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Persian/Arabic Background
The Thousand and One Nights
Vocabulary
The Rubaiyat, The Gulistan, and The Masnavi
Surprise!
100
Name the person who found the Persian Empire in the 6th century B.C.
Cyrus the Great.
100
Name the major female character of the story and explain what her main role is in the story.
Shahrazad...She tells stories to the king so that he does not kill her and stops his practice of killing women after he marries them.
100
What does the word "efreet" mean?
Creature of a fierce and fiery form with magical powers (similar to a genie)
100
Who is the author of The Gulistan?
Sadi
100
Name the two examples of the "false identity" archetype in Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp.
The African Magician and his brother
200
Name the person who extended the Persian Empire into Egypt.
Darius I
200
Explain the circumstances under which the fisherman discovers the Jinnee in "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Jinnee".
He casts his net into the water 3 times and catches nothing valuable. On the fourth time, he catches a bottle from which the Jinnee is released.
200
What is the meaning of the word "entreaties"?
Humble requests
200
How many lines does a rubai have and which of those lines rhyme?
4 lines Lines 1, 2, and 4 rhyme
200
What task does the Caliph give to Ja'afar after they find the women chopped up in the box? What are the consequences if the task is not completed?
He tells him to find the woman's murderer. If he does not find him then Ja'afar and all of his family members will be killed. This is an example of a twisted sense of justice! The Caliph seeks justice for the woman, while at the same time giving Ja'afar a very unjust sentence.
300
Why did the Persian Empire end?
They tried to conquer Greece, but fell to Alexander the Great. The Persian Empire only lasted 2 centuries.
300
What are the names of the two brothers whose wives cheat on them in the frame story of The Thousand and One Nights.
Shah Zeman and Shahriyar
300
Which of the following words are synonyms? Stratagem Perfidy Artifice Array Censure Calamity
Stratagem and Artifice...both mean a scheme or trick
300
What belief system did Sa'di belong to and what is the main belief of that belief system?
What belief system did Sa'di belong to and what is the main belief of that belief system?
300
Explain how the "plot twist" is used in The Tale of the Three Apples.
The plot twist is used when we find out that the man's own son took the apple and gave it to the slave, and the wife was telling the truth the whole time. We also see a plot twist when it is revealed that Ja'afar's own slave is the one who was responsible for lying to the man about having a "mistress" who gave him the apple.
400
What was the Arabic language used for and what was the Persian language used for?
Arabic-literature, scholarship, government, prayer Persian-informal, conversation, courtship
400
Name the three levels of stories from "The Tale of the Fisherman and the Jinnee" in order.
1. The Fisherman and the Jinnee 2. King Yunan and Doctor Duban 3. King Sindbad and the Falcon
400
Use the word admonish correctly in a sentence.
She admonished the children against running into the street.
400
Explain what Rumi believes about wisdom.
He believes that some people are wise...they are leaders who have the "light" or wisdom on their own. Then, there are the half-wise, who don't have all of their own wisdom, but are wise enough to know that they must seek it from people who do have wisdom. Finally, there are the fools. These people do not have wisdom and do not know enough to seek it from people who are wise. They try to go off on their own to find it.
400
Who is Fatima? What story does she come from and how does she play a role in the story?
She is the religious woman that the brother of the African Magician kills and dresses up as to trick Aladdin and the Princess.
500
The religion of the Persian Empire involved two gods. Name the religion as well as the two gods that followers of this religion believed in.
Zoroastrianism Ahura Mazda-good Ahriman-evil
500
Name and explain 2 examples of how the theme of POWER is present in The Thousand and One Nights.
1. Shahrazad and King Shahriyar 2. Fisherman and the Jinnee 3. King Yunan and Doctor Duban 4. The Caliph and Ja'afar 5. The young man and his wife
500
Use the words "countenance" and "sallow" correctly in a sentence that shows your knowledge of the meaning of these words.
I could tell by her sallow countenance that she was not feeling like herself.
500
Explain the meaning of the following rubai. When You and I behind the Veil are past Oh, but the long, long while the World shall last Which of our Coming and Departure heeds As the Sea’s self should heed a pebble-cast.
When you and I are both dead, the world will go on. Our coming and leaving the world has the same effect that a small pebble has on the vast ocean.
500
Explain how the tale of King Yunan and Doctor Duban relates to Shahrazad's own situation. In other words, why is this an effective story for Shahrazad to include in her attempts to change the king?
Doctor Duban is a person who did nothing wrong (same with the fisherman), yet he is being unjustly punished by King Yunan. Giving an example of a person who only does good, but receives evil back will hopefully show King Shahriyar the error of his ways and help Shahrazad prove that she is good too and should not be punished because of the mistakes of his previous wife.