Exploring the theme of power in Hanan Al-Shaykh's ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ | English

Starter quiz

Match each word to its definition ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
- topic sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  the first sentence of a paragraph which states its main idea ✓
- analysis
  
  ⇔
  
  in English, commenting on why a writer made particular decisions ✓
- methods
  
  ⇔
  
  the tools a writer uses to create their work ✓
- quotation
  
  ⇔
  
  words from the text ✓
In 'One Thousand and One Nights', why might we describe King Shahrayar as a tyrant? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
- He tells boring stories.
- He listens to Shahrazad's stories.
- He threatens to kill Shahrazad. ✓
- He marries Shahrazad.
- He pardons Shahrazad at the end of the story.
In 'One Thousand and One Nights', how do we know that Shahrazad is a formidable storyteller? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
- The king is constantly interrupting her stories in the frame narrative.
- She knows how to tell stories that will captivate her audience. ✓
- She tells stories to everyone she meets.
- The king knows more stories than she does.
- The king is so eager to hear her stories that he doesn't have her killed. ✓
Starting with the first, put these plot points from 'The Fisherman and the Jinni'? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire') in chronological order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  The fisherman finds a jar which has a jinni in it.
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  The jinni threatens the fisherman with a gruesome death.
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  The fisherman manages to trick the jinni into returning to the jar.
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  With the jinni in the jar, the fisherman tells him a story about a king.
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  The fisherman's story convinces the jinni to be nice to the fisherman.
- 6
  
  ⇔
  
  The jinni rewards the fisherman with jewels.
In what ways are 'One Thousand and One Night's' characters of Shahrazad and the fisherman similar? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
- They both meet a supernatural creature.
- They both tell stories that save their lives. ✓
- They are both rewarded with jewels for telling their stories.
- They both have the same status.
- They both seek revenge on those who try and harm them.
A ______ is a device whereby a main story surrounds shorter stories. ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
- 'frame story' ✓

Exit quiz

Match each aspect of a single paragraph outline to its function ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
- topic sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  the first sentence of a paragraph stating its main idea ✓
- supporting detail
  
  ⇔
  
  references to the text ✓
- concluding sentence
  
  ⇔
  
  a final sentence which sums up the paragraph ✓
Match each piece of vocabulary to its definition ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
- wit
  
  ⇔
  
  humour, intelligence, quick-thinking ✓
- formidable
  
  ⇔
  
  powerful, strong, impressive ✓
- status
  
  ⇔
  
  your rank or position ✓
- defenceless
  
  ⇔
  
  vulnerable, powerless ✓
What is true of analysing quotations? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
- You should analyse more than one per paragraph. ✓
- You should analyse the methods used in the quotation. ✓
- You should include quotations in all topic sentences.
- You should include one long quotation per paragraph.
Analytical paragraphs should begin with a ______ which states the paragraph's main idea ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire').
- 'topic sentence' ✓
Which sentences use the word formidable (or a form of it) correctly? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
- She looked strong; I knew she would be a formidable opponent. ✓
- I formidably won the arm wrestle.
- He is a formidable chess player, and the speed with which he wins is incredible. ✓
- She was exhausted and had never felt so formidable.
Which sentences use the word wit correctly? ('Myths, legends and stories that inspire')
- The story was full of wit and everyone fell asleep.
- Shahrazad is renowned for her wit: her intelligence overpowers a king. ✓
- She kept interrupting my story to say something wit.
- She was a wit and everyone was captivated by her. ✓

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

You can make connections between the frame story of 'One Thousand and One Nights' and the folktales themselves.
The frame story and 'The Fisherman and the Jinni' both explore ideas about power.
Arguably, the frame story and 'The Fisherman and the Jinni' show the power of stories over status or physical power.
Single paragraph outlines are a way of planning an analytical paragraph.
Analytical paragraphs should include a comment on the methods a writer has used to create their work.

Common misconception

The folktales have no connection to the frame story.

The folktales are being told by Shahrazad. The fact that she is trying to save her life by telling the stories is important. But more than this, you can also make connections between the ideas, plot and characters in the folktales to the frame story.

Keywords

Methods - the tools a writer uses to create their work; simile, adjective, and adverb are all examples of methods
Analysis - in English, this means looking at something carefully and considering why it was written in that way
Wit - humour, intelligence, quick-thinking
Single paragraph outline - a way of planning an analytical paragraph by preparing the first and final sentences, as well as your quotations
Frame story - a main story that surrounds shorter stories