Comparing Tale Of Sinuhe And Other Ancient Egyptian Poems

Upon my readings of The Tale of Sinuhe and Other Ancient Egyptian Poems, I found a recurring correlation between education and success. Being born into a name is a quick way to rise to power. However, if one was to have an education, they too can rise through the political ranks. Not only are they able to rise politically, but they are also able to strive economically and socially. Due to the fact that all these factors are intertwined, with one having influence on the others. If we look at the bigger picture, we can realize the fact that knowledge is power. A textbook example of knowledge as power comes from The Tale of Sinuhe. Once a servant to the royal chambers, Sinuhe receives the news of the death of his king. Therefore, resulting in

As a result of the encounter, Khunanup goes to the king and begs for justice for Nemtinakht’s crimes. At first, Rensi and his judges heard his pleas. However, they said there needed to be witnesses, which Khunanup could not provide, to determine if there was indeed a crime committed. Though, Khunanup couldn’t provide any witnesses, his magnificent speech convinced Rensi to continue to hear his case, which he did nine times in total. On his last speech, Rensi was intrigued by the peasant’s rhetorical power and order to Khunanup to return one last time. Thus, resulting in the peasant being compensated. In this tale we also see the correlation between knowledge and success. However, in this tale we see how education can lead people to being more economically stable than others. If it wasn’t for Khunanup’s eloquent vocabulary and speech, then he wouldn’t have gotten his resources back, or gone from a peasant to a man with a job. This tale also demonstrates the fact that one does not have to be a prestigious warrior to have a viable future. Instead, they can use their education and knowledge to achieve jobs, and even teach their kids so they can also have a viable

Which is in vast contrast to the Ancient Near East, where females had their “traditional” roles. Positions such as queen Pharaoh and chief priestess were now positions of power that were obtainable by women. Not all positions, however, were easily obtainable, and when women were in these positions they had to rely on the knowledge to be successful. Especially the position of chief priest, which was known a scholarly position. Most importantly, it was essential that people in positions, man or woman, were knowledgeable enough to make fair and just decisions. If we shift gears and look at the first half of Gilgamesh’s reign, it’s clear that his decision making only seemed to benefit him. Which resulted in his people questing his ability as a leader, and in the end, sending him on a life altering journey. Now on the other hand, the kings of The Tale of King Cheops’ Court are brought forth with issues where they could act like Gilgamesh, or resolve the issue in a fair way. Unfortunately, when one is unfortunate enough to not receive education or not be born into a name of power, they tend to not break gender barriers, or to be in positions of power. They usually end up at the bottom of the social pyramids like our characters in The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor, and the servant in the last Tale of King Cheops’