The Odyssey, 1001 Nights, The Pillow Book

Having previously read Homer’s Odyssey, I was familiar with the dedication that the people of the time displayed to their gods. The heavy sense of religion also remained prevalent in Scheherazade’s 1001 Nights. An aspect that I did not expect was the intense respect and bond for familial ties. It struck me rather abruptly that in the Story of the Second Sheykh and the Two Black Hounds, how he refused to have his brothers killed despite their attempts to murder him. Homer’s creation Telémakhos [Telemachus] also exhibited such devotion to his father despite the fact that he imagined him dead without return. In a modern time such respect for family and religion is hardly found, we see single mothers raising multiple children, and extremists who slay others in the name of their god because they claim it is right or justified. Such themes are heavily-weighted upon my completion of reading, and seem to be goals that all wish to achieve. Peace among families, and harmony between peoples.