Arabian Nights Essay

Passions drive people, and the townspeople in “The Lottery” and Paul in “The Rocking-Horse Winner” are no different. Each of the members of the unnamed town has a strong passion for tradition. The original black box used for the lottery is described as being, “lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born” (Jackson 251). This sentence gives the reader an understanding that the lottery is an ancient tradition that has become an integral part of the town’s lifestyle. Such a tradition can only be carried on for this length of time if the people are passionate about preserving the tradition. Paul had a passion to be wealthy as a way to prove to his mother that he was lucky. From a young age, he saw that his family always wanted more money to support a better lifestyle, yet

The concept of digression is explored and mastered by Shahrazad throughout the sets of stories that comprise The Arabian Nights. Unlike the stories of Jaques and his Master, in Jaques the Fatalist, where digression plays well in a journey without a specific purpose, the stories of Shahrazad and her use of digression has a clear objective. The main character of The Arabian Nights, Shahrazad, makes use of her abilities as an effective storyteller to keep her audience engaged with a perfect sense of Kairos that achieves several purposes: arousing the King´s curiosity and keep it lingering, keeping herself alive, establishing her own

Stories like Sindbad, Aladdin and the Magic Lamp and other popular stories are very common today in the western culture. Animated movies were also made for the entertainment of kids on these popular stories. One might wonder that where these stories originated and how it came down and made place in the western culture. Although these stories are very popular in both the western culture and the eastern culture but the original literary work is not so popular in common people. Theses stories are some of the stories from the Arabic work "The Thousand and One Nights." The work of "The Thousand and One Nights" represents basically a female that is a strong and clever idol and

The Arabian Nights also known as 1001 nights is a collection of entertaining and meaningful stories within stories translated by Husian Haddawy. According to Haddawy, “The stories in The Arabian Nights are works that have been collected over centuries from India, Persia, and Arabia”. The stories in the book are not only entertaining but are also meaningful. Even though The Arabian Nights does not relate to the Quran, there are important Muslim values that are emphasized in the stories, and these values can be applied to our everyday life. Some important Muslim values in The Arabian Nights are the value of aiding those in need, the value of telling the truth, and the value of taking responsibility of your actions. The most important out of all these values is the value of aiding those in need.

The first night's story in Arabian Nights is that of the Merchant and the Demon. Told by Shahrazad, the story offers a remarkable parallel to her own situation as she faces immanent death. Thus, the story of the Merchant and the Demon is told as a parable within the frame story, presenting a poignant analogy for Shahrazad's own situation. The Merchant and the Demon is a short tale but one filled with themes such as power, guilt, justice, and moral responsibility. Through the clever analogy with her own situation, Shahrazad also explores the theme of creative problem solving in tricky situations. Moreover, the story illustrates the core differences between pre-Islamic and Islamic values in Arabian society. Because the theme of gender roles and norms are not present within the Merchant and the Demon, the story shows how sexism is simply a form of general political and social oppression.

Writing Women's Worlds is some stories on the Bedouin Egyptian people. In this book, thwe writer Lia Adu-Lughod's stories differ from the conventional ones. While reading, we discover the customs and values of the Bedouin people.

that his son has betrayed his wealth and fortune for a girl. The King then

Westley, so he sets out to find his fortune so they can be married. A

In Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, many characters are forced to overcome obstacles in their personal lives. Laila and Mariam, the two main characters, find themselves married to the same man, Rasheed. Both had a good relationship with Rasheed at the beginning of their marriages. Soon they found that they were both being abused by Rasheed. Mariam and Laila overcome the abuse by taking matters into their own hands. Khaled Hosseini introduces the reader to the ways many Muslim men and women believe that marriages should be private and that how the man treats his wife or wives is his business. Many relationships find themselves trying to overcome an abusive marriage.

In the beginning of this literature, Shahrazad is introduce in the story as a wise woman due to her education. As mentioned in the text, “Shahrazad, had read the books of literature, philosophy, and medicine… she was intelligent, knowledgeable, wise and refined” (The Thousand and One Nights 414). Shahrazad knows that in some way she has to take advantage of all her knowledge and use it to convince the King that not all women are the same. She knows that all her years of studying and learning are the key to stop all the killings. It is her power of education against a foolish King that would help her modify his way of thinking. She needs to show him that there is more to life than only one bad experience. Daniel Beaumont wrote, “Perhaps she will find a way to stop the slaughter” (15). Shahrazad believes in herself and she knows she could persuade the King to stop

This powerful vow would eventually wipe out the kingdom that he was ruling over. The wife never would have imagined she had so much influence on one person. The king's wife's actions was the cause of this vow that was made.

Contemplating the relationship between gender and power, one undoubtedly notices that tradition regards men as the holders of official office and power. Historically, men have also always been the leaders of their families, and turned to in times of trouble or need. Making generalizations is normally a weak approach to any task; in this case however, it is necessary to do so in order to illustrate how drastically opposite the situations prove in various selections from "1001 Arabian Nights." Rather than men taking critical roles of power, the women characters, especially at crucial moments in the plot, empower themselves far beyond the male figures, and, consequently,

The description Mahfouz gives of Hamida makes her out to be the most beautiful girl in the alley. Immediately, her beauty captures the reader’s attention, and causes her to stand out in the novel. In fact, her beauty created chaos among the men in the alley, and is conveyed in the line “she was constantly beset by a desire to fight and conquer…this she showed in her pleasure in attracting men” [Mahfouz, 39]. In the third chapter of the novel, Hamida was described as a beautiful, shapely, dark-eyed girl in her twenties, who longs for fine clothes and a rich husband. Hamida is described as having long, black hair that is near her knees. Her beauty not

Stories like Sindbad, Aladdin and the Magic Lamp and other popular stories are very common today in the western culture. Animated movies were also made for the entertainment of kids on these popular stories. One might wonder that where these stories originated and how it came down and made place in the western culture. Although these stories are very popular in both the western culture and the eastern culture but the original literary work is not so popular in common people. Theses stories are some of the stories from the Arabic work "The Thousand and One Nights." The work of "The Thousand and One Nights" represents basically a female that is a strong and clever idol and continuously imaginative and creative. It is an anonymous work

Hamida is the character that represents the people who yearn for a change. Often, she feels as though she is worth more than just living in the old alley – and she calls it a “Nothing Alley”(27) and asking herself “Oh what a shame Hamida, what are you doing living in this alley? (27)”. During World War II, many people in Midaq Alley go to work for the soldiers in the hope of earning more money and living in a more comfortable life. Hamida is one of those people who sacrifice themselves and everything that they have in an exchange for the wealthy life they always have dreamed of. Hamida is not a religious person and has a different perspective from the people in the alley because she sees a better life in the modern world. In the end, she decides to become a prostitute for pretty clothes and jewelries. She does not regret choosing this life as she is able to have an opportunity that gives her “desire for life and adventure (186)”.