African Proverbs Essay, Research Paper

African Proverbs

African proverbs are thought of much more than artistic sayings. They symbolize real life situations in just a few words that consummate great meaning. In cultures without literature, proverbs provide an array of values and knowledge. Proverbs often, also provide entertainment because they may consist of rhyme or clever allusions. African leaders have turned to proverbs for their wisdom, and to acquire support and respect from their people. Proverbs are unforgettable not only because they abrupt, but because they take a complicated life situation and sum it up into a few comprehensive words. African proverbs convey an amorphous truth or experience, usually about frailty and the way that people intermingle with one another.

When you think of one woman trying to lift a car; that is just absurd, but when others pitch in and help then it works better. That is an example of an African Proverb. It symbolizes how one person can?t accomplish an abstruse task without the help of others:

?If one finger tries to pick up something from the ground, it

cannot.?

Ashanti (Ghana)

In life we are faced with many disputes and sometimes may need help. As the proverb says you can?t pick something up without the help of others. This instills manners, togetherness, and the fact that you are willing to take or get help from others. For some people this is a big step. This distinction examines the impact of family. People tend to take others or things for granted. What are you to do if one day you get into an accident and you legs get amputated? Without the help the doctor, there is no medical way that you will make it through that obstacle in your life.

Finally, the day comes when you are about to graduate from high school, about to go into the working world and continue to further your

education; you need not to forget where you come from. This is one example of a proverb that examines this:

?A river does not flow so far that it forgets its source?

Yoruba (Nigeria)

When you go through that phase in your life where you are finally out on your own, people tend to forget all about their past and go on with the future. There is the time that you need to look over your life at all the mistakes you have made and the things that you have learned and try to retain all that information. Without the past there would be no future. Think about all the people that were patient with you and took the time to sit with you and help you. You wouldn?t be here if it weren?t for them. That is what I feel as thought this proverb symbolizes and stands for.

In conclusion, proverbs can be used as a teaching aid or for just pure amazement. They can also educate and provide morals and values to some one without them.