Paper #2: The Machiavellian Nights (only required if you took Exam #1)

Paper #2: The Machiavellian Nights

Though superficially quite different works, both the Tales from the 1,001 Nights and Machiavelli’s The Prince each embody the concept of Humanism as it emerged in the late Medieval Period and flowered during the Italian Renaissance.  Shifting away from the epic, which showcases the struggles of gods, kings, and princes, these works focus on common men and women, and the ‘real’ struggles of ruling a kingdom.  Not surprisingly, we find some consistent themes in both works, chief among them a mistrust of those in power, a cynical view of mankind, and the phrase from Ma’aruf the Cobbler, “where candour fails, cunning thrives.” 

For your paper, I want you to explore how the Tales from the 1,001 Nights seems to illustrate many of Machiavelli’s principles in large or small ways.  Discuss a few tales/characters and analyze how they seem to reflect Machiavelli’s philosophy, whether in their use of manipulating or cunning, or simply how they come from the same world (a world where you can’t trust your fellow man—especially your friends and family!). 

The trick to this paper is showing us how we can read one book in terms of another, so be sure to quote ideas from The Prince to help illustrate situations in the Nights.  Also quote passages from The Nights so we can ‘see’ the connections you’re making.  In short, the more you can make specific connections, the stronger your paper will be.  Try not to be too literal in your analysis; you don’t have to focus only on leaders or people who rule; The Prince is also a way to view the world, to understand human psychology, and to protect yourself from people out to do you in (which we see in many of the stories in the Nights). 

ALSO: assume you’re writing to people who have read both works, so you don’t need to engage in plot summary or lengthy summaries of characters/situations.  Instead, get right to the discussion of the “Machiavellian” elements in the Nights.  You can also show us ways that the Nights seem to offer a slightly more optimistic view of humanity/power (if you think they do), but again, you’ll have to show us this very clearly rather than just suggesting it. 

REQUIREMENTS

• At least 3-4 pages, but you can do more if you like
• Quote from both books, in enough detail to make specific connections
• Introduce quotations (“As Machiavelli discusses in Chapter 8,”) and discuss them so your readers can understand (a) why you quoted it, and (b) how you interpret the quotation.
• Be sure to include a Works Cited page for both works. 
• DUE Monday, November 3^rd by 5pm 

For Monday: The Prince, pp.56-85

For Monday: Machiavelli’s The Prince, pp. 56-85

1. Considering that the prince’s only business is war, how does Machiavelli regard neutrality?  Can a prince remain neutral when two neighboring states go to war?  If not, which side should he support?  Why might this be one of the most significant decisions a prince can make?

2. What does it mean when Machiavelli writes, “Men in general judge by their eyes rather than by their hands” (58)?  How might this underline Machiavelli’s essential advice to the prince—and to any Renaissance gentleman who desires power? 

3. In a world of turncoats, flatterers, and assassins, whom should a prince turn to for advice?  What considerations does Machiavelli urge when compiling a prince’s personal staff?  Why might this decision make or break a prince’s rule?

4. Toward the end of the book, Machiavelli writes that “because fortune is a woman...if she is to be submissive it is necessary to beat and coerce her” (81).  Why does Machiavelli personify fortune as a woman, and what does it mean to “beat” fortune as a woman?  (as a side note, what do you think this says about Renaissance culture?) 

For Friday: Machiavelli, The Prince, pp.32-58 (through Ch.18)

For Friday: Machiavelli, The Prince, pp. 32-58 (through Chapter 18)

Just ONE question this time, but an important one: 

In Chapter 14, Machiavelli writes that “A prince, therefore, must have no other object or thought, nor acquire skill in anything, except war, its organization, and its discipline.  The art of war is all that is expected of a ruler” (47).  Why is war more important than anything else, especially considering the ideals of the “Renaissance gentleman” that all men are supposed to embody?  How does this advice tie into what we’ve read so far, and explain Machiavelli’s fundamental view of the world—and controlling the world?  

For Wednesday: Machiavelli's The Prince, pp.3-32

For Wednesday: Machiavelli's The Prince, pp.3-32

Answer TWO of the following: 

1. The term “Machiavellian” is an adjective used often in politics in our own time, and it comes from Machiavelli’s The Prince.  Based on your reading of the first few chapters, what do you think this adjective means, and what ideas/passages might it be based on?  Be specific.

2. What advice in general does Machiavelli offer the “prince” about men and mankind in general?  Consider the passage from chapter 6 that begins, “Men nearly always follow the tracks made by others and proceed in their affairs by imitation.”  Why is this information about human nature important for a ruler to know? 

3. What advice does Machiavelli give a ruler who conquers a foreign land?  What is the best way to keep this land under your control?  Likewise, what is the easiest way to lose it?  Do you think modern military strategists would agree with this advice?

4.  Shockingly, Machiavelli believes that a ruler should be cruel or downright immoral when necessary.  As he says in Chapter 8, the question is whether cruelty is “used well or badly.”  What does he mean by this, and related to question #2, why might human nature insist that rules be occasionally cruel to their subjects?  

For Wednesday: The Tale of Ma'aruf the Cobbler & Epilogue (pp.372-407)

Be sure to read the final story in our collection of Tales of the 1,001 Nights, as well as the Epilogue to find out if Shahrazad lives or dies!  No questions this time, though I will open class with an in-class writing prompt that covers some aspect of the story (so be sure to read!).  

Remember, this is our last class until Fall Break, so if you come tomorrow you can skip Friday without penalty!  :)

For Friday: No Class! (What?)

Sorry,  I actually have to cancel class on Friday due to repairs on my house.  However, you probably wanted a break anyway, right?  Please come back on Monday and I'll simply push what I was going to do on Friday to then.  Remember the Fall Break is approaching, so you only have 2 days next week--so come to both (don't make Wednesday your Friday)!  

Also, Mid-Term grades should soon be available.  If you're not happy with your grade, remember that we have a lot of work left, and some of you only had a "revise" grade for Paper #1.  So revise this and your grade will change substantially.  Please let me know if you have questions or concerns, however.  See you next week!

For Wednesday: The Tale of Judar and His Brothers, pp.330-371

For Wednesday: The Tale of Judar and His Brothers (pp.330-371)

Answer TWO of the following…

1. In some ways, this seems like the oldest of all the stories we’ve read in this collection, and the one that sounds the most Biblical.  What ideas/characters in this story sound familiar from the Old Testament, and why might this story be more about faith than the previous ones?

2. Since this story seems older/more faith-driven than the previous stories, how does it regard magic and the spirit world?  It doesn’t deny that these things exist, and indeed, allows believers to make free use of them.  And yet, are these things ‘good’ or useful to a true believer?  Who should use them—when—and how?  (also, how might this also relate to other writers of fantasy in our own time, such as C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkein)? 

3. The story ends in a potentially tragic way, which is unusual for the stories in this collection.  Why do you think it ends with Judar dying and his evil brother (briefly) being crowned king?  Why is a ‘bad’ ending important to the story (and maybe to Shahrazad’s story, too)? 

4. Considering that this story is written from the lower class point of view, what does it say about the ‘common man’s’ perspective of life?  If this a fairy tale for the poor, instead of the rich, what ideas and values does it encompass?  Why might this, too, be a lesson for the great King listening to Shahrazad’s tales?  

For Monday: Sinbad the Sailor and Sinbad the Porter (pp.113-162)

The 1947 Hollywood version of Sinbad 

For Monday: Sinbad the Sailor and Sinbad the Porter (pp.113-162)

Answer TWO of the following...

Like “The Barber’s Tales,” the stories of Sinbad basically tell the same story over and over again with slight variations.  Why is this?  What general theme or idea runs through all Seven Voyages of Sinbad?  Are these stories meant to be rousing adventure tales, or are they allegorical, meaning that the stories have symbolic meaning (which is why they’re repeated so often)? 

2. Throughout the tales, both Sinbad and the other sailors claim “that which Allah has ordained must surely come to pass” (131).  Do these stories believe in the idea of a Divine Fate like the Greeks that cannot be bargained with or avoided?  Or does Sinbad represent a contradiction to the idea of a single, unwavering destiny for each man and woman?  Discuss a specific example to support your answer. 

3. If Sinbad is the hero of these tales, what makes him heroic?  Is he a moral, Allah-fearing man who always does the right thing?  Is he intelligent and resourceful?  Or just damn lucky?  What qualities do you think the stories want us to see and appreciate?  Discuss at least one example where we see this. 

4. Why might Shahrazad tell these stories to the King (besides trying to save her life)?  How might they connect to the overall frame narrative, and what ideas/themes might she be trying to ‘teach’ to the King to reform him?  Is the King like Sinbad—or is she?  

For Friday: Tales of the 1,001 Nights (pp.15-76)

For Friday: Tales from the Thousand and One Nights: Prologue and The Hunchback’s Tale (pp.15-76)

Answer TWO of the following...

1. What might be the benefit of telling a story using a frame narrative (that is, a basic story that has several stories within it)?  How might this allow the author(s) to show us more about this society than any one story could?  Also, how does it change how we interpret each story when we remember that the King’s doomed wife, Shahrazad, is really telling all the stories? 

2. What do you feel is the purpose of the Barber telling the stories of his Six Brothers?  While some stories are quite comic, others are tragic and even disturbing in their bad luck and cruelty.  How might these stories reflect the Barber’s view of the world, and do you feel he’s telling them all to make a point—or is it merely an example of his inability to shut up? 

3. In the Prologue, we are introduced to the favorite theme of the Ancient/Medieval world: faithless women.  How is this theme developed in “The Hunchback’s Tale”?  If these stories reflect the medieval Islamic view, how do they view/depict women in their culture?  Is it much different from what we encountered in Sappho and The Iliad?  Do they have more freedom?  Less?  Are the ideas more modern?  Less? 

4. Even though The Tales of the Thousand and One Nights is from the Islamic world, how much do you feel it reflects a Muslim outlook?  In other words, is it a text that seems concerned with advocating a strict Muslim view of the world?  Or is the presence of Islam just another frame to contain numerous views, ideas, and stories?  Discuss a specific story or detail to support your answers.