2 Arabian Nights (One Thousand and One Nights)

Arabic

c. 879 to the twelfth century (and beyond)

One Thousand and One Nights, commonly known as Arabian Nights, is a collection of many stories from various time periods and places, all wrapped up craftily within a frame narrative. The individual tales within the story of Shahryar and Scheherazade were originally oral folk tales from communities dotted across Asia, Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula.

1001 Nights is a perfect text to practice analyzing Restorative Justice (RJ). As readers, we see the perspective of multiple characters who are wronged. We also see how some of those victims continue the cycle of violence by hurting others, creating more victims. The two kings are both wronged by their wives, but Shahryar responds to his suffering by hurting his subjects: he takes a new wife every night, spends the night with her, and then has her executed the next day. In his eyes, the king avoids the chance that his wife will commit adultery because she will not have the opportunity to do so—on account of her being dead. Of course, the king could avoid this situation altogether by remaining single, but his desire for sexual gratification leads him to wed, bed, and behead a new woman daily. As these marriageable women are chosen from amongst the people in his kingdom, the greater population is significantly reduced not just because of the sheer number of murdered women, but because there are much fewer women who can reproduce. Eventually, once the people of the kingdom suffer far more than their king through losing their young women, they protest his brutality.

Two of the few women left untouched by the king are the daughters of the vizier, who is appalled at the king’s actions and who has to bear the weight of each murder on his conscious, as he is the tasked executioner. His eldest daughter, Scheherazade, sees how the people of the kingdom suffer and takes it upon herself to stop the massacre. She voluntarily chooses to wed the king, with the vizier horrified that he may have to behead his own child. However, Scheherazade has a plan: When she and the king go to bed at night, her sister will be in the room with them and will ask for a bedtime story. Scheherazade will begin but not finish a story, leaving the king with a cliffhanger. The king’s curiosity leads him to spare her for a day so that he can hear the rest of the story the next night. However, whenever Scheherazade finishes one story, she starts another, ensuring that every night ends in an unfinished tale, and so she continues to elongate her life, with her sister’s help.

Though there are not 1001 stories in One Thousand and One Nights, as it is an unfinished narrative, its name comes from the sheer number of stories included within the frame narrative. The story of Scheherazade and king Shahryar serves not only as their own tale but as a container for the many other tales preserved in this incredible piece of writing. The tales Scheherazade tells every night come with their own lessons and tales of justice and injustice, showing hundreds of other perspectives to show the king that he is not the only person in the world to suffer. It is through Scheherazade’s wisdom that readers, like the king, can learn empathy for fellow human beings. As you read, consider not only the restorative justice in Scheherazade’s life, but the situations presented in each individual story, with each as a wealth of experience in its own right.

The Arabian Nights

Selections of One Thousand and One Nights are available at the following link:

https://pressbooks.online.ucf.edu/introtoworldliteratureanthology/chapter/the-thousand-and-one-nights/

The Arabian Nights, Envy, and Bullying

Watch the videos on the following link:

https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/84164/overview

Recommended:

Watch the video on the following link:

https://www.learner.org/series/invitation-to-world-literature/the-thousand-and-one-nights/

GROUP EXERCISES:

Arabian Nights and Restorative Justice

Remember that Restorative Justice looks to repair harm caused by “our” actions. Sometimes harm is not measurable. Harm can be physical, but it can often be emotional. Relationships and communities are also harmed, not just individuals. Restorative Justice seeks to include all the people that have been harmed in finding solutions. It holds offenders accountable and encourages them to take responsibility for their actions.

With this definition of RJ in mind, answer the following questions in relation to Arabian Nights and Gilgamesh.

	Arabian Nights	Gilgamesh
Who has been hurt?
What are their needs?
Whose obligations are these?
What are the causes?
Who has a stake in the situation?
What is the appropriate process to involve stakeholders in an effort to address causes and put things right?

Envy, Insecurity and Confidence

• The prompt questions are based on the video on the cost of insecurity (see section on Arabian Nights, Envy, and Bullying)

You have watched the videos on envy, insecurity, and confidence. Based on the videos, what can we understand about envy, insecurity, and confidence. If we think about these emotions—envy, insecurity, and confidence—how do we understand Shahrayar (the king) and Shahrazad (the Queen). Please answer the following questions on Shahrayar and Shahrazad.

Questions	Shahrayar	Shahrazad
How do Sharayar and Shahrazad see fear and how do they respond to it?
How do Sharayar’s and Shahrazad’s feelings about themselves impact what they do?
How much of Sharayar’s and Shahrazad’s confidence come from inside instead of outside?
Are Sharayar and Shahrazad willing to change their situation if it doesn’t meet their standards?
How do their past experiences impact their present view?
Any final thoughts on envy, insecurity, and confidence and how they apply to Shahrayar and Shahrazad?

The Arabian Nights and Logical Fallacies*

The King’s decision to kill his wives because women are untrue is a logical fallacy. Similarly, the Wazir’s story, the “Tale of the Bull and the Ass” relies on logical fallacies. In fact, if we look closely at the tales of Arabian Nights, we can see that many of the characters, especially the characters that are wrong, rely on illogical fallacies.

Here are ten common logical fallacies. Please go over them carefully

Ten common logical fallacies* *Definitions of logical fallacies have been pulled from different sources.1
1. Ad Hominem Attacking one’s character rather than criticizing the argument; an insult is not addressing the concern. Questions to think about: Does your reason for arguing stand on solid ground, or are you just insulting the opponent?	6. Appeal to Ignorance When it is said that an argument must be true if it cannot be proven false, or false if it cannot be proven true.
2. Straw Man When someone attacks a distorted version of the original argument. Oversimplifying an opponent’s viewpoint and then attacks that hollow argument. Questions to think about: Is the argument being attacked presented fairly? Is the argument oversimplified?	7. False Dilemma When two choices are presented as the only possible options when, in fact, other alternatives exist. Oversimplifies the argument by reducing it to only two sides or choices. Questions to think about: There are more than two sides to arguments so ask yourself if someone can come up with an alternative?
3. Appeal to Authority Asserting that something must be true because someone else who is allegedly an authority on the subject said so. Using a source quote from someone who is not an expert in the field. Questions to think about: Who qualifies as an “expert”? Are there credentials for your “expert”? Do you/they have the authority? Is your/their source biased?	8. Hasty Generalization Making a claim based on one or two examples that may not be relevant to the claims or subject. Reaching a conclusion with a sample size that is too small or based on insufficient or biased evidence. Is the evidence sufficient and relevant? Are the premises biased?
4. Slippery Slope Arguments that proclaim that one incident will start a chain of events leading to devastating results. These aren’t always completely off base, but usually inaccurate and blown out of proportion. Taking an argument from the first, sensible premise to an undesirable or extreme conclusion via a number of hastily connected steps. Questions to think about: Are your claims overreaching or exaggerated?	9. Red Herring A diversionary tactic that avoids the key issues, often by avoiding opposing arguments rather than addressing them. A deliberate attempt to move the issue under discussion to a new, irrelevant topic.
5. Bandwagon When something is said to be true or good because it is popular to persuade one to think the same way. When evidence merely says that the reasoning is because others do or like it, you are not providing solid evidence. Questions to think about: Who is “everyone”? Are they really “all” thinking the same way?	10. Appeal to Tradition The claim that something must be good or true because it has been practiced for a long time (that is traditionally).

Now that you have learned some common logical fallacies, go over the stories and find as many logical fallacies as you can. Explain which fallacies the stories are using, why they are logical fallacies, and what possible lessons these stories could be teaching the king.

Stories	Which fallacies, why, and what are the lessons?
Tale of the Trader and the Jinni
The First Shaykh’s Story
The Second Shaykh’s Story
The Fisherman and the Jinni
The Third Shaykh’s Story
The Tale of the Wazir and the Sage Duban
King Sindibad and his Falcon
The Tale of the Husband and the Parrot
The Tale of the Prince and the Ogress

ASSIGNMENTS

Character analysis. What is Character Analysis? In its most basic form, character analysis is the critical study of a character in order to reach full understanding of said character. Instructions: Pick a character from Gilgamesh or Arabian Nights Answer the questions below on your chosen character and make sure to note where in the text you found the answers to the questions Use your answers to find a through-line that helps you define the character Write a short essay on the character Requirements: two pages long, double spaced, 12pt font Questions that help us with a character analysis: What does the character look like? How does their appearance affect them and others? What does the character say, how and why? How do their words affect them and others? What does the character think and feel? How do their feelings affect them and others? How does the character interact with others and how do others interact with them? What does the character do? Why does paying attention to the above aspects of the character is important to understanding either the character, the narrative, or both?

FURTHER READINGS:

For Classroom resources on Arabian Nights that include a Map and Timeline, and a video with scholars and artists see:

https://www.learner.org/series/invitation-to-world-literature/the-thousand-and-one-nights/

For Digitized Islamic Manuscripts of Arabian Nights see:

https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8433372b

https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-OR-01429/1