Meaning & Analysis
A single pound of butter is insignificant when divided among a large pack of hounds—it scarcely makes a difference or satisfies any one of them.
Insights
Insufficiency of Resources
Highlights how a small amount of resources, when spread among many, is inadequate and barely noticed, emphasizing the challenges of scarcity and over-demand.
Futility of Token Efforts
Warns that token gestures or meager provisions are meaningless in the face of great need or numbers, implying the necessity of proportionate response.
Historical Symbolism
Kennels of hounds—representing abundance and appetite—were familiar in hunting cultures, while butter, a valued but limited commodity, underscores the tension between supply and demand.
Cultural Resonance
The proverb echoes other sayings about the futility of small means stretched too thin, paralleling modern phrases like 'a drop in the ocean.' It reflects perennial anxieties about fairness and adequacy in communal settings.
Psychological Dimensions
Speaks to disappointment and frustration felt when expectations far exceed available resources, prompting reflection on the allocation and management of shared goods.
Rhetorical Devices
Rhetorical Question
The proverb's interrogative form dramatizes the problem, inviting listeners to reflect on the mismatch between means and needs.
Metaphor
The pound of butter and kennel of hounds stand for any scenario of limited supply and overwhelming demand, making the lesson broadly applicable.
Imagery
The vivid picture of eager hounds and scant butter sharpens the emotional impact and memorability of the proverb.
Transcription
Quotations
To be like a stalk amongst an hundred geese, viz. a small matter of Provision amongst a great many Persons; The English .. say, What's a Pound of Butter amongst a Kennel of Hounds.
(What is one Pound of Butter).
Related Proverbs
Original Scan
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