Week 5 Essay: Arabian Nights

This week I read the unit Arabian Nights. This unit was half about Aladdin and the other half was about Scheherazade. I really liked both parts of this unit. I thought the Scheherazade part of the unit was interesting. Each story led to a new story which really kept the unit interesting. I thought Scheherazade was very brave and clever coming up with a way to survive. She told a story but didn’t finish it until the next day and that story led to another story. This kept the Sultan from killing her. I really liked her story but my favorite part of this unit is the Aladdin section. The story was similar to the version I am used to but there were some major differences. The version I know is from Disney which the bad guy is close to the Sultan. In this unit the bad guy is just a random magician. The only bad part of this unit was I forgot the beginning story when reading the Scheherazade story because there were so many add on stories. I wish I knew how the story ended for Scheherazade. I may have missed it but I did not see how her story ended. An ending would be great because for all I know she starts a new story to stay alive every day. This story does not help me with my storybook but I really did enjoy this unit. I would recommend reading this unit to everyone. I would rate this in the top of the units that I have read so far this year. I would probably rate it the best if it was not for my love of Ramayana. Aladdin is such a great story especially the part where he goes after the magician for taking his princess. 

Aladdin and the Genie

Website: Un-Textbook

Storytelling Week 5: How Aladdin got his Monkey

There was once a young man named Aladdin. His father had died at a young age and was unable to teach him any type of trade job. This led to Aladdin not having a job and his mother having to provide for the two of them. Since just Aladdin’s mom worked they were very poor. One day a mysterious man came up to Aladdin and claimed to be his uncle. Aladdin took him home to his mother. His mother had never seen her brother-in-law but knew she had one and welcomed him. The uncle explained that he had been out on a journey for 40 years and that is why he has never met the family.

Aladdin asked his uncle to take him on a journey and his uncle agreed to a couple days journey. They walked and walked until Aladdin’s uncle said he was tired. They built a fire and Aladdin’s uncle threw some powder on the fire and started chanting. The ground started shaking and Aladdin became scared. A cave popped out of the ground and Aladdin’s uncle told Aladdin that he would become rich if he brought the lamp back out with him. Aladdin liked the thought of being rich so he agreed to go after the lamp. On his way back, his uncle yelled to him to give him the lamp. Aladdin didn’t want to give up the lamp until he was out of the cave. This made the uncle very angry and he closed the cave trapping Aladdin inside.

Aladdin was sad but accidentally rubbed the lamp. A genie appeared and Aladdin wished to be free from the cave. He then walked back to his home. His mother was missing though when he arrived home. Aladdin asked people where his mother was. They said his so called uncle was really an evil magician and had kidnapped his mother. Aladdin was sad again but remembered the genie. He rubbed the lamp and the genie appeared again. Aladdin wished he knew where his mother was and had the tools and skills to defeat the magician. The genie granted the wish. He told Aladdin that mother was being kept outside the Sultans palace. He also taught Aladdin magic and made him the best magician in the world. Aladdin went to the place his mother was being kept and had a huge magic show down. Aladdin turned the evil magician into a pet monkey that was the most loyal companion Aladdin ever had. The magic battle had caught the attention of the princess who came to see what was happening. Aladdin fell in love with her right away and she fell for Aladdin. They became married shortly after and lived happily ever after. 

 Aladdin and the Princess

Website: Un-Textbook

Author's Note: I based this off of the Arabian Nights Story from the Un-Textbook. To be more in depth it was from the Aladdin part of the story. I used the same beginning to the story but I changed the end. I added the part where the magician takes his mother and where he turns the magician into a monkey. I thought I would be creative and change the story up a little bit. I hope you liked it. 

Bibliography: Arabian Nights by Andrew Lang. Website: Un-Textbook

Week 5 Reading Diary: Arabian Nights

Scheherazade: A sultan loved his wife a lot but she cheated on him so he had to obey the law and have her killed. This caused him to go a bit crazy. He decided all women were terrible and to marry a girl and then kill her the next day. This terrified everyone. The grand-vizir was the man to choose the girls. His daughter Scheherazade decided she would try to marry the sultan and change his mind on killing her.

The Merchant and the Genius: Scheherazade come up with a plan to start a story that the sultan was listening to but not to finish it until the next morning. So the Sultan let her live another day to finish her story. She started a story about a merchant who killed a Genius son.

The First Old Man and of the Hind:   When the merchant showed back up to be killed 3 old men joined him and waited for the Genius. An old man with a Hind told his story to the Genius. Then a seconds old man with 2 black dogs started his story.

The Two Black Dogs: The second old man tells a story about how he got the two black dogs which are actually his brothers. The genius loved the story and then the third old man told his story. The genius loved it even more so he agreed to give them all a third of the merchant’s punishment. The merchant was saved. Now Scheherazade wants to tell a new story.

The Fisherman: A fisherman cast a net and brings in a genius. The genius threatens to kill him but the fisherman tricks him back into his vase. Then he starts to tell the genius a story.

The Greek King and the Physician Douban: A king that was leper wished to be cured. No other physician could cure him. Then a clever physician came up with a cure but told the king he could cure him without outward prescription. The Physiction made a polo club that contained the cure in the handle and made the king play with it. The king was cured and made the Physician rich. He then started telling the jealous Vizir a story.

The Husband and the Parrot: A husband got a parrot to watch his wife while he was gone. The parrot told him everything this made the wife mad and made it seem like it rained thundered and lightninged all night. The husband thought he was lying so he killed the parrot. The husband found out the parrot had told the truth and was upset with himself. This story didn’t change the vizir’s mind so he decided to tell his own story of a kings son who got the vizir killed.

The Physician’s Revenge: The King cut off the physician head but the physician poisoned the king with a book. The Fisherman let the Genius out of the vase.

The Sultan and the Fish: The Genius led the fisherman to a lake with 4 different types of fish and told him to sell the fish to the sultan. The fisherman did so and the sultan wanted to see the lake. The sultan ventured out and found a black marble palace. A young man was found in the throne but could not get up. The young man then started his story to the Sultan.

King of the Black Isles: The Sultan tricks the enchantress into changing everything back and then kills her. The king adopts the young prince as his son and the fisherman is made rich.

Aladdin 1: Aladdin is a beggar that knows no trades. A magician tricks him into going into a cave from the ground to retrieve a lamp. Aladdin was smart and would not give the magician the lam until he was out of the cave. The magician was mad and trapped Aladdin in the cave. Aladdin rubs the ring and a genie appeared.

Aladdin 2: Aladdin uses the genie to free himself then uses the genie to give him silver plates to sell. Aladdin sees the princess and falls in love with her. The Sultan promised to let Aladdin marry the princess after 3 months but failed to keep his word. Aladdin has the genie bring the bride and groom to him at midnight and place them back in the morning.

Aladdin 3: Aladdin builds a palace for the princess and is married to her. He is made captain of the Sultan army.

Aladdin 4: The lamp is taken back by the magician while Aladdin is away. The magician has the genie move the palace to Africa. The sultan gives Aladdin 40 days to bring his daughter back or to lose his head. Aladdin rubs the ring and has the ring genie take him to his palace.

Aladdin 5: Aladdin comes up with a plan to get the lamp back. He has the Princess drug the magician and it kills him.

Aladdin 6: The magician had a brother that comes to china to take revenge. He kills a holy woman and takes her clothes to look like her. He then goes to the palace and the princess is fooled.  The genie warns Aladdin of the magician’s brother and Aladdin kills him. Then Aladdin and the princess live happily ever after together.