Reading Notes: The Voyages of Sindbad, Reading A
I really liked the unique first person narrative format of the story. I was easy to read and honestly draw my full attention while reading. Other stories that I have read before were written in Old English and old languages, so it was difficult to read and took a lot of time to find definition of the words.
Sindbad was a greedy person. Although he inherited a considerable fortune from his rich parents, he spent them carelessly and recklessly, and he had to find out a way to regain his wealth. That's how his voyage journey began. I thought it was silly that he couldn't even manage inherited wealth from his parents. Not a lot of people inherit a lot of fortune from their parents, and if the wealth is managed well, he or she could live off of that inheritance for the rest of their life. If I were Sindbad, I would have managed it better and did a lot of savings, so I wouldn't have to work for the rest of my life. I would have just played golf and enjoyed my life.
It was interesting to see how vast the scene of the story was taking place. From ocean to ocean, including the biggest ones like Persian Gulf and Arabia Felix, Sindbad had tough adventures that included wrecking and accidents.
One obvious trait of this story format was that it was written like a daily essay. Each voyage had different story and experiences, and Sindbad struggled throughout the voyages. From one excerpt, I could see how difficult was for Sindbad: "How long I slept I know not, but when I opened my eyes and started to my feet I perceived with horror that I was alone and that the ship was gone. I rushed to and fro like one distracted, uttering cries of despair, and when from the shore I saw the vessel under full sail just disappearing upon the horizon, I wished bitterly enough that I had been content to stay at home in safety."
It tells the emotional and psychological state of Sindbad during the arduous voyages, which I found very interesting. It was both physically and mentally draining for him to travel along the vast oceans of sea.
Sindbad was a greedy person. Although he inherited a considerable fortune from his rich parents, he spent them carelessly and recklessly, and he had to find out a way to regain his wealth. That's how his voyage journey began. I thought it was silly that he couldn't even manage inherited wealth from his parents. Not a lot of people inherit a lot of fortune from their parents, and if the wealth is managed well, he or she could live off of that inheritance for the rest of their life. If I were Sindbad, I would have managed it better and did a lot of savings, so I wouldn't have to work for the rest of my life. I would have just played golf and enjoyed my life.
It was interesting to see how vast the scene of the story was taking place. From ocean to ocean, including the biggest ones like Persian Gulf and Arabia Felix, Sindbad had tough adventures that included wrecking and accidents.
One obvious trait of this story format was that it was written like a daily essay. Each voyage had different story and experiences, and Sindbad struggled throughout the voyages. From one excerpt, I could see how difficult was for Sindbad: "How long I slept I know not, but when I opened my eyes and started to my feet I perceived with horror that I was alone and that the ship was gone. I rushed to and fro like one distracted, uttering cries of despair, and when from the shore I saw the vessel under full sail just disappearing upon the horizon, I wished bitterly enough that I had been content to stay at home in safety."
It tells the emotional and psychological state of Sindbad during the arduous voyages, which I found very interesting. It was both physically and mentally draining for him to travel along the vast oceans of sea.
Sindbad and Elephants. Source: illustration by H. J. Ford
Bibliography:
The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898).
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