Explore how women are presented in Veronica and King Schahriar and his brother

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Explore how women are presented in “Veronica” and “King Schahriar and his brother”

 

“Veronica” and “King Schahriar and his brother” are short stories which focus on two very different female characters. In “King Schahriar and his brother,” the strikingly beautiful and intelligent Scheherazade is a powerful, courageous woman who devises an ingenious scheme to help the girls of her kingdom escape the brutal grasp of the Sultan. “Veronica”on the other hand, focuses on a more vulnerable, unambitious female character living in a poverty and war stricken village in Africa, isolated from the outside world.

Scheherazade  in “King Schahriar and his brother” is portayed as being the perfect female figure. She is described as being beautiful beyond measure: “her beauty excelled that of any girl in the kingdom of Persia.” This impressive statement makes her seem exotic and creates a sense of wonder in the reader as the story is set in a mythical setting where one would imagine many enchanting women and yet she is seen as the most exquisite of all.

The reader is told that she has the “best masters in philosophy, medicine, history and the fine arts.” Not only is she gorgeous but she is also very well educated! The use of superlatives such as “having the best” masters and being clever in the “highest” degree portray the high extent to which she has been educated and show what a powerful, dedicated and talented woman she is.

Scheherazade lives what may seem a very envious lifestyle. Being the daughter of the “Grand-Vizier” she has  high status amongst her people and lives a rich life of luxury. She is also very much loved by her family: “his eldest daughter, who was his delight and pride.” Her father adores her and makes sure she has the best things in life,  granting her the highest education and he values her greatly.

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Unlike Scheherazade, Veronica is depicted by Okeke (her friend and narrator of the story) as being “no great beauty.” She is not very attractive compared to Scheherazade: she wears “shabby” clothes showing that she is poor and this makes her seem inferior to Scheherazade. We are aware of just how poor she is as she lives in a simple “hut” and later on in the story, Okeke says how bad the living conditions are—that the people in her village live in “acute poverty” and the place is “crawling with disease.” This personification of the village “crawling with disease” indicates ...

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