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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Here are some
responses from my learners; the first half of the proverb, shown in bold type,
is followed by a list of learners' responses. The second half of the original
proverb, also shown in bold type, is in parentheses.
- A woman's work is . . . hard; easy;
terrible; exhausting; (never done.) English
- Women always have. . . to have beautiful
clothes; a dream; better patience; headaches; (the last word.) English
- To educate a woman is . . . a stupid
thing; a difficult thing; time consuming; necessary; important; (like
placing a knife in the hands of a monkey.) Hindi
- He who trusts a woman. . . is a gentleman;
is stupid; cannot do business; (and leads an ass will never be free from
plague.) French
- A woman never. . . trusts a man;
complains; gives up her pursuits; stops talking about clothes and children;
(brings a man into the right way.) African Kanuri
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The male
learners were eager to suggest ways of completing the proverbs. The female
learners were reticent. I hope that by talking about these proverbs, learners
will question beliefs such as "To educate a woman is a stupid thing." Two male
learners gave me these proverbs from their countries: "There are thousands of
mothers but one wife," (Europe) and "If you take a bad woman, you will have a
big headache." (Central America)
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2. Matching proverbs
* Pass out half a proverb to each learner. Make sure that
matching pairs of flash cards are circulated. Learners walk around searching
for the learner who has the other half of the proverb.
* Learners might not know these proverbs initially. As a result,
they might match proverbs randomly. Teachers should allow them to explain why
they matched them as they did. At the end of the discussion, show learners the
original proverbs.
* Ask learners to group the completed proverbs according to
grammatical structure, and use them to review or teach particular points of
grammar. For example:
- Conditional structure:
If you are faithful to your wife,
you will have a healthy body. (Yiddish)
If you marry a beautiful woman, you
marry trouble. (African)
If a woman speaks two words, take one and leave
the other. (African)
- Conjunctions:
Woman is a torment, but she is worth
buying with your life. (Iranian)
When the wife wears the pants, the husband
washes the floor. (Yiddish)
Though a beautiful woman does not say any
thing, she cannot be hidden. (Japanese)
* Match proverbs about men and women, and compare them. For
example,
- A drunken man may soon be made to dance. (Danish)
- A drunken woman is lost to shame. (Irish)
- A small man with education is of use to the state; of what
use is a tall man who knows nothing? (Chinese)
- A small woman can also have a big mouth. (Yiddish)
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