The Momentous of Proverbs exploitation within the Societal Loop
4 min readBy Awuol Gabriel Arok, Juba, South Sudan
Friday, May 11, 2018 (PW) — Proverbs are simple and concrete sayings popularly known and repeated, that expresses a truth based on common sense or experience. They are often metaphorical.
Proverbs fall into the category of formulaic language and form a folklore genre.
Proverb usage is until today associate to astute thinking, wisdom and harmony creation and as a distinctive form of impressive communication.
They following proverbs of King Solomon are advices and instructions that a caring and loving father can gives to his son. “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them.
If they say, “Come along with us; let’s lie in wait for innocent blood, let’s ambush some harmless soul; let’s swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole like those who go down to the pit;
We will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; cast lots with us; we will all share the loot”—my son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; for their feet rush into evil, they are swift to shed blood.
How useless to spread a net where every bird can see it!
These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves!
Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it”.
In most of the books and movies produced by Nigerians, use of proverbs has been of great interest to their diverse readers and viewers across the globe.
Nigerians said Proverbs are palm oil with which the words are eaten, looking back into ancient societies; proverbs were used for challenging people abilities to receive and judge as manifested by the following Nigerian proverbs
“A man who brings home ant-infested faggots should not complain if he is visited by lizard.
When suffering knocks at your door and you say there is no seat left for him he tells you not to worry because he has brought his own stool.
A boy who tries to wrestle with his father gets blinded by the old man loin cloth.
A woman who began cooking before another must have more broken utensils.
If the lizard of the home stead neglects to do things for which its kind is known, it will be mistaken for the lizard of the farmyard.
When we see a little bird dancing in the middle of the pathway we must know that its drummer is in the nearby bush.
A man who has nowhere else to put his hands for support puts it on his own knee.
If the rat cannot flee fast enough let him make way for the tortoise.
Sometimes when we have given a piece of yam to a child we beg him to give us a little from it, not because we really want to eat it but because we want to test our child and to know whether he is the kind of person who will give out or whether will clutch everything to his chest when he grows up.
No power can change a crawling millipede into an antelope.
He whose name is called again and again by those trying in vain to catch a wild bull has something he alone can do to the bull”.
Proverbs sharpen people’s inner ability to reason.
Awuol Gabriel Arok, a Writer and a Poet, has a Bachelor Degree in Social and Developmental Studies from the University of Juba, South Sudan, he is a Columnist with The Dawn Newspaper under column “The Motivation Bell”. He is the author of unpublished book titled ‘‘The Wisdom Horn’’ , he contributes to Websites and Social Media platforms on Issues concerning Social, Economic and Politic s and through his peaceful and developmental campaigns such as ‘‘Your Tribe is My Tribe’’, ‘‘Giving Heart Foundation’’, “Wisdom Testament”, “Classic Leadership Forum”, “Grace the Women Foundation”, “PeaceNet Initiative” and “Award for Development”. He can be reached via his email Address: jjmkamzeearokson@yahoo.com
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