The second portion of The Voyages of Sindbad were just as adventure filled as the first. His last handful of voyages did beg the question as to why Sindbad would ever leave the safety of his country again after all he had been through. Sindbad explains at the beginning of each voyage that the desire to explore the world and gain riches is what drives him forward for each journey. However, the last voyage he went on was different, and this caught my attention.
This voyage was notable from the start. Sindbad had finally given up his life on the sea to stay grounded with his friends and family in his home country of Bagdad. Unfortunately for him, the Caliph requested, which really meant more of commanded, him to go to offer presents to a rich man on an island as a gracious thanks for the rich man's previous gifts. Since Sindbad had been their means of contact before, the Caliph specifically wanted Sindbad to go. So Sindbad goes, but due to pirates, he gets sold into slavery. Surprisingly, Sindbad takes to slavery pretty well, so apparently he was treated more humanely than I have been taught slaves are treated. This led to him hunting elephants for their tusks to make profit off the ivory. The characters that really caught me off guard were the elephants. I was not sure why they decided to deal with Sindbad non-violently. They surrounded him, took him out of a tree, and placed him in their graveyard. Sindbad attributed this to the elephants not wanting to be killed anymore, so they gave up their dead. As a human, this did not make sense to me. Revenge often seems to be the path that humans lean towards, so maybe this is why the elephants' behavior seemed odd to me. Their choice did ultimately lead to their extended survival for a time, so maybe the elephants made the right choice.
This voyage was notable from the start. Sindbad had finally given up his life on the sea to stay grounded with his friends and family in his home country of Bagdad. Unfortunately for him, the Caliph requested, which really meant more of commanded, him to go to offer presents to a rich man on an island as a gracious thanks for the rich man's previous gifts. Since Sindbad had been their means of contact before, the Caliph specifically wanted Sindbad to go. So Sindbad goes, but due to pirates, he gets sold into slavery. Surprisingly, Sindbad takes to slavery pretty well, so apparently he was treated more humanely than I have been taught slaves are treated. This led to him hunting elephants for their tusks to make profit off the ivory. The characters that really caught me off guard were the elephants. I was not sure why they decided to deal with Sindbad non-violently. They surrounded him, took him out of a tree, and placed him in their graveyard. Sindbad attributed this to the elephants not wanting to be killed anymore, so they gave up their dead. As a human, this did not make sense to me. Revenge often seems to be the path that humans lean towards, so maybe this is why the elephants' behavior seemed odd to me. Their choice did ultimately lead to their extended survival for a time, so maybe the elephants made the right choice.
Bibliography
Seventh and Last Voyage, The Arabian Nights' Entertainments by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1898)
Image Information: Elephant by Michelle Gadd/USFWS
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