Thoughts on Tales of Juha

From what I have read from the first chapter of Tales of Juha, I find the Arabian folk humor of the book to be fairly amusing. Even though I have never been to an Arabian country, I still feel I can relate to some of the situations and characterizations found in each of these tales. I particular enjoy the witty phrases that Juha uses. For example (on page 26), there is a story about a man who asks this boy why he has no hair on his chin. The boy responds by saying that he “takes after his mother”. Some commonly used features in the Juha tales usually involve donkeys, princes, wives, and thievery. I also really enjoyed the first opening story about the chicken and the two eggs because it was full of wit and the cognitive shift in the court case made me laugh. I also like the fact that “Juha” is used in Arabian countries as a comical literary figure that is multidimensional. 1) Because it is universal and so everyone can understand the character 2) Because it can be used in many creative fashions and 3) Because it makes it easier for me to remember the name of the main character in the book. I think this reading was overall fun and easy to read. Although the reading assignment was from page 1 to page 41, it went by really quickly and did not require a large amount of focus or concentration to appreciate the stories. Even though I found many of the stories funny, I think they would be funnier if I was actually from an Arabian country so that I could fully understand the cultural contexts in which these stories are based. For example, the donkey anecdotes are humorous but I personally to not ride donkeys on a regular basis so I do not relate as much to the story because of it. So far, I can appreciate the character of Juha for not only his wit but also his wisdom in certain situations. Like in the story of the two men who tried to rob Juha but instead were convinced to kill each other in order to settle an argument thus allowing Juha to escape safely (page 14). I hope the next few readings are light and entertaining like this first chapter was and I look forward to becoming more culturally knowledgeable of Arabian humor!