“Alibaba and the Forty Thieves” is one of the renowned and iconic tales of the Arabian Nights stories added to the collection by Antoine Galland. The plot revolves around the protagonist, Ali Baba, a poor and a kind woodcutter who hears a group of thieves opening and closing a mysterious cave using magic words (White and Masinari 2). Upon repeating the same words, Alibaba finds hidden treasure. As the plot unfolds, his rich brother, Kasim, knows about the unimaginable riches and decides to go to the cave alone. His greed leads to his death because the thieves find him inside the cave. Significantly, his servant, Morgiana, saves Ali Baba’s life several times by outshining the tricks utilized by the thieves and their chief to kill her master. Fundamentally, the tale offers insightful lessons that greed and selfishness are futile, and people need to be kind, trustworthy, and honest to shape their destiny and succeed in life.
The story agrees with my adherence to the “Golden Rule”. This principle originates from various religious groups and urges individuals to do actions that would not hurt anyone. Personally, I strive not to offend someone when my conscious is clear that my actions may hurt him or her. According to White and Masinari, Kasim threatens Ali Baba, his brother, to get access to the treasure (7). Kasim is a rich person while Alibaba is a less-privileged person, yet he wants to benefit from the treasure to get richer. “Look! A horse! Someone’s in our cave! He can’t have our treasure! He must die!” (White and Masinari 9). Indeed, his greed leads to his death, while Ali Baba becomes a wealthy person at the end of the story.
In the past life, I had an ardent desire to succeed in my professional life such that I would report any happening in my workplace to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). I thought backstabbing my colleagues would earn me a promotion, but I was a loser. This experience inspired me to adopt the “Golden Principle,” which guides my behaviors and actions today. I am always passionate about helping others realize their ambitions and destiny. The tale aligns with my belief that helping others does not weaken a person but makes him or her strong. This conjecture becomes a reality in the tale when Ali Baba rewards Morgiana for her honesty and selflessness in saving his life.
The text agrees with my view of the world and what I consider ethical or unethical. I believe the world comprises a significant proportion of greedy people who can do anything to get rich. Across the world, there have been increasing corruption and civil wars as individuals pursue riches at the expense of others. Similarly, Kasim confronted his brother and threatened to report him to the police because he was jealous of Alibaba’s fortune. Notwithstanding, the greed led Kasim to forget the password, “Open, Sesame!” leading to his death (White and Masinari 8). It is unethical to threaten people to benefit from their treasure. I concur with the tale that it is right for a servant should remain faithful to his or her employer. However, I disagree with the text that doing good must be accompanied by rewards. Individuals should uphold good morals without expecting anything in return. It is difficult to find people such as Morgiana in the contemporary world because individuals often exchange favors for help.
I learned that life presents opportunities to individuals at different times. People should avoid greed and support others when they find a breakthrough. The story succeeded in communicating with me about primary themes of luck, rise to riches, and adventure. “He opened another box, and it was full of beautiful jewels” (White and Masinari 4). This quotation inspired me to keep working hard or pushing in life until I realize my dreams. I should not be jealous of people whose blessings come before mine. Ali Baba became rich due to his kindness and passion for his work (White and Masinari 21). However, the text failed to convince me that good luck exists in the contemporary world. To succeed in life, a person must engage in a certain activity, irrespective of how simple it might appear.
The text succeeded in passing the primary message to the audience. The author arranged the plot chronologically to allow the readers to follow the story. As a result, it is easy to identify the themes of luck, adventure, and rise to riches. The text utilized pathos, which created an emotional appeal to enable the readers to gain critical aspects of jealousy, trust, and greed. The translation aligned with the context of the Middle Eastern culture while considering the English figurative language. However, I feel that the author presents Morgiana as a superhero, thus outshining the protagonist (White and Masinari 20). In this way, the attention shifts from Ali Baba and focuses on Morgiana’s astuteness.
The story juxtaposes various human personalities, which define fate and success in life. Antoine Galland was right to add this insightful tale to the Arabian Nights collection because it explores the futility of greed and selfishness. It demonstrates the need to embrace virtues such as kindness and honesty in daily engagements. The author teaches readers to consider their actions because they may either ruin or strengthen their aspirations, especially in pursuit of riches. The text suits the modern world, characterized by selfish political leaders and the elite who care about their welfare at the expense of the citizens. I would recommend others to read the story because it creates inspiration by illustrating that today does not reflect tomorrow.
Work Cited
White, Catherine, and Tullia Masinari. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Cideb Publishing, 2008.