After searching through the 80 different Havamals, which is a poem that gives readers advice, multiple times, I decided on choosing verse 25 which says:
A foolish man
thinks all who speak him fair
to be his friends;
but he will find,
if into court he comes,
that he has few advocates.
In modern English, this means that a unwise man who befriends anyone who smiles or talks to him will soon realize that when he calls for support, there are a few or no people who help. We all need friends who can be there for each other in times of hardship, but the ones who stay far away through tough times you cannot rely on.
This advice is important for mainly young adults or teenagers because through intermediate, middle, and high school, friends come and go mainly because they do not take the same classes or they do not keep in touch with each other, but in some cases, people realize who their true friends are and stick with them forever. This Havamal demonstrates and explains that not all the people who are nice to you dare your friend because in the future, you cannot depend on some of them for help. This advice helps people realize who they can trust and who they cannot trust avoiding two faced individuals. Friendships break and form all the time throughout your life, so following this advice can help pick out your true friends and avoid fake ones.
As for modern literature, in The Great Gatsby, the main character, Jay Gatsby, hosts multiple extravagant parties with tons and tons of alcohol with hundreds and hundreds of people. Also, Daisy Buchanan hung out with Gatsby for almost half of the novel, however, in the end, when Gatsby dies, she did not have the audacity to show up at his funeral. Similarly, many of Gatsby’s “friends” such as Jordan, did not show up at the funeral to honor his death and burial. Although his “friends” did not show up, his true friend, Nick Carraway, organized and prepared his funeral showing that he was his friend friend.
All in all, Havamal 25 advises readers that everyone who smiles is not always a friend that can help you in times of hardship.
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