Billy Ray Blog #12

Dr. Zaru’s lecture on Arabic folktales was very informative, and I learned how the Arabic tales are similar, yet different from the ones we have studied. Arabic started as an oral language in Pre-Islam. The storytellers of this time were usually men, and they were typically poets or musicians. I learned that telling these tales is a dying tradition in the area now, while before these stories were told and celebrated during the Holy Month of Ramadan. Dr. Zaru taught us what the Jamaa el Fina is too, and I thought it was very interesting to see her experience of her travels to and from her home in Palestine.
Dr. Zaru explained how most of these tales usually recount stories of national and tribal heros. Like the fairytales we have read, the Arabic tales also have certain characteristics. Some similarities to the ones we have read are how the tales are how they are entertaining, vary in style, sometimes have a moral lesson, and shed light onto human behavior. The tales are different for a few reasons thought. One reason, being that these tales usually have a frame story that spins off into a web of tales. Another difference is how the tales start. We usually hear “Once Upon A Time,” but Arabic tales start with “Kan ya ma kan,” which basically means the same thing.

Arabic Fairy Tales also differ because their introductions, which are called “farsheh,” are longer. Farsheh is the Arabic word for a soft padding or mattress. The other main difference is that in these tales, personal aspirations cede before family demands, welfare, and honor. Overall, I was able to see the similarities and differences between Fairy Tales we have read this semester and the five tales Dr. Zaru mentioned. It was very interesting to see how culturally different America is from the region of Palestine Dr. Zaru grew up in.

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