African-American Proverbs in Context

From slave times to the present the proverb has been a mainstay in African-American communication. Such sayings as "Hard times make a monkey eat red pepper when he don't care for black," "The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice," and "Nothing ruins a duck but its bill" convey not only axiomatic impact but also profound contextual meanings.This study of African-American proverbs is the first to probe deeply into these meanings and contexts. Sw. Anand Prahlad's interest in proverbs dates back…