Meaning & Analysis
To assert something that is obviously and demonstrably false. Since crows are known to be black, stating one is white represents a blatant contradiction of a plain and simple fact.
Insights
Sycophancy and Flattery
Describes a sycophant or flatterer who will agree with anything a person in authority says, no matter how absurd, in order to gain favor.
Obstinate Contrarianism
Characterizes a person who is stubbornly contrarian or argumentative, willing to defend a false position against all evidence simply for the sake of opposition.
Deliberate Deception
Represents the act of deliberate deception, where a person knowingly promotes a falsehood to manipulate or mislead others, as noted in the 1578 quotation from 'Gorg. Gallery'.
Willful Denial of Reality
Illustrates a state of willful denial or self-deception, where an individual chooses to believe a convenient falsehood over an uncomfortable or inconvenient truth.
Symbolism of Natural Order
The crow's universally recognized blackness makes it a powerful symbol for an undeniable, objective truth. To claim it is white is to defy not just common sense but a fundamental aspect of the natural order, making the falsehood particularly egregious. This contrasts sharply with symbols of purity like the white dove, amplifying the theme of corruption.
Psychology of Sycophancy
The proverb exposes the psychological dynamics of sycophancy and power. As the cross-reference 'If the master say the crow is white the servant must not say 'tis black' suggests, it highlights a willingness to abandon truth to appease authority, reflecting on social hierarchies and the pressure to conform.
Literary and Political Resonance
This idea resonates with the classical and literary trope of 'making black white' to signify moral inversion and sophistry. It finds a powerful modern echo in dystopian literature, such as Orwell's '2 + 2 = 5' in 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', where reality is dictated by power, not objective fact.
Rhetorical Devices
Hyperbole
The statement is a form of hyperbole, using an absurd and extreme falsehood to emphasize the depth of someone's dishonesty or subservience.
Antithesis
The proverb relies on the stark, implicit contrast between the known reality (a black crow) and the stated falsehood (a white crow) to powerfully convey the theme of untruth.
Symbolism
The 'crow' serves as a potent symbol for an irrefutable fact, while 'white' symbolizes its direct opposite—a lie. The imagery creates a memorable representation of falsehood.
Transcription
Quotations
Thou if thei would Saye the crowe were white.
Were not you as good than to say, the crow is whight?
Youe the-Crowe-is-white youe, youe the-swanne-is-blacke youe.
The simple sorte hee can by slight, make to beleeue the Crow is white.
I wyll say the crowe is whyte. Art thou so lyght, What is thy credence, when the crowe cumth in syght.
I cannot say the crow is white.
Shall any charity bind me to think the crow is white, or the blackamoor beautiful?
If you say the crow is white, he'l say so too.
Shakespeare Citations
With the dove of Paphos might the crow Vie feathers white.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
Used under CC BY-NC 3.0.