"Right Makes Might": Proverbs and the American Worldview

Description

In 1860 Abraham Lincoln employed the proverb, Right makes might, (opposite of the more aggressive Might makes right) in his famed Cooper Union address. While Lincoln did not originate the proverb, his use of it in this critical speech indicates that the 14th century phrase had taken on new ethical and democratic connotations in the 19th century. In this collection, famed scholar of proverbs Wolfgang Mieder explores the multifaceted use and function of proverbs through the history of the United States, from their early beginnings up through their use by today's well-known politicians, including Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Bernie Sanders. Building on previous publications and unpublished research, Mieder explores sociopolitical aspects of the American worldview as expressed through the use of proverbs in politics, women's rights, and the civil rights movement. By looking at the use of proverbial phrases, Mieder demonstrates how one traditional phrase can take on numerous expressive roles over time and how they continue to play a key role in our contemporary moment. Cover Title Page Copyright Contents Preface Introduction: Ruminations on Authentically American Proverbs 1. “Let Us Have Faith That Right Makes Might”: Proverbial Rhetoric in Decisive Moments of American Politics 2. “These Are the Times That Try Women’s Souls”: The Proverbial Rhetoric for Women’s Rights by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony 3. “The American People Rose to the Occasion”: A Proverbial Retrospective of the Marshall Plan after Seventy Years 4. “Making a Way Out of No Way”: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Proverbial Dream for Human Rights 5. “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize”: Congressman John Lewis’s Proverbial Odyssey for Civil Rights 6. “I’m Absolutely Sure About—the Golden Rule”: Barack Obama’s Proverbial Audacity of Hope 7. “Politics Is Not a Spectator Sport”: Proverbs in the Personal and Political Writings of Hillary Rodham Clinton 8. “The Rich Get Richer, and the Poor Get Poorer”: Bernie Sanders’s Proverbial Rhetoric for an American Sociopolitical Revolution 9. “M(R)ight Makes R(M)ight”: The Sociopolitical History of a Contradictory Proverb Pair 10. “All Men Are Created Equal”: From Democratic Claim to Proverbial Game 11. “Laissez faire à Georges” and “Let George Do It”: A Case of Paremiological Polygenesis 12. “To Be (All) Greek to Someone”: Origin, History, and Meaning of an English Proverbial Expression Index About the Author