Scheherazade

1)Compare and contrast the personality of Schehrezde as a legend with that of “the lady with the feather dress” as portrayed by Mernissi’s grandmother.

Scheherazade is a legend because of her ways of persuasion that she has with people. The art she mastered was one that not many possess. She can express herself like no other, every word, every sentence was perfect to persuade and get what she wanted. “The Lady in the Feather Dress”, however, was a lady of such beauty that she was bound to her husband who hid her feather dress from her. The story of “The Lady in the Feather Dress” teaches readers that even if a woman is loved, she should be ready to move on at all times. This is because “love can engulf you and become a prison”(p4). The legend of Scheherazade used words to woo her way through life. She persuaded the King, one of the most influential people of her time, into doing almost anything she wanted. Scheherazade used her knowledge and skill to get what she wanted while the lady in the feather dress used her beauty. One thing these both characters did share in common was that they were both influential. Men, and many other people were afraid of their power that they used, the power of persuasion. This persuasion made people what they would do out of the ordinary.

2) Why Mernissi feels that the Westerners misunderstand her culture? Give examples of Western journalists, literature, art, etc.

Mernissi feels that Westerners misunderstand her culture because of the image that the media gives. Westerners put an excessive amount of trust in the media. Therefore, if a Westerner sees something on the television or the Internet they are most likely going to believe what they read. “The Westerners also referred primarily to the pictorial images of harems, such as those seen in paintings or films, while I visualized actual places-harems built of high walls and real stones by powerful men” (p14), this excerpt shows readers how westerners are influenced by films. The media paints a picture in the heads of Westerners, these stereotypes are not randomly put together by the Westerners themselves, rather they are presumed because of the influential and superior grasp the media has on our perception of other cultures. Mernissi feels like Westerners misunderstand her culture because of the surface of information that the media gives. This misunderstanding that men are more respected and that men’s lives are filled with more opportunity, especially in education. The problem is that Westerners are ignorant to the reasons why women are not well educated and the reasons to why they veil themselves. These reasons are far more complex than the actual acts that are portrayed; Mernissi believes that if Westerners understood the complexity of this concept then they would accept her culture more. Mernissi is not irritated by the fact that Westerners do not accept her culture, rather she is irritated by the lack of knowledge that is available to our culture because she truly believes that if we, as Westerners, understood the true meaning of their practices and ways of life we would be more open and accepting.
3) What is the significance of the book’s title? What is Mernissi trying to communicate with this title?

The book title “Scheherazade Goes West: Different Cultures, Different Harems” is very significant to what Mernissi is trying to portray in her book because it reflects her concern of connecting the West and East cultures. Mernissi uses Scheherazade in the book and the title because Scheherazade is a very knowledgeable storyteller that is well respected in her culture. Therefore, “schheherazade goes west” is very inviting to the reader because it is about a well respected person connecting with another culture. Connecting with another culture, to the author, gives us more knowledge, and knowledge is power. Mernissi expresses her devotion to gain knowledge through other people in, “Since I never lie to hide my ignorance, because to do so is to miss fantastic opportunities for learning” (p89). “Different Cultures, Different Harems” is referring to the distinction between the west and east customs. The word harem means two different things in the west and east cultures. “But Westerners, I have come to realize, see the harem as peaceful pleasure-garden where in the potent men reign supreme over obedient women. While Muslims men describe themselves as insecure in their harems, real or imagined”, men in the western civilization are not afraid of women and have a sense of self doubt like men in the eastern culture. In all, Mernissi’s is trying to communicate to the readers that the differences in cultures are not as surface as people perceive them to be. The differences in the western culture and eastern cultures should not be scorned by one another, but instead, it should be understood.
4) What is your overall evaluation of the book? (For this question you should explain whether or not you felt that she makes a valid point/ She exaggerates and makes a good point./ She does not make much sense. You should make sure to reason and justify your response by giving examples from the book.

Mernissi brings great knowledge to this book and to anyone who reads it. Whether you are of a western or eastern background, this book not only gives you knowledge of the unknown but it opens your mind to a new realm of thinking. While reading this book, Mernissi emphasized how much learning from other people makes her a more knowledgeable person. She repeatedly expressed to readers how excited and willing she is to learn from any and everybody. A perfect example of this is when Mernissi was asked about another author and his book but she had no prior knowledge of it and instead of pretending she did she admitted to not knowing him. “Since I never lie to hide my ignorance, because to do so is to miss fantastic opportunities for learning” (p89), Mernissi uses every opportunity as a learning one. Her eagerness to learn from other people is what really caught my eye. I also got a much better understanding of the role that men and women play in the eastern culture. Before reading this book, I was not aware that Muslim men felt insecure, “While Muslim men describe themselves as insecure in their harems”. This was a shock to me; I always had the perception that Muslim men saw themselves as superior to women for a reason that I am not sure where I adopted it.

Works Cited
Mernissi, Fatima. Scheherazade goes west: different cultures, different harems. New York: Washington Square Press, 2001. Print.

Cited: Mernissi, Fatima. Scheherazade goes west: different cultures, different harems. New York: Washington Square Press, 2001. Print.