PDP 1 – Instructions in Letter Writing by an Egyptian Scribe
Author Bio: The author was seemingly anonymous. With this being the case, the piece still provided a first person perspective, centered on Egyptian text that described different opinions and insights into the lifestyles of ancient Egypt.
Date/Context: The article was placed at one point around 1200 B.C.E. This time period displayed the development of Egyptian writing systems, and the author as a tutor educating others of the profession. The author gave way to many political, economical, and social issues surrounding such profession and time.
Summary: The document is informing the reader about the job of the scribe. The author regards the job as very important, saving those of the profession hardships that many others face. The author is very instructing on how to go about this, and lists many examples of the “fate of the unskilled laborer”; unknown, an ass in front of the scribe. In hindsight, the author raises the position of a scribe to be safe, beneficiary, and of great service to the society.
Key Quote: “Be a scribe, and be speared from soldiering! You call and one says: ‘Here I am.’ You are safe from torments. Every man seeks to raise himself up. Take note of it!”
This comment does a good job in describing the time period that the article was in. Knowing the timer period was important in order to have a deeper understanding of the contents found in the article. The comment also effectively identifies the key components of the article in the summary by describing the job of a scribe in the Egyptian society. The quote taken from the article does a good job in explaining the main portion of the article.
ReplyDeleteThe comment could have elaborated more on the background of what the article essentially, it is a teacher talking to a student about being scribe and the other possible jobs that they might have to take if they cannot become a scribe. The comment could have also gone more into detail on the first paragraph of the article that explained a little background on the scribes. Finally, there could have been more information on how the article described the ancient Egyptian social structure by using the different professions.
Overall, this PDP does good job at summarizing the article and identifying the most important parts.
Expand on the historical context of this document.
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