Sinbad The Sailor And Other Tales Analysis

I read the book Sinbad the Sailor and other Tales from the Arabian Nights by N.J. Dawood. It is a fiction book that tells many tales and stories about Arabians. The first few tales were about a sailor who loved to sail but got lost and nearly died on all the trips. On the seventh he stops and settles down in his house in Baghdad. The second tale is about a poor cobbler who escapes his vicious wife and asks a jinee to take him to a different city. When he gets to the city, he meets up with an old friend and his friend tells him to fake being rich so that the other merchants lend him money. Then with that money he uses it to buy things and then sell them from a profit. He tells them his caravan will arrive with plenty of merchandise and they

“The porter refused very politely, but the boy pressed him to go in. So Sinbad [the Porter] left his load with the doorkeeper and followed the page into the house” (6).

E1. In this passage it shows how the people of back then were polite and had manners. Here, a poor porter just happens to walk past a house whose owner is very kind. The poor people of the city would always try to please the richer people and to respect them greatly.

P2(Sinbad the Sailor). “... I joined a company of merchants and set sail in a river ship bound for the port of Basra. There we put to sea and voyaged… from shore to shore, buying and selling and exchanging goods…” (7).

E2. Here it shows how some of the merchants traded by sea. Sinbad the Sailor would buy goods and trade wherever the ship anchored. They would first travel from Baghdad to Basra and then take a ship on the river and trade with the different ports along the water way.

P3. “..., these goods are mine!’ I exclaimed. ‘I am Sinbad, who was left to drown… the waves cast me on the shore of this island. I tell you I am the true owner of these

“At once a mighty jinnee appeared before him, saying, ‘I am here master, I am here! Speak and I will obey. What is your wish?” (80)

E6. Here is another passage example of superstition and some of the fantasy they put into these stories. Here Maaruf rubbed a ring and as told in the tales of Aladdin and such a jinnee came out to grant his wishes.

P7. “... the tailor hurried out to the market place, where he bought some fried fish, bread, and lemons, and honey for de[s]sert” (91).

E7. This is some of the food they ate back then. The bread was nothing like today’s bread. Back then the bread would be very brown due to it being very unrefined. The common dessert for a middle class family would be honey and usually they would only eat it on some days.

P8.”.. the cadi took it into his head to beat one of his maidservants. She raised an uproar of wailing and screaming. A slave went to her aid, but the furious cadi fell upon him also, and he joined in yelling for help”(109).

E8. This passage shows how some of the masters treated their slaves and if another one would come and interfere, then he would get beaten too.

P9. “Writhing with the pain in my leg and the anguish in my heart, I turned on my heel and threw these words at the jabbering