Meaning & Analysis
A man made of a worthless material like straw is considered more valuable than a woman made of a precious material like gold.
Insights
Assertion of Male Superiority
The proverb is a blunt expression of misogyny, asserting that the lowest-status man is inherently superior to the highest-value woman simply by virtue of his gender.
Critique of Social Status
It reflects a social and legal system where men held all meaningful power. A 'man of straw' still possessed rights and agency that a 'woman of gold' was denied, making him functionally more 'worthwhile' within that structure.
Utility over Virtue
The proverb cynically suggests that a man's capacity for action, even for 'rude, or violent purposes' as one early commentary notes, is prized above a woman's intrinsic virtues or wealth, prioritizing male utility over female worth.
Historical Patriarchy
This proverb is a stark artifact of historical patriarchy, reflecting a time when a man's legal and social standing, regardless of his personal character or substance, was deemed superior to a woman's, no matter her intrinsic worth. It highlights a societal structure where gender, not merit, was the ultimate determinant of value.
Psychology of Misogyny
The proverb reveals a deep-seated psychological insecurity regarding female value. By elevating the most worthless man over the most valuable woman, it functions as a defensive assertion of male dominance, revealing a cultural need to suppress female agency and worth to maintain a rigid social hierarchy.
Material Symbolism
The materials—straw and gold—are powerfully symbolic. Straw represents worthlessness, disposability, and lack of substance, while gold signifies rarity, purity, and inherent value. The shocking juxtaposition underscores the proverb's brutal message about gender-based worth.
Rhetorical Devices
Hyperbole
The proverb's power comes from the extreme and paradoxical comparison between a worthless man and a valuable woman, creating a shocking and memorable statement.
Antithesis
It starkly contrasts 'straw' (worthlessness) and 'gold' (value) to create a powerful and jarring statement on gender hierarchy.
Irony
The proverb is deeply ironic, as it inverts the logical valuation of the materials (straw vs. gold) to make its point about the supposedly 'natural' hierarchy of gender.
Transcription
Quotations
(is more worth than).
(of gold for rude, or violent purposes will some say),
But hold A man of strawe more then a wife of gold.
*So meant, because Women be rarely good.
(may be worth).
*This is a French Proverb.
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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