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Essays in Egyptian literature
Poetry and literature that influence the culture of Egypt
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The novel River God by Wilbur Smith is set in Ancient Egypt, during a time when the kingdoms were beginning to collapse and the Upper and Lower Egypt were separated between two rulers. The story is in the view-point of Taita, a highly multi-talented eunuch slave. At the beginning of the story, Taita belongs to Lord Intef and helps manage his estate along with caring for his beautiful daughter, Lostris. She is in love with Tanus, a fine solider and also Taita’s friend. Unfortunately, Lord Intef despises Tanus’s father, Lord Harrab, and Intef was actually the one who the cause of the fall of Harrab’s estate, unknowingly to Lostris and Tanus. Taita’s goal is to bring back Egypt to its former glory, but with so many bandits and invaders it would be a difficult task.
Early in the novel, Taita is to set up a pageant for the Pharaoh, and casts Lostris and Tanus in the play. The Pharaoh is so taken aback by Lostris’s beauty he decides to marry her, in which Taita did not plan to do. Tanus made a speech at the end of the play that spoke about all the troubles in Egypt in which angered the Pharaoh and sentenced him to death if he cannot eliminate the problems of the bandits, mainly the ones called the Shrikes, in two years. When Lostris marries the Pharaoh, she asks for Taita as her wedding gift from her father. Lord Intef, being unable to refuse the wife of the pharaoh, has to give up Taita, whom knows every one of his secrets. Intef makes several attempts to kill Taita without success. Taita then goes off to help Tanus defeat the Shrikes.
In two years, they defeat the whole band of Shrikes and capture several of their leaders, and when Tanus presents them to the Pharaoh, Tanus’s sentence is lifted. When the Pharaoh demands to know who their commander is, they all point to Lord Intef. Intef is captured and sentenced to death, but escape before it is carried out.
After that, during a terrible sand storm, Tanus and Lostris are finally able to be alone, but Lostris then got pregnant with Tanus’s son. Taita makes it so that the Pharaoh believes that it is his son, so when the child is born, he is named Memnon and no one ever knows who his true father is except for Taita, Lostris, and Tanus.
Closure at the River In his novel, Saints at the River, Ron Rash develops the struggle to maintain the environment as well as spiritual peace. A young girl has drowned, and is now trapped, in the Tamassee River, bringing grief and sorrow to Oconee County. The father, Herb Kowalsky, is very troubled and tries to find help from anyone. This incident brings numerous diverse individuals together to support the Kowalsky family. One of the main supporters is a writer, Allen Hemphill, who felt great empathy toward the family.
To some this story might seem like a tragedy, but to Christians this is a beautiful story. Although young Harry dies at the end, he is accepted into the kingdom of God, which is far superior to anything on Earth. A non-religious family raises him and the first taste of Christianity he gets makes him want to pursue God. In Flannery O’Conner’s short story, The River, the allure of Gods grace and the repelling of sinful ways are shown heavily through Harry.
Telemachus has many experiences on his journey to manhood. In Ithaca while Odysseus is gone Penelope is being plagued with suitors asking for her hand in marriage. Telemachus sees what a nuisance they are to his mother, and how much they are taking from his father’s palace. He wants to put a stop to this and comes to the conclusion that he must find his father, or at least some information
Throughout his existence, Oedipus, the protagonist has multiple oracles prophesied about him. The first once occurs at his birth and drastically changes his life. It sadly states that he would grow up to kill his father and mother. Upon hearing this horrific news, his parents decide it would be advantageous to dispose of their child. Responding to the terror of the evil oracle, they contract a herdsman to stake their child’s ankles to a mountain to ensure an impossible escape from death. Fortunately for the young boy, he is discovered and is given to the King and Queen of Corinth. They have no children to care for or have as their heir, so this event brings them great delight. These proceedings were never discl...
Lichteim, Miriam, ed. “The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant.” Ancient Egyptian Literature. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1975.
that the victim was his own father. Later, he successfully solves the problem. riddle of the Sphinx. Again, without knowledge, he marries the widow queen. of Thebes and his very own mother, Jocasta.
Can you imagine having to leave everything you have ever known to live in a country on the verge of war? Lesley Shelby, the main character in One More River by Lynn Reid Banks, knows exactly how it feels. This Jewish Canadian girl has to emigrate to Israel with her family. Through the determination and courage of one person we see how challenges, complications, and differences of the world are overcome.
Her son, Telemachus, does not have the strength to succeed like his father. Although unassuming, Penelope is a wonderful wife to her husband and despite his infidelity, she will not remarry. In book 3, she becomes dysfunctional when she realizes that she may soon lose her son in battle just like she lost her husband, but Athena sends a phantom in the form of Penelope’s sister, Iphthime, to encourage her.
The relationship you have with others often has a direct effect on the basis of your very own personal identity. In the essay "On The Rainy River," the author Tim O'Brien tells about his experiences and how his relationship with a single person had effected his life so dramatically. It is hard for anyone to rely fully on their own personal experiences when there are so many other people out there with different experiences of their own. Sometimes it take the experiences and knowledge of others to help you learn and build from them to help form your own personal identity. In the essay, O'Brien speaks about his experiences with a man by the name of Elroy Berdahl, the owner of the fishing lodge that O'Brien stays at while on how journey to find himself. The experiences O'Brien has while there helps him to open his mind and realize what his true personal identity was. It gives you a sense than our own personal identities are built on the relationships we have with others. There are many influence out there such as our family and friends. Sometimes even groups of people such as others of our nationality and religion have a space in building our personal identities.
During ancient Egypt civilization was centralized around the Nile river because it provided the ancient Egyptians with fertile land for vegetation. One particular myth that embraces all these aspect is the Osiris and Isis myth. Osiris myth is a very detailed and influential story in ancient Egyptian mythology. It details the murder of the predominant god Osiris during his rule over Egypt. Osiris and Isis myth deals with ancient Egyptian myth encompassing creation, death, and the civilization of ancient Egyptian around the Nile river. This myth has provided future generations an insightful look of Egypt’s past history such as mummification, due to its many factors that helps guide the
Approximately 5500 years ago four of the worlds' most prestigious ancient river civilizations had emerged. Our world has been left in astonishment and awe wondering how these civilizations were developed. Egypt and Mesopotamia were the first ancient river civilizations to create cities and their own ways of living. Society, geography, and religion played an enormous role in the development of the ancient cities. Although there is evidence of early Sumerian contact with the Egyptians, Egypt's civilization was largely self-generated and its history and cultural patterns differed from Mesopotamia.
In Edith Hamilton’ book King Acrisius is desperate for a son. He goes to Delphi to ask if he will someday have a son but the priestess tells him no and also tell him that this daughter will have a son who will some day kill him. He did not want to kill his daughter because he loved her but also because he feared the anger of the gods. So he built an underground bronze house and imprisoned her there. It was there that Zeus visited her and made her pregnant. When the King found out about this he had his daughter placed in a chest and put out to sea. They were discovered by a fisherman who took care of the them as though they were members of his family.
His fate was sealed by his actions of pride and determination. His pride of conquering the Sphinx led him to the marriage of Jocasta, his mother. Many people use pride as a weapon to cover their feelings.
... Egyptian women were looked at differently than men; their role was that of the nurturer and the caregiver, the bearer of a family’s future. They were just as important to the society as the men. Ancient Egypt was a very complex world, and just as complex was the role that women played in its society. They were not free, but they also were not enslaved. They were vital, but only in terms of their husbands and their children. Egypt offered women a far more free life than the rest of the ancient world. In the end, women played a secondary role to men putting their desires for achievement aside so their husband could be king.
God Dies by the Nile, Gives the reader and interesting look at a time and place that seems to have no equality between men and women. The Middle east has many very interesting features and aspects about it such as the way their economy is organized, the type of religion that they practice, the various geographical aspects of the land, and the way that society is in general. Because the economy is so poor, many people live in mud huts along rivers, and have very few material possessions. The main source of income comes from working in the fields. What little money they earn from the hard labor goes toward food for the family. Although this is not how everyone in lives. Strong political figures are those who live in luxury. This is the way it is in Kafr El Teen, where the characters of God Dies by the Nile, live.