Take My Advice...Or Not

Nick asked me the other day if I believe that proverbs are a useful form of transmitting information. After thinking about it for awhile (which I do pretty often these days since Nick has several theory classes and is in contemplative mode), I decided that colloquial forms of information sharing--proverbs, truisms, wives’ tales, folk wisdom--might be the only truly effective way of passing a society’s norms from generation to generation. But what happens if the advice on any particular subject is conflicting? Which one do you take to heart? This is a question I’d like answered when it comes to helping strangers who are possibly dangerous. There’s a cautionary tale about a man who encounters a snake asking for a lift. The man at first refuses, considering the snake suspect and likely to bite him after the fact. The snake promises to be civil, gets a ride, then fatally strikes the man justifying his behavior by saying the man knew he was a snake when he picked him up. Which is a really different message than The Lion and the Mouse retold by Gail Herman. In that narrative, the theme is that helping others, even if you have reason to fear them, is the most desirable choice. So, which is the most wise? The most practical? The safest? Am I a good Samaritan without picking up hitchhikers? Am I a fool to let someone in the park use my cell phone? I don’t know…and apparently neither do those old wives.

http://www.amazon.com/Lion-Mouse-Step-Into-Reading-Step/dp/0679886745

http://storytellerwv.tripod.com/id21.html

An Apple A Day

It is interesting, and vindicating for moms, to see how often wives’ tales and superstitions are shown to have real-world application and scientific benefit. For instance, it is wise not to walk under a ladder not just because it is bad luck, but also because ladders can come tumbling down on unsuspecting heads, sometimes bringing heavy things, including people, with them. You get the idea. An especially useful piece of folk wisdom is the one about eating apples and keeping doctors away. In times before common nutrition knowledge and readily available medical care, staying healthy was not only smart but absolutely necessary. I like apples in most forms--sauce, pie, sliced, dried--but I’ve never really known much about them. Since Scarlett and I have been working together at home, we began at the beginning with “A,” which naturally led to paying attention to apples this week. And even though Scarlet is the student, I’ve learned a ton. Did you know that the channels where apples keep their seeds are called carpels? Or that over 250 million bushels of apples are grown in just the United States every year? Apples, which seem so American, are not native to this country, and all apples, despite their seeming variety, are some combination of red, yellow, and/or green. Fascinating. Well, it has been for me, anyway. In Apples, written by the number one children’s nonfiction writer Gail Gibbons, I found out why apples are such a big deal. I think I’ll go have a snack.

P.S. Happy Anniversary, Oba and Grandpa Dan!

http://www.amazon.com/Apples-Gail-Gibbons/dp/0823416690

http://www.gailgibbons.com/