How to handle proverbs and axioms as essay topics

A proverb, according to the dictionary, is a short and popular statement that embodies some advice or expresses a universal 'truth'. An axiom on the other hand is an assertion that may sometimes be rooted in a discipline (e.g. philosophy or science) but not always and which is often debatable.

Which of the following would you characterize as proverbs and which as axioms?

• If you wish the sympathy of broad manes, then you must tell them the crudest and most stupid things.

• Young habits die-hard.

• Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.

• Self-conceit may lead to self destruction. 

• Modern Banking, finance and employment are part of one single paradigm.

• Truth is a rare commodity despite the freedom by the print and electronic media. 

If you look closely, the first four of these statements share some linguistic and structural properties that distinguish these from the last two. Can you guess? 

Let's call the first four, Type A. Compared to the last two, Type A sentences employ shorter words. Moreover, they exhibit a deliberate parallel structure and repetitive expressions. When you read any Type A statement aloud you sense a certain melodic and memorable quality about it. Type A are couched as self-evident universal truths. Observe that some of them employ figurative language as well. 

On the other hand, the last two statements, Type B, present their claims in a matter-of-fact manner, without attention to how the sentences sound. They make use of mundane, even technical terms like 'paradigm', 'banking' etc. Type B use many poly-syllabic words and the very last statement is a complex sentence that includes a subordinate clause. 

Types A and B are both fairly common as CSS Essay prompts. In fact, over the last 25 years, it is hard to find a single CSS Essay paper where neither of them was used. 

Now Type A are statements are phrased as truisms i.e. as universally valid propositions. Consequently, the essay writer who chooses a Type A prompt is by the design of the statement committing to the validity of the chosen statement. His/her goal should be to elucidate the statement and highlight its scope of application.    

On the contrary, Type B statements, regardless of the sweep of their assertion, are contentious. Here the essayist is free to take issue with the truth value of the chosen Type B claim. They may agree, disagree, partially agree or partially disagree to the statement. At any rate, whatever position the essayist assumes with respect to the claim made in the axiom, they are expected to address the counter-arguments objections to their own stance. Unlike Type A prompts, Type B are open-ended by design.