Arabian Knights: The Hind
The stories in this unit are very interesting and are often told in layers as stories inside of stories. For this reason specifically, the dialect and character development can sometimes be confusing. Frankly, the wife in this story is a psychopath, and it is almost as if she resents not having a biologically created child. Historically, women are typically known for their emotional, nurturing, and caretaking nature. However, the wife build an improper bond and attachment to her adopted son, which causes her to ultimately put a detrimental spell on him. The narrator of this story, told in third person, has a negative tone towards the wife using the word "wicked" to display this. Witchcraft is often seen as a very evil and sinful practice, so perhaps, this helps describe, in better detail, the wife's corrupted power inflicted upon her adopted son. Also, the author describes her witchcraft and evil intentions as an on-going, calculated plan; this was not just a psychological, impulsive episode. Most surprising however, is that the wife still tried to take advantage her initial trust with the man to fool him and robb him away from his beloved son. From this, I predict that the wife was seeking desperate attention from the man that she wasn't getting before, and I think there was an unhealthy power struggle as the son was a descendent from a slaves; slaves are often dehumanized and treated like nothing. The man's good character shines through the climax of this story when he uses his steadfast love as a source of desire to never stop looking for his son. Little did he know, however, that his wife committed the ultimate betrayal. I believe there is great symbolism in the cow. I think it represents the strength of a father-son bond. The spiritual connection is apparent and shines through the enforced mask, and through this, the man's son is again revealed. Then, the man uses the steward's daughter and her powers to inflict punishment for her betrayal. It is ironic that the magic powers the wife used, once for evil, are the same powers, this time for good, that end up giving her pay back for the evil actions she committed.
Bibliography: H.J. Ford, Arabian Nights: The Hind (link)
The stories in this unit are very interesting and are often told in layers as stories inside of stories. For this reason specifically, the dialect and character development can sometimes be confusing. Frankly, the wife in this story is a psychopath, and it is almost as if she resents not having a biologically created child. Historically, women are typically known for their emotional, nurturing, and caretaking nature. However, the wife build an improper bond and attachment to her adopted son, which causes her to ultimately put a detrimental spell on him. The narrator of this story, told in third person, has a negative tone towards the wife using the word "wicked" to display this. Witchcraft is often seen as a very evil and sinful practice, so perhaps, this helps describe, in better detail, the wife's corrupted power inflicted upon her adopted son. Also, the author describes her witchcraft and evil intentions as an on-going, calculated plan; this was not just a psychological, impulsive episode. Most surprising however, is that the wife still tried to take advantage her initial trust with the man to fool him and robb him away from his beloved son. From this, I predict that the wife was seeking desperate attention from the man that she wasn't getting before, and I think there was an unhealthy power struggle as the son was a descendent from a slaves; slaves are often dehumanized and treated like nothing. The man's good character shines through the climax of this story when he uses his steadfast love as a source of desire to never stop looking for his son. Little did he know, however, that his wife committed the ultimate betrayal. I believe there is great symbolism in the cow. I think it represents the strength of a father-son bond. The spiritual connection is apparent and shines through the enforced mask, and through this, the man's son is again revealed. Then, the man uses the steward's daughter and her powers to inflict punishment for her betrayal. It is ironic that the magic powers the wife used, once for evil, are the same powers, this time for good, that end up giving her pay back for the evil actions she committed.
First old man and the hind, Smell the Coffee
Bibliography: H.J. Ford, Arabian Nights: The Hind (link)
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