1. is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated
2. designed to enliven or enchant
3. expresses a truth that the listener must decode
4. is based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity
5. is often metaphorical
6. may also be know as a maxim.
Literary Devices most often used in Proverbs include:
Alliteration: (Forgive and forget) - repetition of initial consonant sounds
Parallelism: (Nothing ventured, nothing gained) -elements of equal importance offered in similar construction.
Rhyme: (When the cat is away, the mice will play)- repetition of like sounds
Ellipsis: (Once bitten, twice shy) - omission or suppression of parts of words or sentences
Hyperbole: (All is fair in love and war)-exaggeration
Paradox: (For there to be peace there must first be war) -contradictory but insightful statements
Personification (Hunger is the best cook)- attributing human characteristics to inanimate objects
- To make the respective statement more general most proverbs are based on a metaphor
- Typical features of the proverb are its shortness (average: seven words), and the fact that its author is generally unknown (otherwise it would be a quotation).
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