Reading Diary B: Sindbad to the Bone

The second half of the Voyages of Sindbad proved to be just as entertaining as the first. Because a lot of you probably did not read this for your reading this week, although I hope you choose it for next week, I will provide for you a formula for each voyage of Sindbad's.

1. Sindbad is discontent to just sit around, and realizes yet again his strong love of adventure
2. He sets out with a crew to go trade with other lands
3. Misfortune comes
4. He regrets leaving his comfortable home
5. He either by luck or by being clever escapes misfortune
6. His rescuers fall in love with his stories
7. He is given or works for great riches
8. He voyages back home and gives money to the poor
9. He vows to never leave his home again

Rinse, wash, repeat. That may seem boring to you, but really it's kind of fun to see how creative these stories are, trying to guess how he is going to escape peril this time! People love happy endings, what a joy that we get to read seven of them!

My favorite parts of the second half of the reading come from the Seventh Voyage, where Sindbad's ship is taken over by pirates and he is sold as a slave. His owner asks:

"Tell me," said he, "can you shoot with a bow?"

I replied that this had been one of the pastimes of my youth, and that doubtless with practice my skill would come back to me.

I know this seems insignificant, but think about it! This is a guy whose renown extends far beyond his homeland. But what I love about him is that he doesn't play the victim card. He realizes that bad things happen, but makes the best of it! He has resolve, just like is shown here. He has more riches than ten times his owner's, yet he doesn't pitch a fit, and is determined to do his best at the task at hand. I feel like this is part of the reason he gets so much favor from the people he meets. He is not a proud guy, he is just a guy who works hard and loves having fun!

Sindbad the sailor takes on the mighty sea!

Image credit: Savannah London Blog