Bieda i bogactwo w świetle białoruskich i polskich przysłów

The article analyzes different meanings of poverty and wealth as seen in the Belarusian and Polish proverbs. Based on the thematic-rhematic analysis of the proverbs, the author presents many similarities in the everyday thinking of Polish and Belarusian societies. The key similarities are the beliefs in the dichotomic structure of a society (the poor and rich), positive characteristics of a poor man (e.g. honesty, hard work) and negative features of a rich man (e.g. greed, stinginess, laziness). Such similarities result from the fact that Poland and Belarus are neighbouring countries with similar historical and cultural traditions.