A Discourse Analysis of The Arabian Nights: Two glances to Aladdin Arabian Nights, more accurately known as Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian folk tales, gathered from the eighth century to the thirteenth century. This period is known as the Islamic Golden Age. Without a doubt, Thousand and One Nights have been enormously popular in the West. Its origins generated controversy because the earliest known manuscript dates from the ninth-century from Persia, however other versions of the tales have been found from numerous regions across the Islamic Empire and as far as China from different dates (Habegger-Conti 1). Besides the multicultural origins and the controversy of the purity of its roots, the translators’ …show more content…
The Indian element involved in the Arabian Nights was translated into Arabic from the Pahlavi version in Persian. The element in question is characterized by the existence of long sea-journeys and supernatural wonders” (Wazzan 61). The Arabic account was very popular among the people, and many Arab storytellers reflect their style of narration in parts of the work. The element of Baghdad appears in the patterns of the merchants’ lives and traders which belong to the middle class. Also, the touches of extravagance, richness, and luxuriance are aspects of the Baghdad. However, the symbol of uncountable high extravagance does not reflect the reality of Muslim life. The element of Cairene, during the Fatimide state in Egypt, focusses on the lower-class individuals as porters and shoemakers which experiences are an accurate account of the Cairene lifestyle. Many scholars argue that Arabian Nights origins are Arab, others say its Indian and some think that is Persian (Wazzan 62). The tales’ variety and geographical range of origin—India, Iran, China, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, and possibly Greece—make every single composition
Joyce, James. “Araby”. The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Eds. R.V. Cassill and Richard Bausch. Shorter Sixth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2000. 427 - 431.
The DreamWorks film, ‘The Prince of Egypt,’ and the story from the Bible are different when compared. The DreamWorks Picture made in 1998, tells the story of Moses found in Egypt trying to free God's people from the Pharaoh,but this not the main focus in the film.The film follow mainly around Moses’ adventure to free the Israelites,thus making the Movie inaccurate.The things i will be stating that is mostly inaccurate are,the storyline,the characters and the settings.
Aladdin, a Disney Classic Movie, in my opinion, teaches kids and adults alike some of life’s most important lessons. First, Aladdin teaches that sometimes what we seem to want the most is not as we expect it to be. Next, the story of Aladdin also teaches that there are always people who think just to gain for themselves even if they seem to be our most trusted friends. Most importantly, Aladdin teaches us that one must not lie about or pretend being someone that they’re not just to impress. I have found that every Disney movie has something to teach and Aladdin, in between humor, action, and love, teaches these lessons in such a memorable way.
Haddawy, Husain. The Arabian Nights. Rpt in Engl 123 B16 Custom Courseware. Comp. Lisa Ann Robertson. Edmonton, AB: University of Alberta, 2014. 51-64. Print.
Joyce, James. “Araby.” The Norton Introduction to Literature, Shorter Eighth Edition. Eds. Jerome Beaty, Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. New York: W.W.Norton.
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 which is widely known in the Arab world. It is an Arabic collection of a thousand tales, which is derived from the Persian version, telling of a King who was in the habit of killing his wives after the first night, and who was led to abandon this practise by the cleverness of the Wezir's daughter, who nightly told him a tale which she left unfinished at dawn, so that his curiosity led him to spare her till the tale should be completed. Many people have written about these stories, that where they originated, what time period was it originated, how they have been changed, and also literary criticism of the work.
James Joyce's use of religious imagery and religious symbols in "Araby" is compelling. That the story is concerned somehow with religion is obvious, but the particulars are vague, and its message becomes all the more interesting when Joyce begins to mingle romantic attraction with divine love. "Araby" is a story about both wordly love and religious devotion, and its weird mix of symbols and images details the relationship--sometimes peaceful, sometimes tumultuos--between the two. In this essay, I will examine a few key moments in the story and argue that Joyce's narrator is ultimately unable to resolve the differences between them.
Joyce, James. "Araby." 1914. Literature and Ourselves. Henderson, Gloria, ed. Boston, Longman Press. 2009. 984-988.
In “Araby” by James Joyce, the author uses several literary elements to convey the multitude of deep meanings within the short story. Three of the most prominent and commonly used by Joyce are the elements of how the themes were developed, the unbounded use of symbolism, and the effectiveness of a particular point of view. Through these three elements Joyce was able to publish his world famous story and allow his literary piece to be understood and criticized by many generations.
Joyce, James . “Araby.” Literature: An Introduction to Writing. Roberts, Edgar V. and Jacobs,. Henry E. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001.
Al-Hakim, Tawfiq. Plays, Prefaces and Postscripts of Tawfiq Al-Hakim. Trans. W.M. Hutchins. Washington, D.C.: Three Continents Press, 1981.
Joyce, James. “Araby.” Literature: The Human Experience. Abcarian, Richard et al.,. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. 92-96
“Aladdin” demonstrates how social class and power can affect the lives of different individuals. The 1992 film is an Arabian-style folktale, based in the time period of high poverty. Aladin is more than just a kids story, it has more meaning to it. It is a story that represents the struggle for lower classes in Islamic and worldwide society. In this story Aladdin struggled with poverty, he was a master thief who had a dream to make higher class. He was given his opportunity to take on his dream when he came across a genie who could grant his wish, which allowed him to become prince and marry the princess, but he was not satisfied with his success. In fact throughout the story of “Aladdin”, social class had made a huge impact on each individual character in the story,
Haddawy, Husain, Muhsin Mahdi, and Daniel Heller-Roazen. The Arabian Nights. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010. Print.
Aladdin is a Disney movie that is related to the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. It is a collection of South Asian and Middle Eastern stories and the movie takes place in the Middle East. Aladdin is about a young male who lives on the street and finds a lamp that frees a genie. His wishes are then granted and he appears to be something he is not to his love interest princess Jasmine, but then evil has other plans for them and Aladdin has to be the hero (Clements, Musker). Aladdin took place in the 800’s in the Middle East but emerged into popular culture in the early 1990’s with many hidden messages throughout the film that were aimed towards the 90’s audience.