Drawing EVIL about one as the northeast wind does clouds

Insights

The Inevitable Attraction of Trouble

The proverb serves as a metaphor for individuals whose inherent nature or consistent behavior inevitably attracts misfortune and conflict, much like a specific wind inevitably brings storm clouds.

Creating a Negative Atmosphere

It suggests that certain personalities or actions create a negative, oppressive atmosphere around them, drawing in 'evil' and affecting their entire environment, just as gathering clouds darken the sky.

Unseen Causes, Visible Effects

The proverb warns that a person's underlying character acts as an unseen force, much like the wind, that produces visible, tangible, and often destructive consequences in their life.

Classical Meteorological Belief

The proverb is rooted in the classical meteorological belief, cited by Erasmus, that the 'Caecias' or northeast wind uniquely possessed the power to attract clouds. This specific natural detail, rather than a generic one, grounds the metaphor in a particular historical and scientific worldview.

Psychological Magnetism

Psychologically, the proverb illustrates the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy. It suggests that a person's negative disposition, actions, or reputation can actively create a hostile environment, thereby attracting the very trouble or 'evil' they might expect, confirming their own pessimistic outlook.

Character as Destiny

This saying frames misfortune not as a result of random chance or external fate, but as a direct consequence of an individual's inherent character. It carries a strong moral judgment, implying that people are often the architects of their own sorrow.

Rhetorical Devices

Simile

The proverb is built on a direct simile, using 'as' to explicitly compare a person's attraction to 'evil' with the northeast wind's gathering of 'clouds', making the abstract concept of attracting misfortune concrete and vivid.

Natural Symbolism

The wind and clouds serve as powerful natural symbols. The wind represents an active, inescapable force of character, while the clouds symbolize the resulting trouble, gloom, and misfortune.

Atmospheric Imagery

The proverb creates a strong visual image of a darkening, stormy sky, which effectively conveys the sense of impending doom and oppressive sorrow associated with the person being described.