Document-6.3 Shahrazad Mollifies A Murderous King

Women’s rights in Iran or the Middle East has always been an arguable issue. Although there rights have been changed throughout the centuries they were never really compared equal to men or noone really accepted them. Specially for women in Iran, they barely had any rights in culture, marriage or other aspects of their lives. In the following essay you will read about the everday lives of Middle Eastern women.

In the story Thousand and One Nights the character Shahrazad caught my attention because of how brave, smart, and cunning she was. “I would like for you to marry me to King Shahrayar, so that I may either succeed in saving the people or perish and die like the rest.”(Puncher 1182-1183) She was willing to volunteer herself to save the lives of other women which was very brave because the King was known for taking virgins and having sex with them then killing them. She was willing to place herself in the hands of a man that was known for degrading men. Shahrayar was also intelligent because she used stories to save her life and others. She created a very strategic plan to tell her stories. She began with stories about adultery, so it would catch the attention of the King and leave him wanting to know more. Then, she used adventurous stories to keep herself alive long enough to civilize the King and save the other women. She starts the stories off as adventurous, then she started telling stories that had morals behind them. Shahrazad was already well educated before she started telling the stories. “Shahrazad had read the books of literature, philosophy, and medicine.” (Puncher 1182). They also described her as being intelligent, knowledgeable, wise, and refined which were all true descriptions of her.

From a plethora of many authors and compilations over many centuries comes the fourteenth century The Thousand and One Nights, a Middle Eastern frame story during which there are as many as four implanted stories. In the outermost frame of this tale, a king who is betray by his wife vows to take a new wife each night and kill her the next morning in order to prevent further unfaithfulness. The main inner frame are stories from one of his wives which she continues each night to keep the king interested and thus postpone her death. Through these stories, the reader can examine the role of men and women in this time, specifically how women function in conjunction to men in the text. The reader may assume the men are superior while the woman are inferior, but through close reading of the text, the reader will discover that women in the text are only treated subordinately by men in the story but are revealed to the reader as the more powerful of the sexes. Authors reveal the power of women by their prowess at trickery or “women’s cunning” (The Thousand 1181), and their ability to force the actions of male counterparts. The reader can examine men’s attempt to stifle this power, which further acknowledges the women’s merit, through the excessively frequent occurring instances of men treating the women as insignificant, as well as instances when women are turned to ungulate animals, such

In The Thousand and One Nights translated by Husain Haddawy, there is an emphasis on the role women play in and how their characters affect the male view on the rights and freedom women are entitled to. The value of women in the tale vanished after King Shahzaman’s wife had committed adultery with one of his palace workers. In the East during the time of this tale, there was little to no value for women, which gave men the power to use them as sex slaves and be able to throw them away after they have been sexually fulfilled. One day, when the vizier’s daughter Shahrazad volunteers to calm the raging king by telling him many tales and distracting him from his sexual acts and killing spree. The tale of The Thousand and One Nights was believed to be misogynistic, and presented women to be adulteresses who caused the downfall of men (Blythe). This tale was written in ancient Middle-Eastern civilization where women did not have rights or freedom within their societies and were victimized to be seen as the root of all evil and that “women are not to be trusted” (609. Haddawy). This tale will be evaluated based on the traditions placed in the ancient Middle-East, the modern-day observations of how women are treated in westernized countries, and the changes perceived.

For many years, women have been oppressed and treated as property. The opinion of a woman did not matter, being obedient to her husband was all that is required. Even if they were obedient to their husbands, women were property and only for the pleaser and likening to the husband. Mariam did all the her husband required of her, however there was one thing should could not. Which was give her husband, Rasheed, a son or any child. In the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, Hosseini reveals the social issue of physical abuse and mental abuse by his use of imagery, diction, and dialogue.

Women's rights in the Middle East have always been a controversial issue. Although the rights of women have changed over the years, they have never really been equal to the rights of a man. This poses a threat on Iran because women have very limited options when it comes to labor, marriage and other aspects of their culture. I believe that equal treatment for women and men is a fundamental principal of international human rights standards. Yet, in some places like Iran, discriminatory practices against women are not only prevalent, but in some cases, required by law. In this essay I will explain to you the every day life of an every day Islamic woman living in Iran. You will be astonished by what these women have endured through the

The value of aiding those in need is emphasize throughout the book, but it is first shown in “The Story of King Shahrayar and Shahrazad, His Vizier’s daughter”. In this story, Shahrazad aids those in need by marrying King Shahrayar to prevent him from killing other women after his wife cheated on him. King Shahrazad grew a strong hatred towards women after his wife cheated on him. As result, he married a different woman overnight and the next morning he ordered his Vizier to put his wife to death. When Shahrazad, who is the oldest daughter of the king’s Vizier, came to learn of the king’s action of asking her father to marry her to the king, she stated, “I would like you to marry me to

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.

Once again the themes of these novels are the feminine empowerment, loyalty and devotion. These all are thought to be things that females do well, but when put against an all male society they are faced with obstacles. They overcome the temptation and stay on the right path or stay focused on their goals. Although Shahrazad was a little different story line that Devasmita she also faced obstacles. She was trying to teach the king a lesson and didn't listen to male authority. She thought herself and was self motivated, her goal was set and didnt stray away from it. She was devoted and loyal to her goal to teach the

The people of the world have been plagued with hardship through time, and some more than others. One group of people who have had to bear the brunt of society’s hardships more than any other are women, especially those in the Middle East. The Middle East is a complex and diverse region, with a multitude of different cultures. While the region is so vast, the literature bears testament to the similar themes and connections throughout different cultures. “From Behind the Veil” by Dhu’l Nun Ayyoub and “A Portrait of Egypt” by Mary Anne Weaver are perfect examples of this shared theme.

It is important to consider the following: Why exactly does King Shahrayar hold the views of women that he does? His sexist views actually stem from his brother, Shahzaman. While Shahzaman was preparing for his journey to visit his brother, he walked in on his wife engaging in sexual intercourse with a kitchen boy. This threw Shahzaman into a rage and he ended up killing his wife and the boy. He states the following, “I am still here, and this is what she has done when I was barely outside the city. How will it be and what will happen behind my back when I go to visit my brother in India? No. Women are not to be trusted” (Heller-Roazen, 6). Shahzaman can be seen here placing this mistrust that came from his wife onto all women. This is an extremely dangerous to do because it becomes the reason for why King Shahrayar ends up killing a myriad of women after the discovery of his own wife’s adultery. The king follows in his brother’s line of thinking when he says, “‘O God, O God! There is no power and no strength, save in God the Almighty, the Magnificent. ‘Great is a women’s cunning’” (Heller-Roazen, 11). King Shahrayar also places a negative view onto all women, and this is where his misogyny begins. He places this view that all women and cunning and tricksters, and to ensure that he is never tricked again, he kills every woman that he sleeps with after just one night. The whole kingdom is made alert to what the king is doing

The women of Saudi Arabia have been oppressed by the men of the country for generations due to the ignorance of the people, their Islamic faith, and the government. They have no rights and they must receive permission from their husbands or fathers to work, travel, and receive medical attention. The memoir Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia by Jean Sasson, is an excellent example of the oppression of women in Saudi Arabia and the literary devices of characterization and setting help to bring the oppression to life.

Society’s view of women has changed as a result of what they have accomplish to become relevant inside a man oriented culture. Women are accused of being untrustworthy, due to their approach of going around the rules. Although this may be true, their limited possibilities push them to use their cleverness to look for alternatives that will help them reach their goals. The stories of The Arabian Nights demonstrate that when women are in control of a situation they must be trusted, as long as they act upon good will.

The fictional accounts of women’s experiences in Fadia Faqir’s, Pillars of Salt, illustrate issues articulated by women’s rights activists in the Middle East. Traditional roles of women and men and a mythology of femininity and masculinity are juxtaposed with the disparate realities of the characters. The damaging forces of colonial rule, war, and Westernization are also exposed.

In today’s society women are given ample opportunity just as much as men. In some countries, such as middle-eastern nations that is not the case. Muslim women are often perceived to be submissive to Muslim men and unequal. Mohammed never taught for women to be treated as lower class citizens. Nonetheless, the blame is pointed towards the religion of Islam. The Islamic religion began as all monotheist religions representing a belief in one God and moral standards. In the following essay I will discuss and elaborate what Mohammed taught, how women lived in early Islamic society, and what it has become.