Thousand One Nights

Thousand One Nights Do you see The Thousand and One Nights as essentially an entertainment? Antoine Galland was the man responsible for the introduction of ‘the thousand and one nights to the western world. This bizarre combination of magic, love, hate, evil and the uncanny did not begin its literary career based on its highly valued scholarly merit but rather on its ability to delight and entertain. This enormous collection of oriental tales whose origins range from Persia to Syria begin with the story of the wife of king Shahryar who in a bid for survival tells him stories in order to survive the night. This element of a tale within a tale runs throughout the whole of the Arabian night tales which at times creates confusion for the reader who finds himself struggling to keep up. Although eighteenth century readers merely saw the tales devoid of any substantial literary value one can see that from the very beginning of this massive volume of tales, certain allegories concerning life are depicted. Scheherazades way of talking herself through danger can be analysed in two different ways. The first being that Scheherazade, is merely depicting the most common and universal human trait when dealing with danger. This could be easily seen as ‘talking ones way out of trouble. The second would be that through Scheherazade, a certain statement is being made regarding the nature of a successful marriage. Communication, it is implied, is the key to the survival of a marriage. With such allegorical implementations regarding life conveyed in only the very beginning of ‘The Thousand and One Arabian Nights it is then only wise that the tales should be read keeping in mind that entertainment may not be their only contribution to the reader. One point that I believe should be made early on regarding ‘the thousand and one nights is that since the tales were introduced during the Victorian period they would have been ‘fumigated thus effectively removing any erotic and highly graphical offensive material from the text .The term ‘Lost in translation would not be out of place in this case, as not only would have offending material been dispersed but certain elements regarding life in the east would have easily become distorted or have lost their value during the process of translation. As in effect this would have created a loss of important material perhaps of high scholarly value. It is then perhaps not surprising that it wasnt till the beginning of the twentieth century that scholars and critics begun to recognise more than just mere entertainment within the pages of the ‘The thousand and one Arabian nights Stories if narrated well enough have always found ground to delight, yet rarely are they told with out the narrator implying a certain meaning. In that sense they become didactic. Scheherazade is not the only story teller within ‘the thousand and one tales. Many characters within the tales contribute towards this didactic theme. An example would be Scheherazades own father the Wazir who in an effort to warn his daughter against the foolishness of marrying the Sultan begins to tell the tale of ‘The bull and the ass. These extravagant tales that are a resort of wanting to deliver a certain kind of message are similar to those used in fairytales. One could suppose these to be the oriental fairytales equivalent and as heavy in social history as the western fairytales. Also by allowing different characters of different backgrounds to deliver these messages there is an underlying idea that all people, regardless of who they are have a contribution to make in this life. This is an example of how these Arabian tales are able to not only represent life and the experiences that surround life itself but to do so whilst at the same time managing to bypass any cultural and linguistic boundaries. These messages become universal, addressing all important aspects of human life such as love, death good and evil and the constant search for immortality. The repeative development of these values throughout the subsequent tales within the Arabian nights only helps to strengthen and highlight the weight they command on every aspect of human life. Other than parallel life the Arabian tales are rich in material regarding the life and beliefs of the Arabic world. The oppression of women is shown in the sultans ability to wed a virgin each day and then kill her in the morning. His actions are not judged nor to create any kind of opposition whatsoever showing both the immense power that was placed in the hands of the king whereas at the same time also portraying the notion that the fates and lives of women lay in the hands of their husbands. Even so characters like Scheherazade are crucial at conveying that a woman was not completely powerless .A womans power lay in her cunning and ability to successfully manoeuvre and shape instances so that to achieve her own goal. Scheherazades ability to remain alive night after night is a prime example of this. If we were to consider tales such as ‘The bull and the ass certain other motifs become apparent. There seems to be an ongoing repetition throughout the Arabian tales concerning the theme of wit. This would point to the belief that wit and cunning were valued highly as characteristic elements, able to allow survival in the cruelty people faced everyday in their lives. Such beliefs are shown through the advice the ass gives to the bull. The ass begins by advising the bull to feign madness in order to escape the harshness of the plough. Yet once the ass realises his actions have merely jeopardised his own happiness he reverts to wit in order to save his skin. Later on the words of the cockerel are crucial in saving the merchants own life as he realises his wifes stubbornness in wanting to know his secret will only lead to his demise. Other than the importance of cunning and wisdom there is also numerous religious references leading to the conclusion that religion was carried great value in the Arabic world. As the religious references are many and at times devised of lengthy quotations this would also point towards the notion that not only did religion feature daily in the Arabic world but that most people had an extensive knowledge of it, in fact so extensive that they were able to quote extracts on the spot. The ‘A thousand and one nights are written in a simple language, this leads me to believe that the religious proverbs must have been widely known and not restricted to ‘holy or ‘religious men. Such was then the hold of religion upon the eastern Arabic world. All the above themes as well as others can be seen through another tale within ‘A thousand and One nights this being ‘The Fisherman and the Jinni. Cunning and wisdom again are emphasised with the life of the fisherman relying on his abilities to outwit the Jinni. ‘This is a Jinni; and I am a man to whom Allah hath given a passably cunning wit, so I will now cast about to compass his destruction by my contrivance and by mine intelligence; even as he took counsel only of his malice and his forwardness Within the above quote the importance of intelligence is clearly seen as is also the theme of how brute force and malice are not always effective in overcoming another. Something else that can be perceived throughout the ‘Tale of the Fisherman and the Jinni is the same notion seen through Scheherazade, that good communication skills were regarded as vital within the Arabic world. So vital, that they could have secured your life. Communication and the at of language is a characteristic that sets us above the mere existence of beasts, for the ability to structure speech goes hand in hand with the ability to think. The themes of good and evil as also that of kindness and cruelty are seen clearly within his tale. There is the underlying message through the Jinnis harshness that cruelty breeds cruelty. The injustice and cruelty that the Jinni suffered in being imprisoned in a jar for thousands of years turns him cruel. This could be parallel to the belief that it is society in itself that breeds evil rather than a person being born evil. Something also seen in King Shahryar who is seen as a noble honest king at the beginning of the tales only to turn harsh and cruel once he experiences hurt and injustice. With such elements as the themes of justice, honour ,good and evil and the ability of the ‘A thousand and one Nights to parallel life in itself we cannot suppose them to be merely delightful entertainment for they provide much more than that. They are as mentioned before the equivalent of the western fairytales as they incorporate all the elements expected in a fairytale as is simple language, morality and magic they are also proof that the need for man to teach and relate morality and certain life values was not limited to what was supposed the western ‘civilised world but was a reoccurring phenomenon that stretched across the globe. Bibliography Primary Reading Sir Richard F. Burton, Tales from 1001 Arabian nights, Ed translated by F. Burton, Jaico Publishing house

Caring for a Person With Dementia Essay example -- Dementia and Aggres

Introduction Dementia is an umbrella term used to explain the gradual decline in multiple areas of functions, which includes thinking, perception, communication, memory, languages, reasoning, and the ability to function (Harrison-Dening 2013). Worldwide, 47.5 million people have dementia and there are 7.7 million new cases every year. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and may contribute to 60–70% of cases. (Alzheimer's society 2014). The complexity of dementia presents a number of behavioural challenges to those who live with dementia and their care providers. Aggressive behaviour seems to be one of the most prevalent challenging behaviours in the different stages of dementia (Weitzel et al 2011). As acute care settings are not the best places for people afflicted with dementia , it is necessary to empower the hospitalised people with dementia and their family members. As nurses are often the central core of care, they should have the potential of positive long-term effect on the lives of people with dementia (Harrison-Dening 2013). Inadequate training, lack of specialised education, negative attitudes and poor practice development can precipitate a failure in the delivery of high-quality care for the hospitalised dementia people (Chater & Hughes 2012). Brain Activity Changes Dementia progressively affects almost all brain functions, including the control of motor function (Plosker & Gauthier 2009). The cell damage leads to tissue shrinkage and limited function in the brain's frontal and temporal lobes, which control emotions, planning, and reasoning, judgment, speaking, understanding and controlling movements (Narvid et al 2009). Consequently people with dementia may suffer the difficulty of solving p... ...rnal Of The Australasian Rehabilitation Nurses' Association (JARNA), 14(3), 8-12. McKay, A., O'Neil, M., & McMonigle, A. (2008). Managing challenging patient behaviors. Journal Of Continuing Education In Nursing, 39(9), 390-391 Plosker, G., & Gauthier, S. (2009). Cerebrolysin: a review of its use in dementia. Drugs & Aging, 26(11), 893-915 Narvid J, M. L. Gorno-Tempini , A. Slavotinek , S. J. DeArmond , Y. H. Cha , B. L. Miller & K.Rankin (2009) Of brain and bone: The unusual case of Dr. A, Neurocase: The Neural Basis of Cognition, 15:3, 190-205. Whall AL; Colling KB; Kolanowski A; Kim H; Hong GS; DeCicco B; Ronis DL; Richards KC; Algase D; Beck C; (2008)Factors associated with aggressive behavior among nursing home residents with dementia.Gerontologist, 2008 Dec; 48 (6): 721-31

Political Philosophy and Aristotle Essay

When looking at the way Aristotle viewed the world and comparing it to the British Tradition you first need an understanding of each. In this paper I want to first discuss what I’ve learned about Aristotle, The British Tradition, and then compare and contrast the two. Aristotle was a disciple of Plato, but they saw society a bit differently. Plato would be considered in this day and age as someone who believes in collectivism. A collectivist believes that the needs of society as a whole are more important than the needs of the individual. On the other hand, Aristotle would have been a supporter of individualism. Individualism refers to the philosophy that an individual should have freedom in his or her economic and political pursuits. In contrast to collectivism, individualism stresses that the interests of the individual should take precedence over the interests of the state. You could say that Aristotle believed in democracy. â€Å"The best state could signify one that is conceived according to an abstract ideal; one that is considered best for human communities in general; one that is best for a particular community under given conditions; or one that, while in no sense ideal, is as good as can be attained under the circumstances. † (Levine PG. 108) Aristotle also believed in three domains. The first domain is personal action or â€Å"ethos†. This is an idea to live by. Aristotle though that people were simple enough that we could live by one code or ethos. Aristotle called this â€Å"The Good Life†. The second domain is household or â€Å"oikos†. This is economics or how to manage a household. Aristotle believed that the goal in the household should be different from the goals of the other domains. â€Å"In the household, for example, a man should manifest different concerns toward children as their father than toward his wife as her husband, and he should be able to acquire, preserve, improve, and properly utilize property. The responsibilities of the head of a polis differ from those of a head of household, and rulers should discharge them in ways to attend to the welfare of all its members, not just one or a few. † (Levine Pg. 118) The third domain is city state or â€Å"polis†. This also stood for politics. Aristotle believed that we live in groups so naturally we have to make decisions together, therefore we have to be political beings. Of course this is where Aristotle sounds much like one of the founding fathers of our country. He thought women were too irrational for politics and that slaves and common workers were too busy to be involved. Aristotle believed that to be politically involved you needed free time to develop the necessary skills and knowledge. In other words Aristotle was an elitist democrat. Aristotle’s social theory was to create an environment conducive to good habits. He believed that we were are good by nature. In this environment we can then develop our virtues. He also believed that everyone had potential, but actualizing that potential was difficult. He also believed that public deliberation among those with virtuous habits and developed reasoning skills was good for society. As far as the British Tradition goes, they believe in a fixed human nature and that there are predictable social outcomes based on this human nature. I’ll focus on three different Brits and their different views on human propensities and how they affect society. Hobbes believed that humans were naturally bad and born with selfish propensities. He believed that this could only lead to a negative outcome, unless someone with absolute power were to control society. I believe Hobbes would be somewhat totalitarian or perhaps be someone who was in favor of some sort of martial law. Locke on the other hand was basically the opposite of Hobbes. He believed people were pretty nice and this would lead to beneficial consequences for everyone. â€Å"Locke endeavored to refute the Hobbesian defense of political absolutism. In so doing, he introduced two notions that would guide centuries of British revisionism: that the human animal manifests socially benign dispositions, and that human selfish dispositions can have socially benign consequences. † (Levine Pg. 130) The third Brit that I’ll look at is Smith. He is essentially split between Hobbes and Locke. Smith believes that humans do have natural selfish propensities, but that these propensities are to the benefit of society. So when comparing Aristotle to the British Tradition it’s obvious that there are some pretty big differences. Aristotle didn’t believe in a fixed human nature like the Brits. Aristotle would say that you are a product of the society in which you are raised. A good society will produce good citizens, and bad society will have the opposite effect. Aristotle would also argue that at any point during a persons life they can make the decision to develop their potentials and become a better person. The Brits on the other hand believed that you were either born good or bad and based on that there would be predictable outcomes.

The Major Classical Theorists Influenced The Economics Of...

Three major classical theorists have attempted to interpret why societies change. They are Adam Smith, Max Weber, and Karl Marx (Franks, 35). These three have inspired a lot of people down the years. Adam Smith is known as the theoretical father of modern economics. In 1776, Smith argued that the â€Å"invisible hand† of the market would change the economics of a nation and it would make the nation better. In his invisible hand theory, he states that if one person strived to achieve success, then the person would simultaneously benefit people around him. The prices and quality will be determined by relationships between consumers and sellers through supply and demand (Franks, 34). In other words, the market will not be regulated by the†¦show more content†¦The history of Marxism is controversial, and the ideas have influenced a lot of men and women to address social issues. Karl Marx stated that the occurrence of capitalism brought humanity a necessary step closer to socialism and the conquest of human inequality (Frank, 30). This is an inevitable part of the development of human society. According to scholar Mario Barrera, traditional Marxists thinks that a class is a group of people who have a similar relationship in things that they use in their daily lives, such as food, houses, and appliances (Franks, 30). Also, Marxists address that each society has its own particular class structure. In addition, Marxists have defined three primary classes that currently exist in a capitalist social system, and they can be found in the United States. The first group of classes consists of capitalists, people who own and control an enormous proportion of productive property in the United States. Having productive property means being able to produce products, such as producing products that people demand. In this case, capitalists are wealthy because they hold an overwhelming amount of productive property. The second group of classes consists of workers, people who have cars, computers. cell phones, and homes, but they own little of productive property. The reason is that most of their income comes from their wages, salaries, and tips. They do not own company themselves. The third group of classes compose by the bourgeoisie, who