Week 5 : Essay

My thoughts on this week’s reading: At first when I chose this reading unit I thought I was in for the Disney fairy tale of Aladdin as that is the information provided in the weekly reading units table. But obviously I was wrong. To be honest I am actually quite happy that it was not a re write of the Disney version as it would not have been that interesting in terms of catching my attention.

Instead this unit kept the concept of the genie but in a much different light in comparison to the Disney story. One thing that really caught my attention was the way in which the unit is a collection of different story tellers telling a story and each chapter in the story is the narration of the person telling the story in the previous story that you read. So it was really a story inside a story. Which was a very smart choice in terms of captivating the readers.

Another thing that I also thoroughly enjoyed about this unit as I have mentioned above, was that yes there was still the concept of the genie. But each time we were introduced to the genie it was in a different story, and in a different sitting other than the lamp in the original Disney story. I think my choice was a very good one in terms of how it fits in with my blog so far, as I also chose a Middle Eastern unit in the week before. Therefore giving my blog a uniform feel.

I think the information provided in this unit is very clear cut and it does help paint a picture of each chapter before you go on to reading the chapter. Which in my case, sparked a greater interest into wanting to read the detailed story.


(Scheherazade)

Link: Arabian Nights

Week 5: Story telling - The 10 Year Curse

 

Let me - Aladdin, tell you a story. A Story about a man named Jerusalem and his two brothers Edward and Alexander. Jerusalem was a man in the business of trade as were his brothers Edward and Alexander. These young men all have one thing in common. They all suffered the loss of a loved one – the loss of their beloved father. Their father had lift them with a large sum of money, in which they were to use so that they may establish a life for themselves. Jerusalem was the youngest of the three but also the smartest as he let his money turn into more money, whilst Alexander and Edward sold their individual business so that they may travel Arabia.

Minutes turned into hours, hours into days, and days into months. Until one month, Alexander appeared at Jerusalem’s front door looking as if he had gone through the wars of the world. “What is the matter dear brother?” asked Jerusalem in concern.

“I have lost it all and have failed in my worldly ventures” expressed Alexander “I haven’t a sequin of what father has left us. Whatever shall I do?”

 

(sequins minted by Suleiman I)

 

“Well first of all you need to come inside and we need to get you comfortable and fed. I could hardly recognize you” said Jerusalem “I shall give you half of my earnings so that you may start over here with me”

And so Jerusalem did just that and gave his brother half his earnings so that he may get back on his feet. Many weeks later Edward also appeared at Jerusalem’s door complaining of the same misfortune as did Alexander. Jerusalem being the good hearted person that he was offered him half his earnings to split with his brother.

One day the boys set off together after numerous days of trying to convince Jerusalem to shut up shop and join them in another worldly venture. But joint this time. They sailed across the red sea until they came to a shore for shelter. There she was, the most beautiful creature any of the boys had ever seen, and so Jerusalem fell in love with her and decided to marry her hastily.  She was young, with big dark eyes, hair flowing to her ankles, indeed she was a rare being and so they fell in love. As time went on Edward and alexander grew jealous of Jerusalem’s love for his wife Athia. So they decided to plot against him. Athia heard their plan against her loving husband as they wanted to murder him and take all of his wealth making it their own. So she hurried back and informed her husband of this scheme and promised that she will avenge him by turning them into dogs for ten years.

However what Jerusalem didn’t know was that his wife Athia was not any mortal human being, she was in fact a fairy that was sent by the Egyptian gods to protect Jerusalem and once her task was complete she was to disappear forever. And so she did just that and Jerusalem was never to see her again.

 

Authors note: I read this story, thinking that this unit was going to be just about Aladdin. However I was wrong. This unit is very vast in the number of stories told in it. So instead of collectively trying to compress all the stories into one. I decided to stick to one of the other stories being told by the old man and the two dogs to the genie. I kept most of the story in its original plot but changed up the character names.

 

 Link: Arabian NIghts

 

 

Week 5: Reading dairy- Arabian nights unit

Scheherazade: My thoughts here are that, how could someone call for the execution of their loved one because they had been deceiving you for many years. Yes it is hurtful and sad as this is someone you have entrusted your life and given you heart to. Nonetheless it does not make it okay. I guess that how things were done in the Arab worlds at the time. And as result of this bitter event it led the sultan to order every other bride that he married thereafter to be killed. I think Scheherazade is a very brave woman chancing her life in the event that maybe her actions would lead to saving her country whilst knowing the fate of the sultan previous wives.

Merchant and the genius: I think it was very clever of Scheherazade that she tricked the sultan by making her sister tell the story of the merchant and the genie thus making him more curious to here more and more of the story and in return sparing her life for an extra day. But I think as each day goes by he is going to grow to love her.

The story of the first old man and of the Hind: The jealousy of women through many of the stories I have read is quite astonishing. The mere fact that people practiced magic so freely at anything that they may have wanted or displeased them is quite crazy. Could you imagine turning someone into a cow or a calf because you disliked that? Throughout many of these stories the men are portrayed as the victim whilst the women are the villains and the root of all evil. Although the stewards’ daughter offered to return his adopted son to the old man but in return turned the old man’s wife into a hind which was considered to be the lesser evil instead of killing her.

The second man, and of the two black dogs: I think it’s quite funny that the merchants’ life is being spared as a result of these men telling stories to the genie. Its crazy how he travels with two dogs and that the dogs are actually his brothers. Was it a curse that maybe turned them this way? I think their brotherhood is really powerful in the sense that he gave his brothers all knowing that they too had the same but failed at their enterprise so he shared his wealth to set him up again. But the same brotherhood didn’t exist for the two dogs as they were jealous of his wife and prosperity so they resorted into plotting him which I think is quite sad, but luckily his wife wasn’t human but a fairy. Thus the fairy avenged him by turning them into a dogs for ten years. Thankfully these three old men saved the merchants life.

The fisherman: Scheherazades sister is a very clever girl as even when the story of the three old men was finished she went on to telling the story of the fisherman. Which worked in saving her sister life. These stories are interesting as they all involve a genie but in different lights. But in the stories so far he is angry and wants to kill anyone that find him for different reasons of course. It was very clever of the fisherman to trick him into going back into the vase as he would have killed him if he did not.

The Greek king and the physician Douban: Before reading this I thought that maybe he was going to make a herbal remedy but instead a form of sports which the English play today so often was used as a remedy by this physician to cure the Greek king then.

The Parrot and the ogress: The parrot here is almost like a nanny cam. I think

by having the parrot it is a more interesting way of snooping in marriage. Maybe it was stupid of the wife to do things in front of the parrot knowing how smart it was.

The Physicians revenge: the evil of these people. You have a man that has helped cure you but in return because you have the evil whispers of someone you resort into cutting of the hands of the one who has helped you.

The sultan and the fish: It is interesting how the sultans’ curiosity of the four different colored fishes led him to this other young king who I believe is a block from the waist down as a result of a curse. Maybe this will humble him.

The story of the young king of the black isle: Marriage and love was considered to be so sacred that some of these men would go to crazy extent even if they heard their wife was unfaithful or not happy with their husbands. However in this case the wife was evil and turned her husband- the young king into half marble, half man. It is interesting that each thing that is found in this island symbolizes different things that existed before his wife enchanted the place. Which was thereafter returned to it original state when the spell was lifted.

Aladdin and the wonderful lamp 1,& 2: This story is nothing like the Disney story as I had expected it to be. In the Disney version Aladdin finds a lamp not a ring and there is not magician that claims to be his uncle. He uses the wishes of the genie to help his mother as they were poor. The fact that he fell in love with the princess was something frightening for his mother instead of her being happy that her son found a bride.

 Aladdin and the wonderful lap 3, 4, & 5: is the bed the flying carpet? I think it was quite smart of the sultan to set such a high value on his daughter thinking that maybe Aladdin would not be able to offer her. This story is a good example of the saying money talks. I never thought that the story would have any connections in china. Even though this story was very different they all lived happily ever after.

Link: Arabian Nights