Folk wisdom holds many secrets . Proverbs and sayings can have a large number of meanings. And if so, then they have to research large and small. Ours is of the smallest size, it is dedicated to the proverb “An apple does not fall far from an apple tree”.
Where do proverbs and sayings come from
Proverbs and sayings are the result of many years, and even centuries-old observations of people over everything that happens around: the weather, the behavior of animals and insects, plants. People watched each other, remembering and comparing.
Folk art is noteworthy in that it stores for a long time only the most imaginative and vivid sentences. What remains in the language for a long time is only that which is close and understandable, that which can be seen every day. Naturally, people could observe the fall of apples every year, hence the proverb “The apple falls not far from the apple tree”.
Source of the saying
Plants have come up with many ways to breed, their offspring fly through the air, carried by birds and animals, float on the water in search of a patch of suitable land. And the apple tree did not bother itself: its fruits fall near the mother tree, right under its crown and at some small distance around. It’s lucky if any apple ripped off by the wind hits the slope and rolls a little further. So, from one small seed brought by chance, an impassable thicket of apple trees can form. This feature was once noticed by people and turned into a saying: "An apple does not fall far from an apple tree."
However, in this way many fruit trees propagate, for example, plums, cherries, apricots. And not only fruit: nuts, oaks, linden. Why did the saying arise in connection with the apple tree? We can only assume that it was this cultivated tree that was most often found in the homeland of our famous aphorism. It was the apple tree that looked season after season by the nameless unknown author of an imperishable sample of folk wisdom. After all, this idea is rightfully included in the golden fund called "Sayings and Proverbs." Of course, this phrase also has a certain poetry and even a certain rhythm. Such a comparison with cherries or apricots would hardly have come to us from the depths of centuries, and, frankly, we are not a southern country to associate with apricots. This saying is included, as it is fashionable to say now, in the corpus of texts with the title “Russian proverbs”, so it would be strange to have something other than an apple as a symbol.
The meaning of the saying
The way fruit trees, in particular apple trees propagate, are neither bad nor good. Just in the process of evolution at some point, this turned out to be the most effective way to continue the genus. And what is the saying: “An apple is not far from an apple tree”? The answer is: mostly, unfortunately, negative. Such words speak of children, students, followers who repeat and exacerbate the mistakes and shortcomings of their parents, teachers, and mentors. Also, the proverb is a little edifying in nature: the one who uses it, as it were, emphasizes that it could not be otherwise. And if the children did not continue the negative line of behavior, this would most likely cause surprise and distrust. People who are spoken of so not only cast a shadow on their reputation, but also confirm that negative traits and unpleasant actions are a family trait or a school feature.
Examples of use proverbs
Examples of the use of this saying are not just many, they can not be counted. Everything bad that is repeated in children and students is usually taken to illustrate this expression.
Is the son of a dutiful student studying poorly? "Apple from the apple tree." Do children drink alcoholic? Same. Is the daughter of a woman of easy virtue pregnant at the age of sixteen? Again "apple from the apple tree." And this expression is also used if a scientist who copied his articles word for word taught only this to his wards, without giving them anything else.
But, despite the harmless way of propagation in the apple tree, this expression is almost never used in a positive sense. Did the student of the musician reach the heights that remained inaccessible to the teacher? We will say: "The student has surpassed the teacher." Have children made a more successful career than parents? “Well done,” others will praise and will not comment on this anymore.