Transcript Unmarked Boxes” & “Anecdotes”

Unit 7
Journal

 One of the poems we will read today begins with the
statement of a comforting belief: “Don’t grieve.
Anything you lose comes round / in another form.”
In other words, the things we think we lose—the
carefree pleasures of early childhood, for example—
are replaced by other pleasures, such as the privilege
of getting a driver’s license at age sixteen. What do
you think of Rumi’s idea? What things have you lost
and gained throughout life?
“Unmarked Boxes”

 A. The poet Rumi belonged to the branch of Islamic
mysticism known as Sufism.
 1. Like many mystics of other faiths, Sufis believe that
knowledge and understanding of God come through
personal experience of God, not through the senses or
through study.

 2. The Sufis believe in the doctrine of Vahdat-ol-Vojood, or
“the unity of all things.”
 a. To Sufis, this means that all things profane (that is,
impure or not holy) are, in fact, holy.
 b. Although this may sound contradictory, it is simply a
way of saying that God is present in everything. For
example, a rose, a profane object, may embody God’s
perfect beauty and therefore be sacred for what it
represents.
 c. The doctrine also implies that God is at once present and
absent—present because God resides in all beings, but
absent because we do not directly perceive God through our
five senses.

 3. The Sufi of today still call Rumi “Our Master.”
 a. His Masnavi, from which “Unmarked Boxes” is
taken, has been a powerful influence both on Sufi
through and on Persian literature for over seven
centuries.
Anaology

 1. Analogy—comparison that explains something
unfamiliar by describing it in terms of something
familiar.
 a. For example, someone might draw an analogy
between riding in a helicopter and an exciting
fairground ride, such as a roller coaster. You might
then understand that a helicopter lurches and dips,
and you would know the feeling in your stomach that
accompanies such a ride. Analogies can help to
explain ideas and objects as well as experiences.
“Unmarked Boxes”

 1. The first two sentences in the poem function as a direct
statement of the theme, with most of the rest of the work
providing support or examples. What is Rumi’s theme
based on the opening sentences?
 2. Lines 19-23—How is a town “looking at” stars like the
narrator talking about the fold of ripe wheat, a color that
returns in baked bread?
 3. What speaks to you more powerfully in the poem—its
imagery or its intellectual message?
“Anecdotes”

 A. Saadi
 1. Saadi, which means “fortunate” in Persian, spent
much of his life as a wandering dervish, or holy man,
moving from place to place, studying and practicing
Sufi doctrine.

 2. He had neither a home nor personal belongings, yet he
somehow produced two of the great classics of Persian
literature.
 a. A devout Sufi, he chose poverty and rootlessness as a way of
life, wandering great distances. His books mention journeys to
Central Asia and India, and it is believed he made several
religious pilgrimages to Mecca.
 b. Saadi’s work is greatly beloved by the Iranian people, and
his place in Persian literature is firmly established.
 c. His stories and sayings seem simple and use plain language,
but they express Sufi wisdom in a way that has won
admiration from scholars and general readers alike.
 d. Because his work had such wide appeal, Saadi ensured the
continuation of Sufi beliefs.
Literary Terms

 1. Anecdote—a brief story that illustrates a point, for
example, about human behavior.
 2. Aphorism—a concise, sometimes witty, saying
that expresses a principle or truth, or observation
about life.
 3. Saadi uses anecdotes and aphorisms to express
abstract ideas in concrete, comprehensible, and
sometimes humorous ways.

 1. Summarize the story told in “The Pearl” How does the anecdote
illustrate the value of humility?
 2. What concrete nouns appear in “Learning”? What visual image
does the aphorism create? To what abstract idea might this
concrete image refer?
 3. Which ideas in “Relative” are similar to those in “The Pearl”?
 4. What are the character traits of the king in “The Dervish Under a
Vow of Solitude”? Of the dervish? How do their personalities
illustrate the point of the anecdote?
 5. “if you Cannot Stand a Sting” is from a tale entitled “On the
Manners of Kings.” A friend in need of money disregards Saadi’s
advice and enters the service of a king. The friend prospers until
the king turns against him, and then he end up poorer than ever.
Saadi then quotes the aphorism. Given this background, what do
you conclude is Saadi’s view of kings?