Imagery in Arabian and Asian Stories and Poems

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Table of Contents

Images of Women in The story of Ying-ying
women’s portrayal in “One Thousand and One Nights”
Man’yoshu
Works Cited

Images of Women in The story of Ying-ying

To what degree is Ying-ying “theatrical,” playing roles?

It is easy to sympathize with Ying-ying: she is strong, courageous and rebellious. She is not exactly consistent in her actions (refusing to get better acquainted with Chang, for example), but she also seems to be honest. The indignant but polite speech that Chang got before leaving was obviously sarcastic and meant to stop Chang, but it was not trickery or drama. She showed him that his actions caused her contempt, and afterward she could not hide the pain either (Wang 391).

Is Chang the archetype of the poor student who forsakes his previous wife?

Chang does indeed appear to have the features of the poor student archetype: even though Yingying was not his wife, he did abandon her, and at first glance it seems that the reason is the capital. However, his ideas concerning love and beautiful women may show that he was convinced in the unsuccessfulness of the relationship. Possibly, this was the true reason for their breakup.

women’s portrayal in “One Thousand and One Nights”

How are women portrayed in the stories?

Women in “One Thousand and One Nights” play numerous roles. The framing story features both infidel wives and a loyal and wise maiden; a cunning and beautiful woman has been kidnapped by Jennie and is unfaithful to him; Morgiana is a clever slave girl who manages to kills the main enemy of Ali Baba (Marzolph 65-68; Oliver and Hamilton 20). Most women in the tales appear to be beautiful and intelligent; they are capable of both helping and hindering the male characters. In the end, Shahrazad says that a woman is worth her intelligence and faith; also, she points out that women are different (Marzolph 99).

The theme of justice in the stories

It is obvious that the morals of the time were different from ours, as was the understanding of justice. Shahriyar, for example, had been killing innocent girls, but he is rewarded with a beautiful and smart wife who has given him three sons (Marzolph 99). At least, in the end he realizes that women can be faithful. More justice can be seen in the story of Morgiana: she is rewarded for her faithful service by freedom and marriage with her former master’s son (Oliver and Hamilton 20).

The issue of race in the stories

Indeed, the “1001 Nights” begins with women having illicit sex with black slaves. The issue of race may arise in this respect, but it should be pointed out that white slaves also feature in the book. In general, it is obvious that, at the time, gender, racial or social equality was out of the question.

Man’yoshu

How does the natural imagery create both a scaffolding and a narrative sequence in the poem by Kakinomoto no Hitomaro?

The “Poem written by Kakinomoto no Hitomaro when he parted from his wife in the land of Iwami and came up to the capital” begins with the imagery of a seashore that is then used as a ground for similes that describe the relationship between the character and his wife. The imagery is not static as the character describes the processes of growing, crawling, curling and uncurling; still, the shore he describes is “desolate”, and desolation is the primary emotion he experiences (Ebrey and Walthall 125).

The function of the first section (lines 1-15) of the poem

The first fifteen lines of the “Poem written by Kakinomoto no Hitomaro upon seeing a dead man lying among the rocks on the island of Samine in Sanuki” are not connected to the topic of the poem; instead they are used to praise the surrounding land (Ebersole 62-63). Afterwards, the dangers of the character’s trip are described with similar pathos. The dead man appears in the middle of the poem, small, lost and forgotten on the pillow of stone, away from his home. The dangerous and beautiful land appears alien and uncaring for this man and for the character who sympathizes with him.

The poet’s development of imagery in the “Dialogue on Poverty”

In the “Dialogue on Poverty”, the first part is devoted to the misery of poverty of a single man, while in the second part the poverty of a family is shown, where the grief of starvation and cold (shown by the lack of fire and the spider-web in the cauldron) is multiplied with the fear of not being able to provide for the dear ones. The single image of the envoy, a bird flying away, seems to show the fear and rejection of the images in the poem (Katō and Sanderson 36-37).

Works Cited

Ebersole, Gary L. Ritual Poetry and the Politics of Death in Early Japan. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1989. Print.

Ebrey, Patricia Buckley, and Anne Walthall. East Asia. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2014. Print.

Katō, Shūichi, and Don Sanderson. A History of Japanese Literature. Richmond, Surrey: Japan Library, 1997. Print.

Marzolph, Ulrich. The Arabian Nights Reader. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2006. Print.

Oliver, Peter, and Tessa Hamilton. Tales from 1001 Nights. Newmarket, England: Brimax Books, 1988. Print.

Wang, Robin. Images of Women in Chinese Thought and Culture. Indianapolis: Indianapolis/Cambrige, 2003. Print.

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