Intertextuality and Comparative Analysis of Character and/or Themes

The Power of an Individual’s Decision
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One Thousand and One Nights and the Story of Roland are two literary pieces that have a similar overarching theme that one person’s decision(s) can affect the destiny of many people. In one instance, the decision is well-thought-out and executed courageously and leads to the preservation of many lives. In the other case, the decision is rushed and encased with pride and leads to the loss of many lives. In addressing this theme, the literary pieces are complimentary and demonstrate the power of an individual’s decision and how the reader can become a better decision-maker.
In the story of One Thousand and One Nights, Vizier's daughter Scheherazade saved the lives of other virgins who would have been killed by the king. The king had decided that each day he would lay with a virgin and kill her in the morning because he did not want them to be unfaithful just like his wife had been. For a long time, he had killed so many virgins on their wedding nights until Scheherazade came along. Scheherazade had a plan on how to stop the king and though his father was against her wishes to marry the king because he knew how things would turn out, she was courageous to follow through with her plan. The plan was to make the king have a reason to keep her alive day by day. Since she was well-schooled and had already devised a plan on how to keep the king interested in her, she managed to change the king’s heart and convinced him to keep him alive. Her plan and decision saved the lives of other virgins in the kingdom who would have been killed.
The Story of Roland also has a similar theme where one person’s decision affects the destiny of others. Roland, the main protagonist in the poem, makes a series of decisions that eventually lead to the death of many soldiers. The cumulative effect of his decisions is what causes their death but they all start when he nominates his stepfather to be the messenger to Marsilla. His father plans for an act of revenge with the Saracens, who are the people who accompany him to see Marsilla. Ganelon hatches a plan to attack the rear guard which would be led by Roland while returning to France. Just as Ganelon predicted, Roland is leading the rear guard and when he attacks him. Ganelon had enlisted the help of Pagans and they outnumber and out power the regiment led by Roland. In this battle, Roland makes his second weighty decision about whether to blow the oliphant and call for help. An oliphant is a large loud horn made out of elephant tusks. Roland is reluctant even after Olivier advises him to call for help since he considers it cowardice. This decision costs him the battle and by the time he decides to blow the horn, his army was run over. He blows it anyway to call for Charlemagne’s army to avenge their death.
If only Roland would have heeded the advice of Olivier and blow the horn earlier, there was a chance that some soldiers w...