Extra Reading Diary: Arabian Nights

For this week’s extra reading diary, I chose to read the Arabian Nights unit.  I was interested in learning more about this once I discovered that it incorporated the story of Aladdin which was always one of my favorite childhood stories.  One story that I particularly liked was Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp 1.  This story gave me more insight to the story that I already knew about Aladdin and his upbringing.  Aside from part one of the story, I really liked all of the stories of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp. 

Though the beginning of the unit was interesting, I enjoyed the second half a lot more because it told the stories I was more interested in.  Aside from the stories themselves, I also really liked the images that went along with the stories.  Even though most of the images were in black and white, they were very compelling. 

Another story I really liked was The Story of the Parrot.  I thought it was sad in the story when it said, “The husband, who knew that it had neither rained nor thundered in the night, was convinced that the parrot was not speaking the truth, so he took him out of the cage and threw him so roughly on the ground that he killed him.  Nevertheless he was sorry afterwards, for he found that the parrot had spoken the truth.”  

Disney's Aladdin

Storytelling Week 4: Forbidden Love

"Bring me my carriage," he said.  "If you cannot accept me with the one I love then I will leave.  The love I feel for her now sustains me.  I know that I am able to protect her alone, without guilt from you and the rest of my family.  It is my time now, to go on and leave this place," Siddhartha said to his father. 

Siddhartha's father knew the damage he had done was the reason for his sons leaving.  He knew that he could not go back and take back the things he said and change his sons mind.  Knowing that his words could not be unsaid and the damage could not be undone, he went to get the carriage for Siddhartha and his lady.  

The horse drawn carriage was to take Siddhartha and his lady far, far away until they could no longer see the town where their love was forbidden.  As they hopped into the carriage, they rode away, never looking back.

Hours of traveling later, Siddhartha and his lady stopped at a nearby town to look for food and water.  Once there, a very young girl asked them why they were traveling in her town.  She told them, "This is a poor town and I've never seen a carriage like that before.  I fear that you have come here out of desperation and that you are in trouble for people like you have never visited a town like this.  Please, tell me the story of your leave."  

"Young girl, I will tell you the troubles and the struggles we face but you must promise to keep them to yourself and never speak of this again for we don't want word getting back that we are on this path," said Siddhartha.  

"My family has a strict rule of not dating until you are of a certain age.  I was only 16 when I met Kara, the love of my life.  At the time, I was too young to be in love, according to my parents, so they said I was forbidden from seeing her again.  Though I tried to resist, I couldn't imagine life without her, even at 16 years old.  I couldn't stay away and frankly, I didn't want to.  She was the light of my life, we did everything together but I told my family that I wouldn't see her again.  I even swore on it.  We continued to see each other for two years until I was, under my parents rule, able to date.  On my 18th birthday, I told my parents that I would again be seeing Kara and once again, they refused and told me that I was forbidden from her, not just until I was 18 but forever.  Like I tried the one time, I wasn't able to leave her again and I promised myself that I wouldn't.  My father gave me an ultimatum; either choose Kara and leave this town or never see her again and I will let you remain part of this family.  In the end, I chose Kara, and that's how we ended up here now."  

The little girl sat there with sadness in her eyes.  She couldn't believe that someone would make their own child choose between family and love.  She told Siddhartha and Kara that she admired them for risking it all for each other and running away together to be with the one that they loved.  

Siddhartha's Departure

Authors Note: I chose to retell the story of  Siddhartha Leaves His Father's Palace for this week.  The story intrigued me but I wanted to turn it into a sort of love story.  Once I began writing, I just got carried away and lost my original inspiration for the story.  The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold (1922).

Reading Diary B: The Life of Buddha

Of the second half of my unit, one of my favorite stories was Siddhartha and King Vimbasara.  The story goes on to talk about desires and the hero goes on to say that desires mean nothing to him and that he knows peace.  There is a quote that I liked a lot and related to quite a bit.  

"I know the vanity of all desire. Desires are like poison; wise men despise them. I have thrown them away as one would throw away a wisp of dry straw. Desires are as perishable as the fruit on a tree, they are as wayward as the clouds in the sky, they are as treacherous as the rain, they are as changeable as the wind! Suffering is born of desire, for no man has ever gratified all his desires. But they that seek wisdom, they that ponder the true faith, they are the ones that find peace. Who drinks salt water increases his thirst; who flees from desire finds his thirst appeased. I no longer know desire. I seek the true law."

Buddha and the Five Source: commons.wikimedia.org

My favorite part of the quote is, "But they that seek wisdom, they that ponder the true faith, they are the ones that find peace."  I think this is very true and that like the story says, desires are like poison and that if you are wise, you know better than to engage in them and you instead despise them.  I also believe that suffering is born of desire, for no man has ever gratified all his desires.  Unlike some of the other stories, I took something away from this one.  I hope that in my other units there are aspects of the stories that I can take away and apply to my own life.  If not, I hope they at least get me thinking.  

Reading Diary A: The Life of Buddha

 After reading the first half of my unit, Life of Buddha, my favorite story I read was Birth of Siddhartha.  In the story, the queen asks King Suddhodana if she could wander in the gardens despite the King thinking she will be afraid.  I like the way the gardens are portrayed in this story and the joy she felt when she entered.  Perhaps my favorite part though is when Siddhartha is born and a song was sung.  

"They all bowed, and the brahmans, inspired by the Gods, then sang: "All creatures are happy, and they are no longer rough, those roads travelled by men, for he is born, he who gives happiness: he will bring happiness into the world. In the darkness a great light has dawned, the sun and the moon are like dying embers, for he is born, he who gives light: he will bring light into the world. The blind see, the deaf hear, the foolish have recovered their reason, for he is born, he who restores sight, and restores hearing, and restores the mind: he will bring sight, he will bring hearing, he will bring reason into the world. Perfumed zephyrs ease the suffering of mankind, for he is born, he who heals: he will bring health into the world. Flames are no longer pitiless, the flow of rivers has been stayed, the earth has trembled gently: he will be the one to see the truth.""

I also enjoyed parts of Siddhartha at the Temple.  I have studied some about the Gods Siva, Skanda, Vishnu, Kuvera, Indra and Brahma that are mentioned in this story so I liked that I had some background knowledge on these Gods as I was reading about them.  

All in all, I enjoyed all the stories in the first half of the unit but particularly liked the two I mentioned above the best.  I'm looking forward to reading the other stories as well and finding out which ones I enjoy most in the second half!