Week 5 Reading B: Arabian Nights

Aladdin was one of my favorite Disney movies growing up, so I was excited to read the original story this week. I was surprised by how different this version was, and especially how differently Aladdin was characterized between the two. In the first part of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, Aladdin is described as careless and idle, and there is never any indication that he has gotten over these qualities. Although he is given various positions of power that would have required a lot of responsibility later in the story, there is nothing in his characterization that would suggest he could handle these responsibilities. He was also chosen to retrieve the lamp because the magician thought he was foolish, not because he possessed any special qualities that allowed him to get the lamp.

                                             

                                                               (Aladdin and the Genie)