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Kana's英語のことわざ・名言手帖

By Kana Ishiguro / 石黒 加奈

世界の名言やことわざの意味を、石黒加奈さんが自分自身の体験を例に挙げながら解説してくれます。注釈・ミニクイズ付きです。
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筆者へお便りを送る

Kana Ishiguro

Vol. 33 : A friend in need is a friend indeed.

(困ったときの友こそ真の友)

 

When I see the proverb "a friend in need is a friend indeed," I always think of D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis from "The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas. The proverb reminds me of their friendship, which endured no matter what difficulties they faced. It's inspiring to know that such strong bonds can exist between people.

In "The Three Muskateers," D'Artagnan meets his three friends in a dramatic way. He decides to fight Athos, Porthos and Aramis for his honor. But from this incident, D'Artagnan discovers the three men's true nature and they become inseparable friends, living by the motto "one for all, and all for one."

True friends are there for you when you are in trouble. D'Artagnan got himself into many life-threatening scrapes and if he hadn't had the support of his friends he might have died.

One of my favorite scenes from the book is where D'Artagnan meets his friends on the battlefield. They come to convey a key message to D'Artagnan (a message that would help D'Artagnan out of great difficulty) despite the obvious danger from the enemy. The three risk their lives for their friend, and they have fun while doing it too, eating breakfast with D'Artagnan and dispatching a couple of the enemy. They were friends indeed.

The well-known example of this proverb is the Aesop fable where two men are walking through a forest. They are the best of friends, or they think they are. Suddenly they are attacked by a bear. One man climbs up a tree. He does not help his friend. The other man has no choice but to fall to the ground and pretend he is dead. Luckily he doesn't die, but he learns an important lesson: a friend in need is a friend indeed.

I can't offer any episodes from my own life to compare with these examples. But I do remember freaking out just before my oceanography mid-terms in high school. I don't think I could have got through that without the support of my roommate, Elena, and my Japanese friend, Keiko. They helped me so much.

For example, I couldn't remember the names of crustaceans — lobsters, crabs, shrimp, crayfish, barnacles, etc. Elena would start imitating each of them, moving her arms and legs in funny ways. I laughed so much I ended up remembering all the crustacean names really well.

Maybe we should just take some time out in our busy lives to think a little bit about what we can actually do for our friends, how we might be friends indeed, and friends in deed, as well.

 

Q1 One of the two men in the Aesop fable "The Bear and the Travellers" climbs a tree when they encounter a bear. The other:
A1) Attacks the bear.
A2) Runs away.
A3) Pretends he is dead.



Q2 Elena made it easier for Kana to remember the names of crustaceans by:
A1) Showing Kana actual crabs and shrimps
A2) Imitating movements of each one.
A3) Drawing pictures of them.



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