Reading Notes: The Voyages of Sindbad, Part A


Sindbad: First Voyage

There are certainly some interesting twists to this story so far. I will say, upon reading this specific story, although it has been likened to the Odyssey, it does not quite possess the same features of entertainment. I'm hoping this will change throughout the narrative. At the beginning, I almost noticed some prodigal son-esque features - a young man who squanders all of his wealth. However, the predominant feature of the narrative thus far is that the crew of a ship mistakenly takes a large whale for an island. In the chaos of the whale going back under water, Sindbad becomes separated from the crew and lands upon some cliffs, meeting inhabitants soon thereafter. A funny twist would be to tell the story from the whale's perspective. Also, had Sindbad not met the inhabitants when he did, his story would be very different!

Sindbad: First Voyage (continued)

The story takes a surprising twist in this episode. The Sindbad's original captain returns to his current inhabitance, and after convincing discussion, realizes that Sindbad is alive! Sindbad retrieves his belongings, gives a gift to the king, and returns to his original home richer than before he left. Several twists could add excitement to this story. First of all, I wonder what would have happened had the captain decided not to believe Sindbad? Perhaps he could be an evil character, and Sindbad would have to sneak back onto his ship to retrieve his packages.

Sindbad: Second Voyage

 Sindbad chooses to leave the safety of his home and his riches, only to again fall into despair. He is left again on an island and comes into contact with an enormous bird named a roc! Through a turn of events, he winds up in a valley of diamonds guarded by snakes. I find it funny that something as valuable as a diamond is of no use to him in his situation! An interesting twist might be if the snakes actually proved friendly to him and offered to help him on his adventure.

Bibliography:
"The Arabian Nights' Entertainments: The Voyages of Sindbad" by Andrew Lang: online link

Image Information: Sindbad floating on a raft.
Image: Wikimedia

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