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Donna Jo Parrish
White American
English
Albany, KY
October 21, 2010
Simile
A. He looks higher than a kite.
This is an example of a folk simile. A simile uses like, as, or than to compare two
things. This text compares a person to a kite and uses the word than to connect the
two things.
B. I heard this simile while talking to my mother. She was reading the newspaper and
saw an image of a person and said, “He looks higher than a kite.” The person was a
political candidate and the photo was part of an election advertisement. I had heard
her say it but wasn’t sure where it came from. My informant’s sisters were also in the
room, as well as her niece. It was just a typical day at her home. Everyone else just
agreed with the statement and they continued with their conversation by moving on to
another subject. The fact that no one mentioned anything shows that everyone in the
room was probably familiar with the text as well. In fact, I have heard the informant’s
sisters say it as well. My informant is a 52 year old nurse from a small town. She was
raised by her grandmother.
FA 545
Manuscripts & Folklife Archives – Kentucky Library & Museum – Western Kentucky University
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C. My informant said she first heard this saying from an uncle as a child. She said she
never thought much about it but just always used it to describe a person who looked
like they were on drugs. She said it doesn’t mean just for people who literally take
drugs but for someone who looks bad overall, like they could be on drugs. My
informant said it is just a way to say someone looks bad.
D. I think this simile is basically just a clever form of speech used by older generations.
The fact that my informant was raised by her grandmother may have something to do
with hearing the saying. She said she remembers many sayings and witty comments
her grandmother used to say. I think this simile was probably one of many that my
informant heard as a child and it carried over into her adult life. Her sisters also said
they used the saying, which makes me think they probably learned it from older
generations and also carried it on. For an outsider, someone might not understand it if
they didn’t know what high meant in this particular context. Basically, it is saying
that someone looks as bad as someone who had done enough drugs to be as high as a
kite.
FA 545
Manuscripts & Folklife Archives – Kentucky Library & Museum – Western Kentucky University
3
Cody Craig
White American
English
Albany, KY
October 21, 2010
Superstition
A. If you hear a chicken crow at night someone in your house will die.
This is an example of a folk superstition. According to The Study of American Folklore a
superstition involves a cause and effect. In this case, the cause is a chicken crowing and
the effect is a death of someone in your household.
B. I heard this superstition in a conversation with a friend. We were talking on Facebook
about superstitions like black cats and walking under ladders and my informant said he
remembered a circumstance where he learned a superstition as a child that stuck with
him. Since we were online there were no other people present. I was in my dorm room
and he was at his apartment. My informant is a 22 year old college student who grew up
on a farm. The reference to chickens may have something to do with why he remembered
the superstition.
C. According to my informant he read the superstition in a book as a kid. He was about 11
and in middle school. He said he found the superstition in a library book at school and
FA 545
Manuscripts & Folklife Archives – Kentucky Library & Museum – Western Kentucky University
4
thought it was particularly interesting because his family raised chickens. He said after he
first read it he was afraid for a while about his family keeping all those chickens.
However, he said he eventually forgot about it and when he later remembered the
superstition he thought it was crazy. He said he just remembered it for some reason even
though it has no really affect on him now.
D. The folk superstition seems to have left an impression on my informant. Although he no
longer fears about a death in his family, he does remember the superstition that he read
over 10 years ago. I think the fact that he lived on a farm probably has a lot to do with
why he remembered the superstition. Sometimes things that we can relate to are easier for
us to remember because we are already familiar with the topic. I classified this as a folk
superstition because it follows the typical pattern on cause and effect. Someone in a
foreign culture would probably understand this as long as they knew what a chicken was.
Variations of this text could probably be found using different animals or even different
effects.
FA 545
Manuscripts & Folklife Archives – Kentucky Library & Museum – Western Kentucky University