These are my thoughts on The Voyages of Sinbad....
First Voyage:
First of all, this storytelling style is much different than my other units. I like that Sinbad is telling his story firsthand, by telling to poor man also named Sinbad, because you get to see his emotion and reactions to his situations. Then, it is really bad luck that he mistook a whale for an island and was left by his friends, but it is great luck that he drifted to another inhabited island.
First Voyage (cont.):
I'm sure that ancient sailors would have led pretty interesting lives. They would be the ones to tell and listen to stories from across the world at the ports they come to, just like Sinbad. King Mihrage does a good job of looking after Sinbad, until his old companions show up. But was it all a mirage, like the King's name would suggest?
Second Voyage:
This guy has some horrible luck! After being abandoned again though, he finds a massive egg belonging to a massive bird, the roc. This bird carries him to a strange island full of diamonds and huge snakes. I wonder how he gets out of trouble this time?
Second Voyage (cont.):
So he ends up tying a piece of meat to his back, then an eagle grabs him and drops him in its eerie, where he is found by another group of merchants? And along the way he picks up some massive diamonds? Then on the return journey he sees the roc carry off a rhino and an elephant? These stories are ridiculous!
Third Voyage:
At least Sinbad doesn't get abandoned this time. Instead, he and his companions get marooned on an island full of red-haired dwarves, who steal their ship. Then, the find their way into the castle of a one-eyed, black monster, who roasts their captain on a spit before eating him.
Third Voyage (cont.):
Blinding the monster is, I would say, the first heroic thing Sinbad does. However, his bold plan to escape on rafts is undone when many other monsters appear and destroy them with large stones. Of course though, he makes it out alive, only to wash up on an island inhabited by a large snake.
These stories certainly all follow the same-ish pattern. Sinbad is again rescued by a boat that knows him previously, only thinking he was dead. Then he reveals himself to be alive. Also, I noticed that most of his stories have no survivors, other than himself, to verify his claims.
Fourth Voyage:
Same old, same old. Sinbad gets stuck on an island full of black cannibals, only to escape and be rescued. Again he is taken to the city of a king. There he makes the important men saddles, which they had never seen, and for which he is richly rewarded.
Fourth Voyage (cont.):
The community Sinbad has found has an extremely bizarre law: when one spouse dies, the other is buried with, even though they are alive. Unfortunately for Sinbad, his new found wife dies, and he is lowered into a pit with only seven loaves of break and a pitcher of water to comfort him.
Fourth Voyage (end):
In order to survive his confinement, Sinbad begins killing the living person who is lowered into the pit. Then he takes their bread and water in order to survive. Finally, after some time, he follows some animal through a crack in the rock out to the sea. Again, he is picked up by a passing ship and returned to his hometown.
Fifth Voyage:
There is certainly a recurring theme of Sinbad being discontent with the safe life at his home, which leads him on another voyage, but he always comes to regret his decision. I wonder what the deal is with the "old man" who is riding him like a horse?
Fifth Voyage (cont.):
Sinbad isn't your typical hero. He isn't remarkably strong or brave or any other stereotypical hero things. However he is very, very lucky, and a little bit cunning. He gets the old man drunk enough to release him, and then he earns his way back home by collecting coconuts from monkeys.
Sixth Voyage:
He never learns! But I finally realized what his heroic traits are: persistence and hopefulness. He never gives up on a situation, no matter how bad it looks. That's why he builds the raft that carries him through the mysterious river.
Sixth Voyage (cont.):
Another motif, Sinbad always seems to find himself in the favor of the king. This time, Sinbad finds himself, or so he claims, in the land of paradise that Adam was banished from. After some time there, he asks to leave and the king grants his request.
Sixth Voyage (end):
So the King of the Indies sends Sinbad as a messenger to his own King. Sinbad bears incredible gifts to his King, and the King asks him if this other King exaggerates his wealth. Sinbad then verifies the grandeur of that King's wealth and retires.
Seventh and Last Voyage:
After vowing to never leave, the Caliph orders Sinbad to return the favor of the King of the Indies. All goes well, until the return trip. Then Sinbad is taken by pirates and sold as a slave to a rich merchant, where he is ordered to kill an elephant.
Seventh and Last Voyage (cont.):
Tired of Sinbad killing their own, the elephants lead him to their burial ground, because they know that ivory is all that he was after. So, the merchant sets him free and allows him to return home. Finally, Sinbad is done with his voyages, and lives happily at home.
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