English - Expansion of Proverbs

Expansion of Proverbs

Proverbs: A Proverb is a well-known saying that conveys a general truth or that offers advice on
life and behaviour, for example: ‘Honesty is the best policy’, ‘All that glitters is not gold’.
Proverbs are simple in form, yet packed with meaning. Though they consist of short sentences,
they contain a lot of wisdom. Proverbs often make use of metaphors to convey their meaning.
(Metaphors are comparisons made between two dissimilar things without using the words ‘like’
or ‘as’ to show that one of them has some quality of the other). Another feature of proverbial
sayings is irony, or the use of words to convey meanings that are the opposite of what they
usually mean.

Expansion of Proverbs: Expansion of proverbs is a meaningful writing task. It involves

understanding the meaning of a proverb, what it implies and how it relates to the present time.
To expand a proverb, you will have to explain its meaning and elaborate on its significance by
using reasoning and giving examples from real life to convey its truth and wisdom clearly to the
reader. A good para written for expansion must have 1) unity of thought; (2) order; (3)
coherence; (4) variety and (5) Expansion.

Some guidelines for expansion of proverbs:

• In the first instance, read the given proverb. Think about the proverb and
understand its meaning, significance and implications.

• Think of one or two examples from real life, from books you have read and films
you have watched or from other sources.

• Arrange your thoughts in the logical sequence and write the piece, using simple
language and keeping to the usually allowed one-page limit.

• Make the opening and conclusion interesting and impressive.

Some examples of Expansion of Proverbs:

1. All that glitters is not gold.
2. Make hay while the Sun shines
3. Honesty is the best policy
4. A stitch in time saves nine.
5. Haste makes waste (or) Slow and steady wins the race.
6. Necessity is the mother of invention.
 Haste makes waste (or) Slow and steady wins the race.

When we do any work, we should be very careful. We should not be in a haste/ hurry. We
should work slowly and steadily to get better result. For example, while climbing a tall tree or a
hill, we should be very careful. Any small negligence or haste will make us slip and fall down.
The story of ‘hare and tortoise’ we learnt in our childhood teaches a very good lesson in this
regard. In the story, the tortoise walks slowly and steadily. It wins the race with confidence.
Whereas the hasty but lazy hare finally loses the race with its over-confidence. Similarly, the
student who reads regularly from the beginning can easily pass the examination and get good
marks. But the student who reads hastily just before the examinations, may fail. Hence, in
every walk of life, to reach our goals, we should make our efforts continuously and carefully.

Strike while the iron is hot. (Or) Make hay while the sun shines

(Means = Utilise the opportunity when it comes on your way) (Hay = dried grass)
The proverb tells us that when an opportunity comes in our way, we should make use of it
without wasting time. Hay means dried grass like straw. It has to be stored for the cattle. We
have to dry the grass and make the hay while the Sun is shining to store it for the future. Once
we lose the opportunity, we cannot dry the grass in the winter or rainy season. In the same way,
when the iron is hot only, we can bend it into any shape by striking on it. If it is cooled, we
cannot bend it. These examples tell us that we must make use of a good opportunity when it
knocks our door. If we miss it, we cannot get the same opportunity back. We have to observe
the bees which store the honey for future and the ants which gather their food for future and like
that. During the school days or college days, the student has to pay attention to his studies and
do hard work. If he neglects his studies during this period, he will not get better results and will
not get another opportunity to prove his worth. So, we must make use of the available time and
opportunities well and do the right thing at the proper time.

Honesty is the best policy:

Honesty means being truthful and fair in thought, speech and action. The lives of great men
across the world like Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus Christ, Abraham Lincoln, etc., prove that their
greatness was due to their honest nature. History tells us that honest people are always
respected. In the modern age also people like Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Anna Hazare, etc., are
honored for their honesty and not for their wealth and power. However rich and wealthy they
may be, people do not honor dishonest men. Honesty gives courage to face any difficulties.
Hence, honest people can achieve any great things in their lives in straight and fair manner. On
the other way, dishonest people are cowards. They always want to achieve something with
unfair means or corrupt methods. Ultimately, they fail in life. Though a dishonest student
manages to get marks by copying, he will not succeed in life. An honest person is remembered
even after his death. A dishonest person is hated even during his life-time. Hence, honesty is
the most important policy one has to follow through his entire life.
 All that glitters is not gold (or)
Appearances are deceptive:

Generally, people give value to the external appearances. But the external appearance cannot
be always reliable. For example, Gold is a precious metal and it shines brightly. But, just
because some other metals also shine, they cannot be as valuable as gold. That is, all that
glitters is not gold. People get deceived by the outward appearances. A person who appears
very innocent may prove cruel. A dress which appears very costly because of its over shining
may actually be a cheap one. Hence, we must try to know the inner quality of a person or a
thing to assess his/ its value. We must not fall in the trap of external attraction.

A Stitch in time saves nine:

This proverb tells us the importance of being careful at the right time. When we observe any
defect or mistake in anything, we must try to correct/ repair it in the initial stage itself. Otherwise,
the problem becomes bigger and unsolvable. By being careful in small things, we can avoid
major dangers. For example, if a cloth is torn little, we must immediately attend to it and stitch
it. Otherwise, the tear of the cloth becomes bigger and cannot be repaired. Any symptoms
related to ill-health or disease should be attended carefully. Otherwise, the diseases may
aggravate and take life itself. Similarly, if a child or a student finds any defect, some bad
qualities, he should correct them immediately, otherwise it will be difficult to get rid of the bad
qualities at later period.

Necessity is the mother of invention:

The proverb tells us that the need of a thing forces us to think actively. Solutions for problems
can be found out if only we use our brains. But we use then only when there is need. This
results in the invention of a new thing. Most of the scientific inventions in human history are
answers to some pressing need. Primitive man’s need for food forced him to shape weapons
for hunting. His need and wish to travel extensively across the world resulted in invention of
steam boat and later electric motor. Most medicines are the results of the need for the cure to
fatal diseases. Thus necessity is the mother of invention.

Work is Worship
The general view is that work is done in the office, the factory or the fields and worship is done
in a temple or a church or a mosque. The feeling is that we work to earn money and we worship
to get the blessings of God. However, the proverb ‘Work is Worship’ combines the idea of work
and worship. Work, the dictionary says, refers to physical or mental effort spent to produce or
accomplish something. And the word ‘worship’ comes from the old English word ‘worth-ship’,
which means giving worth to something. So when the wise ones said ‘work is worship’, they
meant doing what we do with the sense of worthiness or respect. When we understand that all
work – big or small – is valuable and do it with reverence, then our work becomes worship.
Work is worship, thus, speaks about the right attitude towards work.
All great people accomplished noble deeds, discovered new things, invented new products only
because of their right attitude towards work. Edison, for example, held a world record of 1093
patents for inventions. All these were possible because of his worshipful attitude towards his
work. The mother at home works with the same attitude. Whether it is sweeping or cleaning the
utensils or preparing food, she does it with love and care. Cooking, cleaning, sweeping may be
lowly tasks but the mother with her worshipful outlook towards work changes daily chores into
joyful jobs. Thus, it becomes clear that work done with the sense of worthiness or respect is
worship.

An Idle Brain is the Devil’s Workshop

The proverb ‘An idle brain is the devil’s workshop’ is from H. G. Bohn’s, “Hand-Book of
Proverbs,” (1855). The word idle comes from the old English word ‘idle’ which means ’empty,
void, useless’. The proverb has two key phrases: idle brain and devil’s workshop. When one is
idle, he or she is not working or is not active or is doing nothing or is passing time aimlessly.
The person is thus lazy and without purpose. An idle brain means that the person is mentally
slothful. The brain has no work to do and as such gets easily distracted. In such a situation, the
brain becomes the workshop of wrong ideas and thoughts. The story of the ‘Idle Monkey and
the Wedge‘from the Panchatantra is a fine example of the proverb. Long ago, a merchant was
building a temple in the middle of his garden. The workers partly sawed a log of wood and fixed
a wedge in it so that it does not close up and left for lunch. An idle monkey was watching this
and having nothing to do got down from the tree and pulled the wedge. The wedge came off
and trapped monkey into the rift of the log. The monkey was killed instantly. Thus it is important
to keep the mind constructively occupied so that it will become God’s workshop. The proverb
however does not refer to those moments when we spend time leisurely doing nothing.

Variety is the Spice of Life

The keyword in the proverb is spice. We all know spice is a vegetable material of many kinds,
fragrant or aromatic and pungent to the taste, as pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice,
ginger, cloves, etc., which are used in cookery and to flavor sauces, pickles. Spice adds flavour
and taste to food. As such, food without spice is bland and usually tasteless.4 What is true of
food is true of life too. Variety, like spice, enriches or alters the quality of life in a small but
significant degree. It gives zest, a mild flavoring and more importantly a relish, a hearty
enjoyment of life. A change in routine, a new approach, a new idea, a new venture or adventure,
a vacation or an avocation, a new hobby or a new pet or a game, all add flavour to life. Else life
will be dull and monotonous. We all need healthy change in order to avoid becoming
mechanical. Already most of our daily routines have made us automatons. We have to come out
of the rigmarole, once in a while and feel alive and human. This is possible when we take a
detour from the beaten track. A word of caution however is that just as too much of spice can
spoil the taste of food, so also too much variety can, in fact, hamper the quality of life.