For
Wednesday: “Be a Writer” and “The Teaching of Khety” (pp.284-298)
NOTE:
These are our last readings from the book Writings
from Ancient Egypt, so be sure to buy the next book, Tao te Ching which we will start discussion after Labor Day. Be
sure to keep this book, though, since your first paper assignment will ask you
to use it!
Answer
TWO of the following:
Q1: How
does the piece “Be a Writer,” resemble the soul’s argument in “The Dialogue of
a Man and his Soul”? How could we argue that this is another subversive work
that defies the powers that be and makes writers more important than kings or
gods?
Q2:
Both of these texts were used in scribal schools to train future scribes: so
the students would copy these works over and over again until they mastered the
difficulties of hieroglyphic writing. How might these works have also
functioned as propaganda for the future scribes at the academy?
Q3:
According to “The Teaching of Khety,” what are some of the social taboos that
lower-class Egyptians try to avoid? Why is it necessary for some of the lowest,
most labor-intensive jobs to break these taboos and force the workers to abase
themselves?
Q4:
These are some of the earliest writings about school and the purpose of getting
an education. How do some of these sentiments relate to modern-day reasons for
going to college and getting a degree? Do we still argue these same points
today? And if so, is there an element of propaganda in how we encourage people
to follow one profession (requiring advanced training) over another?
1. It tries to show the readers that life is better than the after life and future. It talks about "they did not make for themselves mausolea (visible part of the tomb) of copper... (Rather) they made heirs of writings..." (pg 286). Meaning they didn't make fancy things to try and send them off into the afterlife with gold and solidarity, but they wrote down all of their adventures through life to show how good life is. Talking about pens being their children, printing presses (or in their times burnishing-stones) being their wives, and so on. Choosing life over working toward making the afterlife better, and writing it down to show to the next generation. (<-- Almost a contradictory, considering they're looking out for the future generation. "Almost...")
ReplyDelete2. These works could be shown off as "They weren't lazy and focused on life so much more than the future in the afterlife!" only because of the fact that is what both writings push in the readers face. "Their gates and mansions have been destroyed..." (pg 286) and "... fight for life as you have said. Love me her (and now)..."(pg 122), going on to talk about the soul taking care of the body after death. Both of these showing that their worldly things are broken and it's time to fight for life and show how wonderful it can be, even if your family is eaten by crocodiles or death is drawing near.
Ethan Hays
ReplyDelete2. I think the scribal schools chose these texts because they agreed with what the texts said. By making the future scribes copy the texts over and over again, they are basically drilling the lessons that come from the texts into the scribes heads. If you hear the same lie every single day for a long time, you're eventually going to believe it. Making them copy the texts helps the school control how the future scribes think.
4. We definitely still argue these same points today. Teachers and parents always tell their kids that they need to go to school and get an education in order to get a good job. Kids hear that every day and if you hear something every day, you're going to start believing it.
Shaynee Reynen
ReplyDeleteQ1: I personally think it's something different and it stuck out to me on how instead of leaving gold and treasures for their children to be passed down after death that they leave the books and writings, to me that's something I'd rather have left from my mom, grandma, etc. because their writings you can't buy like you can gold and treasures.
Q2: I think how the writings functioned in the future is basically the same way in the present as to having the students copy down the writings until they got them down spelling and understanding wise, because just like in todays time teachers make students do the same thing with whatever language they are trying to learn, and will continue to have them do it until they understand it and learn how to spell it.
CT Roan
ReplyDeleteNon Western Lit
9:00a-9:50a MWF
Q2. I believe that it wasn't so much as a propaganda as a way of life. It's an apparent theme over the entire book that "Speech is Godlike" and reading and writing is a direct gateway to speech. Much of Egyptian life was devoted to the broadening of knowledge through speech and writing which was illustrated in this reading by the scribes being "forced" to write the hieroglyphs over and over until they mastered their own language. It speaks volumes that people that belonged to that language had to devote such time and effort to master it.
Q4. I think knowledge and the journey you take to gain it will be an eternal lesson that societies will push until the end of time. Even today the focal point of many social issues, especially in Oklahoma, and the wishes of previous generations through parents and grandparents are based on children going to college. Though today knowledge and speech is not as near revered as it was in Egyptian culture I think it's safe to say that it is easily amongst the most important ideologies in every culture.
Chelsey Ott
ReplyDeleteQ1: "Be a Writer" resembles the soul's argument in "The Dialogue of a Man and His Soul" by also telling us that the life we live now is better than the future.
Q4: I believe that we still argue about the same points today. I think that the people you come in contact with, whether it's a teacher or parent, they will always tell you to further your education. So, that you can get a great job that you like. I feel like once you have heard that plenty of times, it will stick with you and it will make you want to further your education & finish.
chance bray
ReplyDeleteQ4: most people still say you need to go to college or you wont be anything/ like you need to be a scribe or youll be a peasant. i think propaganda is the same as it was back then. you need to go to school to be able to succeed in life.
Q2: i feel like it wasnt just propaganda but trying to tell them thats how life was. that you had to be like that in order to make it.