Meaning & Analysis
The proverb ironically states that someone is as generous with their gifts as a blind or poor person would be with their eye—meaning, not at all. It describes extreme stinginess by comparing it to the unwillingness to part with something utterly essential or priceless.
Insights
Ironic Stinginess
This proverb uses sarcasm to define extreme miserliness. By stating someone is 'as free' as a person who cannot or will not give away their eye, it powerfully conveys the absolute opposite: a complete refusal to be generous.
The Value of Possession
It metaphorically links the act of giving to the perceived value of an object. The eye represents an asset of ultimate worth, suggesting that the person in question views their possessions as too precious to share, much like a vital organ.
Embedded Prejudice
The variant including 'Jew' transforms the proverb into a vehicle for antisemitic stereotypes, equating Jewish identity with avarice. It reflects how prejudice can be encoded in language to intensify a metaphorical point, in this case, stinginess.
Historical Antisemitism
The inclusion of 'Jew' is not arbitrary but rooted in a history of violent anti-Jewish stereotypes in Europe. It echoes the related phrase 'worth a Jew's eye,' which alludes to medieval practices of extorting money from Jews under threat of blinding, thus charging the proverb with a dark, prejudiced history.
Psychological Impact
The proverb leverages the visceral, primal fear of losing one's sight to create a powerful psychological metaphor for stinginess. This makes the abstract concept of being ungenerous feel immediate, physical, and absolute.
Sarcastic Reversal
Its structure relies on a classic ironic reversal. The phrase 'as free as' creates an expectation of generosity that is immediately subverted, forcing the listener to understand the opposite meaning. This sarcastic twist makes the critique sharper and more memorable.
Rhetorical Devices
Ironic Simile
The proverb is structured as a simile ('as...as') but its meaning is deeply ironic, as the comparison serves to highlight the complete absence of the quality (generosity) being described.
Hyperbole
Comparing the unwillingness to give a gift to the act of parting with an eye is a deliberate exaggeration that emphasizes the extreme and almost pathological nature of the person's stinginess.
Symbolism
The 'eye' serves as a powerful symbol for any possession that is considered priceless, essential, and non-negotiable, effectively conveying the person's mindset.
Transcription
Quotations
As fre of gyft, as a poore man of his eye.
(As we say) He is as true of his promise, as a poore man of his eie.
(his giftes).
(as a Iewe of his eye).
(his gifts).
(as a Jew of his eye).
(as a poor man is of his eye).
As free as a blind-man is of his eye.
Cross References
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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