Question:

Written Assignment
1) Choose 5 of the readings and, using 5 main characters’ goals, actions, and social mores, discuss everything you learned about middle eastern culture by careful examination of these characters. Remember, we read literature to learn about the place, the people, and the time in which they lived. You need to extrapolate from the readings. What was important to these people? How does literature advance our knowledge about the people who read it? Be sure to use quotes to support your position.

Answer: 

 

Literature HW9

The Middle Eastern culture is somehow unique in terms of the people’s moral values and mores, and way of life. The main characters in each of the five stories focused on in this paper represent this cultural uniqueness. This paper carefully analyzes the main character in each of five stories with the aim of identifying the goals, actions, social mores and cultural values of the Middle Eastern people.

In Jalaladdeen of Bagdad, the main character, Jalaladdeen, is presented as a highly religious and focused man. He is keen to follow the advice of his dying father. Even after he is tempted to follow the unwise advise of his new-found ‘friends’, he reflects on his erstwhile religious ways and adherence to the advice of his father and he is very remorseful about it. This clearly indicates the manner in which the Middle Eastern people value fatherly and religious advice.

Furthermore, like in many other societies, superstition exists in this region. Jalaladdeen seeks a magician’s help in efforts to unravel the mystery of the wondrous chest that won’t move from its original location. Moreover, this main character believes that ‘a dog is a very unclean animal’ (Valentine, 2004). This is a key indicator of strong religious convictions present in this society.

Jalaladdeen’s use of servants and slaves just like his ‘friends’ is an indicator of the historical context of this society. These people are living at a time when slavery was being openly practiced. Additionally, the custom of feasting, dining, wining, and having a great time with friends is widely regarded in this society. However, one has to be wise about which friends to dine with, something that Jalaladdeen learns the hard way.

In The Story of Haschem, there is a strong bond between Naima and his only son, Haschem, similar to that of Jalaladdeen and his father (Brockway, 1974). The persistent impression is that of a society where close family ties are highly valued. The practice of keeping servants and slaves has also pervaded Naima’s household. In sharp contrast, modern information and communication technology is unheard of in this society. This is the reason why Naima has to resort to the use of messengers in the search for his son. Naima also represents the prototype of a successful Middle Eastern merchant: sufficiently rich but wise enough to avoid extravagance while living life to the fullest.

In The Pantofles, the Middle Eastern society seems to be in admiration of riches, materialism, and extravagance (Vitz, 2008). No wonder the Abon Casem, the main character, is ‘famous and highly revered for his riches’ (Valentine, 2004). In the pursuit of this achievement, trade is a key avenue (Barkhoff, 2009). Like Naima, Abon Casem is a wise merchant, keen on great bargains but not quick to feast even after a big deal has been sealed.

In the Story of the Prince and the Lions, the author meets Prince Azgid, an heir who is ‘virtuous, intelligent, accomplished, but with a timorous disposition’ (Valentine, 2004). In such a palatial setting the reader would expect a mention of slaves who accord Prince Azgid profound obeisance, if the precedent set by the previous stories is anything to go by (MacDonald, 1993). However, a rather interesting tradition is the one requiring the fulfillment of a custom whereby every heir to descend into a den with a dagger and to fight a lion as a test to his courage and fortitude. This is meant to test the heir ability to govern an entire kingdom. This indicates a strong reverence for culture and tradition in the Middle Eastern society.

Like in many other societies, there are class divisions in this society. These divisions comprise of the rich rulers, aristocrats, servants and porters, and down to slaves. Prince Azgid is from the ruling class while Oaxus is an aristocrat. The servants and slaves are poor people occupying the lowest socioeconomic status. In The City of the Demons, Rabbi Jochonan the Miser, is revered for his wisdom but hated for his not being philanthropic enough. It seems that those who hate him most are the poor, to whom he is expected to extend a philanthropic hand.

 

References

Barkhoff, J. (2009) Networking across borders and frontiers: networks of patterns and organization, London: Routledge.

Brockway, D. (1974) The Macdonald Collection Of Arabian Nights: A Bibliography (III), The Muslim World, 64(1), 16–32.

MacDonald, M. (1993) The storyteller’s start-up book: finding, learning, performing, and using folktales, New York: August House Publishers.

Valentine, L. (2004) Eastern Tales by Many Story Tellers, London: Frederick Warne & Co.

Vitz, E. (2008) Tales with Guts: A “Rasic” Aesthetic in Medieval French Storytelling, The Drama Review, 52(4), 145-173.