Tales of Juha: Wit and Wisdom

            I wanted to go ahead and start Tales of Juha before I meet with Hashim tomorrow. Because the book is a look into classic Arab folk humor, I’m hoping Hashim has more insight to the Juha stereotype. After reading the introduction, it seems there is no stereotype for Juha. In the Arab culture, Juha stands for a variety of people, thoughts, morals and social standing. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect after reading this introduction. From conversations with Hashim, his sense of humor isn’t out of the ordinary – ordinary being my idea of humor, in this case. All in all, I was curious to get into the book and see what “classic” Arab humor is.

            I enjoyed the reading from the beginning. In general, I appreciate “Wit and Wisdom” humor. At first, I started writing down the page numbers of the quips I really enjoyed. After a while, I had too many pages written down. To begin, I laughed at the tale with two thieves. Juha convinced the two that only one would win his money. In the end, he has successfully convinced the two to beat each other up and allowed himself the chance to escape. I think I enjoyed this story because I’ve heard several variations before. So, the familiarity added to the humor. Later on in the reading, I came upon another story I had heard before: Juha and his two wives. Juha gifted both a necklace and asked the woman to remain silent. When the quarreling woman approached Juha about his love, he replied he gave the woman he loves more a necklace. Both women leave happy. Generally I don’t find deceiving your wife (wives in this case) funny or humorous, but I laughed at the women in the end. I enjoyed the surface humor: the simple idea of completely deceiving two people by referring back to a seemingly sweet gesture. Several other stories included the idea of deceit or outwitting another. I think this is a common thread in every type of humor.

My favorite pieces from the “Wit and Wisdom” section were the short quips.  The first one cast Juha as a thief. He stole a donkey to sell and in turn lost it to another thief. When asked, Juha says he sold “at cost.” Some may deem this as simple humor, but I love it. I couldn’t help but laugh aloud. On the other side of humor, I enjoyed the wisdom too. I especially liked Juha’s reply when asked about medicine. He answered, “ the great secret is to keep your feet warm, expose your head to the air and to the sun, be careful what you eat and don’t overeat, and don’t dwell on your worries and griefs.” Like other pieces of wisdom in the section, I have heard variations. I don’t know if the source of the advice is “Juha.” Either way, I think it amplifies the connection of cultures. So, while cultures are unique, there are always stories of wisdom and wit. Furthermore, the common connection adds to the idea that humor is shared across the board.