D !lripll., and I D I, in

nothipg. 1\e have aho an Italian proverb wniell When tranalat~

reada • with too many rooater crowing, the aun never come a up' •

1'h1s gi vee the ini t1 al I r I in .rooatrra, and tnr .tinal I 1

in ntver, In addition, it naa the initial conaonent cluster

I cr I 1n crowi,pg and the tinal cluater I ra I in rooatera.

Again, we can ta.ke the proverb, Gpod wine needs no byan. Thia

prov1dea ~ framework for the reco,nition and reproduction of

the p.honewe I w I in wine,

After the various sounds are practiaed we should turn'

to the words themselves. Sometillles simple -.'erda are uaed -

the -words are known to and understood by all the students.

I:t certain words are old, obsolete, strange and untallliliar,

they are explained. such opportunitiea are taken to increase

the vocabulary stock of the students. Other gra111111atical

points are next considered. Various parts o.t speech can be

examined Mtd illustrated, Interesting £acta about sentence

structure and other grammatical tel'l!l8 can be communicated.

~·or example, we have no verba in such proverbs aa Like mother,

like !laughter; More Paste, lus see!d. Yet the ideas are not

obscured. Figures o£ speech can be illustrated by means ot

proverbs. Birds or a .t'eaAA•£· !lock tpg.ether, sno• analogy,

Synecdoclle is shown in, T!!o heads are betttr thin U!• We

have alliteration in L9ok before you lttf• Plenty o.t ~ '--.·

proverba laave. smiles and metapbora embedded 1D tbee. Rhyae

1s illuatret..,~y"-ny proverbs, An appl.e a dey, k!!pt tlle

doctor away; and h lr1C!d in Ottd it I tr1rpd 1n4etd.

IUlythmJ.c patterns are a .l)rolllinent !eaturea ot al110at all

pro verbs as they ... ·ere circu.la ted by oral tradition and had

to have eaay melll0rab1lity. r•.any t)ruverba are in ooupleta,

!or example,

tarly to bed t~nd early to riae,

~akea a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

The different type of sentences can aieo be illustrated by

takin~ help ot provtrba - hven verblera 'sentences 1 are there,

Like !ather, li~e son. s0 me proverbs have survived even though

they violate the rt.J.es o! gra111111ar, tor exalli'~le, Ygu pays your

aoney and you taku :tour cho1c;:e. '!'his shows that verbal

collllllunication is u.ort important than the rules ol grallllllal',

special attention should be paid to any \UlUsual points

arising during the study o! a proverb. In aome proverbs the

meaning is quite cleE>r end transparent, In some, there may

be arnbigui ty, 'l'he proverb A roll!£!g sto,ge c;§'thera no mg§l

can bt.> understood in the Wtlya according to the context:

•that suen a person does not become encrusted with dull, set,

!ixed habits or opinions; or that he dOes not attain a·

position of security, prosperity and success. Thia proverb

is metaphorical and this aspect also has to be caretully

explained. There are proverba which contain referenoea to

old historical. !acts, 118Nutr•a and cuawiiS and cannot. be

under•tood witnout teacherWselp by students bel..Cina·~c·

di!ferent cultural contexts. Unleaa taota about Cae•ar are

known, Indian atudenta cannot Wtderatend the ••en1ng ot

C[OII1pg tbt llul!1con. we take •r•1n a very oo..,n ai•ple

proverb, A !?urpt 9h1ld cirrasla t11• !1£1. 'l'h1a can be taken

literally, but we have to 10 further to see ita ayllbol1caal

valut'. It means that U a ~raon has undergone ao•e

unpleaaant experience he will be 1110at reluctant to repeat it.

some proverbs 1118Y present linguistic curiosities. In the

proverb TiJ!l! and Tide we1t tor no 11!0, the subatantivea

time and yde were once aynonyaous and therefore tantolosoua

old Ellglisr• ti-me and .u.:.!l deriving by the addition of

different stem-forming suffixes !rom the common Ger•anic rott

.!! - 'to stretch • • The Tudor version ot the proverb was

Time not tide tarrieth no man where no mep was the gr.-metical

subject and where the alliteration was tbua extended to

include the verb'. (Potter).

Proverbs can be uaed in cle•srooma tor 111e110ry tra1n-

1ng. Proverbs are short and pi thy sayings nay to •••rb:e -

thb quality of theirs can be made uae o!. Some ga•ea can

be designed. F1rst a 4efin1tion 1s given. fhen everyone

tries to follow it by ruualng the proverb, u 1n tbe !ollow1ng :

1 t ia permitted to tbe feline race

T0 contemplate even a regal tace

The anawer 1s A cat MI 1ook at a Jdlf•

A longer exa~le:

A mendicaDt, once .troa hia 1n41gence .tr'eftd

And •unted aloft on the generoua steeci,

Down toe precipice will 1n!all1bly ao Awl conclude hia career in the regiona below.

20·1

l'be anawer 1a, 'let 1 b!Qcr op horubao;. Md he'll r1dt

$0 tl!t ktril.

tlere ia mother;

Bear n\.lt to you !aaed o1 ty ot l'ynt

The carbone.ceoua product of the alne.

to ttJ1a tbe anawt·t' 1a 1

Up not parry gorl p? Newcaptll•

It ia -wt'llkno~o>n !act t.hat a v"at uJor1ty af prvverba

w•re 1 1nventf!'d • b) persona \ll'•imown. howe vet', thflre are soae

tno eut.:·lOra ot wL.I ct> ce.n be 1dti!llt1!1ed, l'l a~>t or sueb

pro verbs can btt given to tr. e a t~.<C.ent.a end tilCI)' can be &aked

to 1denti£y toe authora. Here are exaeplea:

i'alldliarity breeda contempt

l.f?t u.e let byaonea be bysorlea

Abtu.mce rr.akea tt:J e heart &row fonder

il'ocla rush in where angels lear to tread.

'rhe author& are reapectively, Cicero, Syrua, i.p1t~tetua.

:!layly and f'ope, :.~u.idea IIMtaory iiiiPl"'Yelolmt, atut:lent•

will also bene.ti t by bunill& atout tneae •...ot-l•tter..

StYdents can b• asked tc nue proverba W11cb uaUon

particular ob;)ecb, aucn aa pld and &l•••• fb~. ••wra

will l:le,

') () r ~-- d

Jloany such exercises can be constructed to the ieaense pleaaure

ot the teacher and the taught. These J.nnoYBtive aethod.a o!

teaching will confer additional benefits. They oan broade~

the student• a lmowlec1ge in several way~. with the help o!

proverbs such as rto•• wat not built ln a day, we can arouaa

the atuden t • a interest in Rome, 1 taly etc. 1n addition to

telling him that great en terprhes are not accoapliahed.

eaaily in a short tilllt!, Similarly the stUdents will ask """'r all Piths lead to Rome, and why when Greek •ett G£!!k• 90111!1

the tU,iij o! war 7

Certain proverbs speciallY lend theuelvea to become

good. e$aay topics and subjects ot debatea and croup discussions

Honeatx h the bes£ poliqy 1a one such proverb, The teacher

can explain 1 t by telling the students that dishonesty uy

seem more proritable tor a short time but in the long run

honesty brings JllOre advantages. After this, the present

situation in tile country can be highlighted. The students

snould be free to express their opinions freely - they ahould

present arguments in ~a.our of their own view and against

those of the opponents. During group .tiscusaJ.oa. taulta ot

grammar. logic and pronunciation can be correotecl. I.n

essays again remedial treatment tor faulty thoucnt ancl

expression can be given. Proverbs wt.ich are oppo"w ill --·~

aeeniag are specially s\1.1ted tor ar~U~NAta. n.,¥ ''PM •l•

light work contradicts too 'IQl so•u ••11 .. -·"'' Soh ,,

will agree with one propoaition, aoae witb the otb.v and. aD

interesting debate or diacusaion can ensue.., ~

~any proverbs offer valuable practical advice, with

which the student can profit immensely, e.g., A ttPQn 1p time

sav!B nine; strike the iron Mun 1t it 1lotJ W.l:!ere there 11 a

will. there it a way. Moral and religiout teaching can be

given by using some proverbs e.g., God tempert the wind to

the shorn lamb; the voice of the PeoPle is the mice o.! Godi

do unto others as you ¥?Uld theY should do unto you. .Ib.!

Book of Proverbs from The Old Testament can be used in the

classrooms. Students can become acquainted with the wisdom

of l:lolomon.

The study snd the teaching of proverbs show that a

teacher of English is able to impart some instruction in

almost all human activities. He has the greatest opportunity

to develop various dimensions of the personality of his

students. He has therefore to reconsider the limits of his

academic discipline. Many times he has to cross the limits

of the study of literature and literary criticism.

Proverbs have sprung from the wisdom of the people

and do not recognize national frontiers. Proverbs arising

in a language of a particular nation spread far and wi<le and

are able to find hospitable doors in other nations. We have

already seen how the tales of Pan9htan1;ra filtered into

Pers.ia,.and Arabia and found themselves in Europe.Ji "~untries -~ . '

incl~g England. The fables of Aesop enjoy \miveraal. - ,::{~··

popW."arity_ Hence. proverbs can be used to foster iater-

national understanding.

- _,

~rppping wrar• away e atone. In Hindi we aay that if a

rope 1a constantly driven ac.roaa a atone there will be left

a aark on 1 t. 8oth pro verba mean that peraiatence will

acnieve a dirticult objective. There ia an Arab proverb,

An idle person ia the c1rvil • a play-felloy. The Cbineae

say, He who goes notiJing bUt slt and tat will wear IWJY a

mountain ot wealth. The Latin proverb aaya, NO deity aa&iata

t13e idle. ThE' Germans say, Idlenesa has poyerty tor wagea.

The French aver, Indolence 1a t!Je sleeP of tpt mind. And the

Fn _.;lish say,

have roundly

An idle bain it the devil' a !!?rk•b9P• People \~

condemned ici,peas everywhere. On other topics •

such as God, friendanip, marriage end so on, sia1lar senti-

menta are expressed all over. 'I It ia clear that one touch

of a proverb makes tile wnole world kin. Proverba can

provide great help in learning other languages. Sometimes

we alao see national prejudices reflected 1D proverba. An

Englishman arrogantly asserts, Qpe Englis1lJ!I8!l can beat thret

Frsnchmen. Such proverba can be used as a warning against

prejudices. We all have national prejudices. We cannot

afford to nurture them. 1'be world end ita nationa are

a10ving closer to one another. The 1110dern age of 4tleotron1c

media ia breaking down national barriers. Better UDderatan4•

ing 8JIIOng nations re1110vea preJudices. Aft exa~l-llOf •ulel'A ' -

awareness 1a provided by iteader' s Diceat. It pultlish-ea uay

foreign proverbs translated in Enclish. ln 1 •. iaaue .o~

February 1991 on P&&e 1, there is a Jaeaioe ~terlt. ' . '-.~~~ .

M![riye hath teeth and hia bi$! Da M£• NotbJ .. ¥l,1ke this

English.

The atucly o! proverbs le&d.a tn• eenior students on

to creht1ve writing. tie nave 81!'£'11 that 80111!' proverbs have

been uaecS aa book. t1 tlu, auol• aa All' 1 wtll that emSt well.

S0111e book tithe have beco~~>e pro verba, Sgll h llpaytituJ,,

for ua11ple. i'erhapa this fact can inspire 1110'1.llcl-be writers.

To start with, however, students can be asked to construct

tables on the lines o! .l·esop. rt1e following mdern table by

.. snort time ago builders, working or1 a studio in

Connecticut, left a huge aquar( o! plate blaae standing

uprigE. t in a field one day. ;1 ~?,old tinct• !lying swiftly

across the field struck the glaas and waa knocked cold.

"hen i'1e COlle to, he hastened to his club, where an·

attendant bandaged his head ~1d g~ve hia a atitt drink.

"'-<hat happened" asked a aea-gull. 11 I na fiy1ng

acroaa a ~t~eedow when <>11 of' a sUdden the atr crystal­

lized on aa11 , said the gold-finch. The sea-gull ud

a bawk and an eagle ell laughed heartily. .A swallow

listened rravely. 11 l'or f1ftee<• years, l • ve .flown tbia

couotry• • said the eeg:J,e. "and I assure you there 1a

no euch thing as air crystallizing. i'ater, yea; a1r.

no. • "You were probably struck by a bail a~e•, the j_, .~

bavlc. told tne goldfinch. •or he aay ·~ W a atrok ..

aai..d the aeagull. •llb.at do ycna ti'~ awallo_.,. •*J, ~- think uy be the air CI'Jatell1~~on I'd_. • aa14

the swallow. 'fb• lara• blr4a la\&Cbed ao lo ... J that the ' .. _ .. ;,., -' ~'- ~

•! .·.;·.

~) 0 ( l ~- t}

goldfinch beceae annoyed and bet them each a dozen

wor11a that they couldn't !illow the courae he had

tlown acroaa the tidd without encouatering the

hardened atmoaphara. They all tooK hie bet; the

swallow went along to watch. The sea-gull, the

eagle, and the hawk decided to !ly togither over the

route the goldfinch indicated. "You coae too", they

said to the swallow. "I-I-well, no•, said the

swallow, "1 do'nt think I will." SO tile three large

birds took off together and hit the glass together

end they were all knocked cold.

Moral: H~ ~o hesitates is sometimes aaye4. 1

l t 1a not d1!.f1cul t to recognize the proverb o! wh1Cil thia

moral is anti-thea1s, He wno hesitates ia lost. Students

should be encouraged to construct tables and short stories

baaed on proverbs or on their parodies.

Although a poet is born and not made, still rudiments

ot poetry can be taught. The help ot a proverb can be

enlisted. some proverbs are cast in poetic IIIOUld:

It graaa look green in Janiveer, ~

• T will look the worJer all the year. ~ I ~

Th.b small poem can be uaed to teach atudet~i.w 1:0 · eoet -i' ' -

"' ,. syllables end how they are arranged in a ,.,~ llae. So a ·f.:" ~ -.4!·1,::;;··

Jtnowled&e ot metre in poetry 1a ta~. llda particular

coapoaitlo.o,~ in iambic tetra•ter. StUd~~ Otlft be taught

rhymea al~O: ~ thU proverb can be'-" ~','t;•tartin& .t'· .

-~ 1 ll

point tor the teaching of the technique o! versification.

In explainin& ita meaning, we point out that it conveys a

p~ophecy - 1! the graaa looks green in January, it will be

worse in all the rest ot the u.onths. l t is a proverb

coined 1n or before the seventeenth century. our observa­

tion lli8y or uy not confirm it. '-ie now consider another one:

l! the twenty-!ourth o! J,ugust be !air and clear,

Then hope .t'or a prosperous autumn that year.

Again, here we have a prophecy. To us it may represent

superstition but it is also a teaching aid. After the

students have leat'nt the elements of prosody they can be

given a proverb and uked to try their banda at putting it in

verse. An exercise in the ppt ctlling the kettle black may

produce a compos! tion like this:

Whilst aelt-iaspection it neglects,

Nor its own foul condition sees,

The kettle to the pot objects

Ita sordid superficies.

••

:.>uch exercises can be attempted by senior students and

perhaPs can provide some lighter momenta in the claaarooa.

There are momenta 1n the clasaroo• wheq, U..· at.os-.. ".-' ?f !;,_, ' ' ·~-

ph ere becomes surcharged with seriousness .... .., .. relaxation '., . '

b needed. .Students who nave flocked to taf':ttaaaroo• no . ·~~

doubt require training f'or U;te 111hicb ls a JPr1oua aUair and .,

not all Jut!£\Vd spug,.. ,. nuaour has also to be inculcated.

211

ar110ur a,ainat 1 tile slinga and arrowa of outrageoua fortune" •

l'here are pro verba that c::onvey their meaaago 1n a hWDOroua

note. The students, however, can be trained to play with

well kno'Wil proverbs ao aa to produce humorous effects. ll.'hen

·rnoratein ve•len aaya, 1 Invention is the mother of necesai ty 1 ,

be brings a smile to our lipa. Jther examples are,

•wr1ere there is a will, there ia a won't' (I.acille Harper) •

1 The d<•rkest hour is ,just ue:!ore you are overdrawn' (Laurence

Peter), and 'I::arly tu bed and early to rise at1d you will never

meet the rich and famous' (E.l.aa ll'.arsn). Endlessly the

students can play with proverbs that take their fancy and let

the wings ot their imagination fiy. HWIIOrous effects can be

produced - at the same time creative urae can find an outl~t.

An Yiddish proverb pointedly states, ~ISShter cmn be beard

tUfthtr thi;!n weeping. As already state~-'aome proverbs have

humour ingrained in them and also contain elements of wit.

«hen the proverb maker tells ua that {>line tailors !!lake a man,

'tiie joke is at the expenae of the tailors. In such cases,

the proverb maker can tell ua in the worcla of Falstatf,

'I am not only witty in mysel.t', but the cause that wit is

in other me1' (Henry IV Pt. 2, I, ii, 10).

w'hen students reach an advanced stage aa4 tbelr stock of proverbs has risen high, the work ol• cJl.aaalt~tiu ~can be undertaken to improve their UDd!l'tlt...Sns and". srup.

·'m·· · It was Aristotle who introdlleed tbe idea o~)tatepr.lea into

lo~lc and Jul,osophy. He taught that rea1Jfi, coUld be .

claaaitied •accordin& to several categoi-1•• - _.ubatuce, '' ,l

212

quality, quantity, relation, deteraination in tiae and

apace, action, paaaion or paaaiYity, poaition and condi­

tion•. The idea of claaa1f1cation was taken up in logic,

pbiloaopby, acience and other disciplines. A oou.ple of

examplea troa science may be cited. Carolu.a Linnaeaa

( 1707-1778) a Swedilh 'botanist waa the originator ot the

claaai.tication o! planta and animela. The element& were

claaa1fied by the Kuaa1an chemist Unitri Mendelejeff wno

.formulated the periodic law and invented the periodic table.

In literature we have tragedy, comedy, epic and ao on.

Scientific ac(;uracy in hUIIIIIIlities is not poaaible. We

cannot attain acientit1c preciaion in claaaitying proverbs

- there are several ways of claseiticat1on. fbey may be

classi.tied according to tbe place of origin, the date of

oompoai tion, the thematic oontent and so on. Kenneth

Burke2 suggests the following categoriea:

1. Proverbs delligned tor consolation

categol"iea.

11. Proverbs meant for vengeance

111. Proverb& for admonition or exhortation

1 v. Proverbs tor foretelling

v. Proverbs that na• typical reourreat

s1 tuatious. . r .. ~

We aball ••• aoae of ta•a.

..

Think of ease but wrk ODI The worst luck now, the better

another t1ae; Little troubles the eye but far leas the aoul;

He 11 not poor that hath little, but he that cleaireth 11uch•.

To what extant are these prgvarba ef!ective it ia dif.Cicult

to say but we must not forget that even Shakespeare adviaea

us 'to .Patch grief w1 th pro verba'. The proverbs cited 'by

Burke are aimple to understand and easy to apply to parti­

cular situations.

We turn to the aecond category - vengeance. Examples

cited are, •At lengtb the .Cox 1e brought to the furrier;

sue a beggar and get a louae; The higher the ape goea the

1110re he ahowa hill tail J The 110on does not heed the b~g

of dogs; i''ools tie knots and wise men looae them•. We can

add, •where vice is, vengeance follows; and, The noblest

vengeance is to forgive•. However, all thoughts o! vena:e­

ance are extinguished .nan we remember the 81bl1cal exhor­

tation, • Vengeance is lline, I will repay, aai th the Lord•

( Rollltil'la 121 19).

Burke does not provide many examples of the third

category - admonition and exhortation. He cites, •Firat

thrive, then wive; When the fox preacbeth, thea beware yow

geese•. We can add., •Fools ruah in, where aqela 't•ar t1tt y· .

tread; A fool and hia money are soon P&rt.at Do \alto

others aa you wuld they ahould dO •to JO. 'fhere are • " /iii: aeny proverbs of this type.

The fourth cateaory cons1&ts of proverba that deal

with foretelling, •sow peaa and beana in the wane o! the

1110on, wbo soweth them sooner, be aoweth too soon; flheo

the wind is in the north, the skilful fiaher goea not .forth;

wben the 110on iz in tbe .tull, thenvit is 1n the wane;

Strawa show which we.y the wind blows; When the :t'iah is

caught, the net is laid aside; Eagles catch no flies•.

Ir1 tbe category ot typical recurrent situations

Burke places, ·~weet appears sour when we pay; the

treason 1a loved but the traitor is hated; the wine in the

bottle does not quench thirst; the Sun is never the worse

for shining on a clung hill• •

Burke does not suggest that this is the only way oA.

classi!1cation. He claims no finality for bia syate111. He

a4m1ts thGt some proverbs can be shifted troa one category

to the other. • Nhen the fox preachetb, then beware of your

geese', baa been placed in the foretelling gNUP but it cen

also be placed with full justification in the vindictive

group.

Burke remarks,

•The point of issue is not to find cateprl .. t;bat '' !"•,

'place' tbe proverb once and for all. W-'1 ,..t 1a categories that auggeat their ao$ib•:~.~ ....

Ji- - -

Here there is no 'realism tor !!:~ aaJte' •. ftere is realism tor proldae, adlloal . _· '•laoe, ,.. .. ance. foretellift&,. inatruou.oa. ~ .U. -tor

· ''tbe direct bear.tD,a tbat auch acta t.Pe upoll utter a , o~tere•.

215

Proverbs oan be cl.aaaified acoorcUng to their theaa.

Many dictionaries of proverbs nave followed this system.

one such d1 ct1onar1ea 1a the Pmgu1n l.iictiopaq o.C Proyerb;

by Rosalind t-'erguaaon. Another 1a ne11tod t\ world Treasurx

o.C Proverbs edited by Henry Davidot!. In tbe latter, the

number o! topics according to which proverbs ere grouped

is 1576. Most o.C these proverbs are by unknown authors.

However, there are meny whose authors are known. The number

of such authors ia 442. ~hakeapeare is tbe largest contri­

butor w1 til 361 atatelllmts to his cred1 t. The students

should be asked to study proverbs care.Cully and classify

tb em according to this ays tem.

Another way 1n wt•ich the proverbs may be claaai!it

is g1 ven below:

1. Proverbs about ea:otions: Examples are • Absence

1118kea the heart grow .tonderJ All is !air in love and war;

Fain part in pleasure•.

2. Proverbs refl"eaenting escape :from ti&ht ai tuationa:

Examples are. •tto newa is good news; Everythini comea to

him who waits; Every doC has his day•.

3. Proverbs that can provide plots !or cr.,.the Wl"itiac&

2JG

4. Proverbs in this category resemble the proverbs in

category 3 but are non-historical and non-mythological.

I!:Xaaplea - "Neceeaity 1e the .other o! invention; An eye

tor en eye" and so on.

5. Proverbs relating to character. hxa•ples ere,

"cowards die many times before their deeth; It 1a never

too late to mend; io'ools rush ir• 'obere angles fear to tread;

Help a lame dog over the stiles; Where there 1a a w1l.l,

there 1a a way•. 'l'he eXhortation contained in these proverbs

are designed tor improvement of individual character.

6. Clf)Sely rdated to the above are proverbs which

provide us a scale of value. Here we deal. with universally

applicable values. Ex8111plea are, "Honesty is the beat

policy; Virtue is its own reward; A hedge between keeps

!riendab.ips green; Do unto others as 'fe woUld they should

do unto you". 'fhi$ category will include proverbs which

emphasize religion end .,rality.

1. Here we place tboae proverbs which perlllit ua 1reater

freedom in our point of view. Some may say, Halt a loaf 11

better than nothing. Another may not agree. He haa a

different point of view and he prefers to 19 SbJ !bplt hp&.

Another exaaple is, Better be tht bead ot a d!k tbftP tb.l '~· ''

tail of a lion. S011leone ay not agree, .h~-•1 p~ef~ to be '<:.,.--

content with· a servile a1 tuatioll., ,f .· i . . '8. ' By elld. large proverbs are aeriouf,$.1) .. eont•t• In

~""!'' ao•• llowever1 an ele-.nt ot hu.our is p~\, Exaaplea

~ ... ¢, ' ·,. ··~

.'! 1 7

are, •~;. bald hPad 1a soon ahev111; A beggar's purse ia

bottoml.eas1 A whistling wman and a crowing ben ia neither

!1 t for God nor men•.

In ao11e proverbs an element of iron,J 1a present and

it contributes to hwaour. We have the proverb, Piae

.!eatpers make .t'ipe bird•. Thb means tht.t people judge

others by appearance so we muat dreas well. In a sarcastic

ser1ae 1 t point a out that a person 1118Y not be aa good aa hi a

clothes sug;.;est, we have also ironical hWDO\U' in God heals

and the dostgr takes the t'ee.

9. Most ot the proverbs are couched in simple, easy

to Wlderstand language, but aome are written in a symbolical

language and hav'! to be interpreted carefully. £n example,

The eUf, the goose, the bee

The wrlcl ia ruled by these ~e.

Here calf stands for parchment, the goose !or a pen and

the bee for the wax. As we know, in olcten days governmct

orders were written on parcblllent with pens provided by

goose feathers and were sealed by bee• s wax. These orders

regulated the work of the e»vernment. lheae daya. boweve.r,

this proverb is no longer valid. Many sucll PJ'O~ba hide . -~"~ ' .. ~:~.· ~-, ' :

their aeening below the surface and therefore ha~ w be

unravelle4 carefully.

'

218

soae proverb$ defy rigid classification and seem to float

easily :trom one category to another vi th .tull Ju.sti!ication.

Early to bed and early to rise, make a person healthy.

' weal thy and wiae - aaya the proverb. It may otter advice

on health and may be categorized accor<l1ngly. At the same

time it offers practical wisdom. Siailarly, it is not easy

to understand how by simply rising early a man can become

wealthy and wise. Wealth as we know can be acquired only

by the sweat of the brow not by ~imply rising early.

Similarly, the acquisition of wisdom is also not a simple

affair. Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. We have

another saying - fools rush 1!',1 !here angels fgr to tre,d..

1 t sounds like a warning. It is also hUlllOroua to some

extent. We have another fool in A fQOl. and .Q,1a lf!091f 1£1

sogn parted. This again releases sparks o:t humour. It alao

cautions u.s to be careful about our 1110ney. Our llledclling

intellect however 1118Y ask, how could a :tool acquire money

in the first ~tt.e• - the lllOney Which will soon part .from

bim. These examples de~nstrate that the claaa1:tioation

here proposed is neither mtirely thematio. nor is 1 t

absolutely based on semantics.

It has been am,2ly shown that proverba .OIIft be uae!l

in the class room to increase verbal ooapeUnoe.;.i, j,t; 1a no

creatly increaaed coape'ti tlon fro a other cowtri ...

218

Soaetiaes we have to counter bitter propaganda against ua.

our diploaat.s are representatives o! a great country and

every statertent o! theirs here and abroad ia subjected to

great critical scrutiny. our bua1nessm~ also now have

global connections. Incompetence in the uae o! language

ia a major aource o! inefficiency and waste. Anything that

helps us in the mastery o! language shoUl.d be welcomeL

The use o! proverbs in classrooms therefore should not only

be welcomed but encouraged.

The value of proverbs as teaching aids is now well

established. As an ed\lCational aid proverbs can be indeed

very ef.!ective. We have now to examine the role ot the prime

1110ver in the clasaroo111 - the teacher of hngliah both in

schools as well as 1n colleges. In a lettel' to R. Woodhouse

dated 27th October 1818, Keats remarked• "A poet ia the mat

unpoetical ot anything 1n existence, because he bas no

identity - be is continually informing and fillin& aome

other body'. lilnat Keats baa said about a poet can also 'be

said about a teacher ot En&J.ish. l'be teaching o! English 1a

necessarily related to other st.i:lj ecta and a teacher o.t

English haa to develop such ak.llls in the atuden"t)!i aa w1U

help bim in his future prot"easion. lle have already sea

that in India a great deal. ot COIIllland over itlaliab. is atUl

needed 1.f a persor1 wishes to get ahMCl 1a bit .)o'b. ~

cater to this need so many ao~aU..t ,-~ fd Dl~iab .. .bave aPJ'\Ul.l up like mushrooms in llllllJ oW-es '804 towns and

-, ~ '

they are flourhhiac. 'the need tor auoh Io.sti tutea osn be

220

aboliabed 1.t proper gro\lld work 1s prepared at the school

and college levels - especially at the college level.

As stated ee.rl1el', the teacher of ~gliah iiU a

•ul ti.taceted personal! ty. algliah is a language of know­

ledge of ell subjects in I"clia - it is also s library

language. H.,nce, the knowledge of all subjects is entombed

in the ilng].ish language. Attempts have been !lll';de to tranan;it

knowledge in Indian languages but these et£orts nave not

yet been fully successful. Eag].is.h remains a service language,

It is the key which opens the door to knowledge.

Aa a service language, English has to be brought

closer to other subjects and the English ieacbel' has to pick

up a great deal. of acquaintance w1 th other subjects. Many

textual lessons an English teacher baa to teach usuallY deal

with other subjects. English text book$ are.filled with

extracts !rom ac1ece, technology, Econoll'lics, History,

Commerce end other sub;Jecta~ lbe EngU.ah teacher has to

teach these extracts end in the process becomes Jack o! all

trades, and IIIley not remain even a ~~~aster o.t f41&lish. In

this arduous work proverbs as they elll'brace all department.

o! life can be of i111mense help. We have already aeea 'i:tlat

proverbs spring from lite and are condensed piece• o~ w1edo•.

Among the proverb makers we 11eet ph.Uoaopber-t acieti.ata.

public adlliniatrators, eeonolliats, hl.at.l"i .. ...t .. •·

A lev U811Ples can be take of each. \ . ·· ,.,,. : 4 ' ''

It 1a the great Greek pbiloaopher who tells us

~rt ia long. 11ft 1a oh9rt. Never were truer words spoken

Life is really abort, the Bible gives ua 'three score and

ten• years. It takes years to become proficient in art.

A work art llhen created ia, as Keata tells us in the Ode

on Grecien Cern, permanent in nature. l today, xou tomorrow

ia another one o! the ph1losopb1oal types.

Computer science has given ua garbage in• garb•*•

~· This is now a recognized proverb and it means this,

•Garbage is a colloquial term 1n data precessing for

'in()Qrrect output' which will according to the proverb,

inevitably produce faulty output• (Simpson).

In public offices, aa Parkinson tells ~ 'Work

expands so as to fill the time available', The economist

speaks 1x> us about cutting our coats according to the cloth

and about pennywiae, po'U&'ld foolish. He cautio-

ua to look be:tore we leaP. at the same time reaindinC the

entrepreneur that nothing venture, nothing nave, Tbe

historian tells us Why Ceeaer' a wife aboulcl be above

suspicion .&nd. 'lllhat Caesar did lltum he crossed tbe Rubicon,

H'·e · elao tella us why 'lllhen Greek aeeta Greek tnere ta a

tug ol_,~. . ~. : ....

····It 1a cllat" !rom tile above diaeuuiOJl'tbat proYVba

can help in the study ot ot:ber .ui»JMUi .... 'teeebera ot '':_~.. '

other subjects can alao iatroduoe pro¥• a •etr owa

1:eaoh11lc and help tile at\aden1:a to 11e110i'\.e certain tecta

aod al10 to add interest to tileir lectures. It abol.lld be

the duty o! the ~glish teacher to reaind other teachers

o:! the proverba relevant to tndr subjects. Proverbs o!

course will be part o! the store or knowlectce of other

subject teacl~era but an occaaional rell1.nder 1'roa the English

teachers will do a world o:! good. There should be a free

now of in:forma tion between other teachers and the teachers

of English. At the same time it must not be forgotten that

the teaching ot language is the 1110st important lart o! the

Job o! tb.e English teacher.

some general principles underlying successful

teaching of ~gliah and the place of proverbs in it may

briefly be stcted here. All these are implied in wbat has

been d1acuat>ed. before:

1. l'rogress 1n learning a language does not mean only

acquisition of knowled&e. Linguistic tasks JIN.8t be

per!ormed. M. proverb 1a not to be merely understood.

Students should be able to write a paragraph, or an

essay about it or uae it for group d1acuaa1on or

debate.

2. A proverb shOuld be chosen for tbe day end prove'ba

allied in meaning and opposed 1n •euiai if CJ

abouJ.d be taken into consideraUOD.

3. students should be encowaae4, to 'l:hS.Pk et a1tvat1on

in ldlicb the proverb will be !~loable. A brief /0

expl.ana tion lbould be given by tbe tuober if neceaaary

4. It proyerba contain alluaiona, tbey 11uat be

explained.

5. Oral d1acuaa1on of the proverb should be followed

by '-ritten exerciaea aa suggested 1n point 1.

6. Concentrate on tboae ele11enta of atructw-e which

cause d1!!1culty. So~et1~ea difficulties arise

whlft parts o! speech are missing eg. 99 pains, no gains'

here today and gone to11orrow.

7. Some pro verbs are cast in the poetic ltiOde. Prose

explanation &hould first be attempted by the

students. 'l'l'ie teacher can then help.

8. lnc.t"eaae of wcabulary should alao be aimed. at.

Old or Middle &lgliab and foreign wrda Bl'lould be

explained but the students should be taught to

avoid thea.

9. Items learned once should be repeate4 as often as

possible ao that tb~ do not disappear !roll aeaory.

10. 'fhe class should be kept lively and active< by

selecting such proverbs as may contribute to cheer­

.fulneas. Proverba should be, as far as possible,

related to activities inside and outaicle tb.e·. c1 ...

1'0011.

1. Jamea 1hurber1

2.

3. Burke:

IHF Ml.I:.N C!::S

The Glau in the i1!ld in Tne Nortbn jie&dtrl eda. "·;''• taa&an et. ai. (New York, lll.ifo. ;,orton and ~wpeny, 1965)' p. 1092.

Literature as 'qu1pwent. !or Living in CO!\!!!!lWOt¥ l,it!rary CriUcip eda it. c. Uavia and H. Sc:hle !~tr, (;,~w Yor.k1 Longaan Inc 1969) p. 76-77,

Ibid. p. 77.