King Schahriar and his Brother

1.What kind of world do we enter as we read this story ? In this story the world is very different to the one we know, and also contrasts with the necklace. It could be described as black and white, with no shades of grey. The reason for this is that it is very clear cut, there is no way of getting around things, it is done one way and stays that way. An example of this is the grand-vizir. You have to do what the Sultan says and there is no way of getting round him.

This then ties in to the obedience of this world, and absolute ruler. The King is in charge, no one else gets to make decisions, and what he says goes. The King in this story is very strict, but also is clear and talks about the consequences.

The grand-vizir is told by the king “You will have to take her life yourself. If you refuse, I swear your head shall pay the forfeit.

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”, meaning that if he does not do what he is told, he shall die as well. In our country there is no absolute ruler, there are different levels of hierarchy, which do not stick and can change, unlike in this world where the Sultan will always be a family member and any other person in the kingdom must do what they say. This story is similar to the Necklace as Madame Loisel changes her ways, from being a selfish women, and changing into a person who works hard and is thankful for what she gets.

This is the like King Schahriar as he is selfish at first, as he kills everyone, but once he realises that what he is doing is wrong, and he falls in love with Scheherazade, he changes to be a better person.

2.What Kind of heroine do we meet in Scheherazade?

Scheherazade is smart in the way she asks her father something, she asks him to grant her it to her before she tells him what she would like him to do for her. This shows that Scheherazade is a smart and cunning girl, but also know how to get what she wants. In the world which they are living in it is very unusual for a women to become the heroine in a patriarchal world. Heroines in the modern world use their physical force to become the heroine. This is unlike Scheherazade who uses her in and self control to become the heroine. Dinazade contrast with her sister very much, “she had no particular gifts”, and was just a normal person.

This is a contrast to Scheherazade, as she is “clever and courageous in the highest degree...bests masters in philosophy, medicine, history and the fine arts.”. She was more beautiful “that of any girl in the kingdom of Persia”. Scheherazade could be described as the deliverer, she said, “I am determined to stop this barbarous practice of the Sultan’s, and to deliver the girls and mothers from the awful fate that hangs over them.” The reason that she is the deliverer, is that she is willing to put her life on the line to save her kingdom, this also shows that she is very selfless.

3. Comment on the following three aspects of the writer’s use of language, using the exact wording of the given openings to help you, and making sure you quote in the course of each one.

A repeated characteristic of the writer’s language is his use of superlatives, showing a world in which everything is intensified by being pushed to extremes. The writer uses superlatives like “her beauty excelled that of any girl in the kingdom of Persia.” He does this to show that this world only has the extremes, there are no things placed in the middle. Everything that was normal is now extremes, people had to have “the finest dresses” to be the best and have “the most beautiful jewels”.

Linked to the writer’s frequent superlatives is his repeated use of balance and antitheses, which creates a sense of things being opposed to each other in very strong ways. The change of the Sultans character is one way of showing the opposites, the Sultan use to be loved and was given “blessings”. He had now changed and was given “curses”, this is a quick change from the Sultan and shows antitheses. There is also a contrast between Scheherazade and Dinarzarde, Scheherazade is “clever and courageous in the highest degree”, whilst Dinarzade “had no particular gifts to distinguish her from other girls”. This is real and only true in this world as now no one is perfect, some people are better at things and others, this is a balance as one is intelligent and one is the opposite.

The speech of Scheherazade is measured, formal and courteous at all times, giving a sense of a character who is polite and has self control. Scheherazade politely says to her father, “I have a favor to ask of you. Will you grant it to me?”. By asking her father to give and answer before she says what it is shows, that she is intelligent and cunning. She can also be strong in what she means, “ Then listen,” she goes on to show composure, even when she is talking about death that could be brought upon her.

Scheherazade could be described as a very persuasive girl, as she always knows the right way to say something so that she can get what she whats. “It is you who have to provide the Sultan daily with a fresh wife, and I implore you, by all the the affection you bear me, to allow the honour to fall upon me.” Scheherazade uses word and phrases like “implore” and “by all the affection you bear me”.