Traveling in the New Kingdom of Egypt Essay Example for Free

Traveling in the New Kingdom of Egypt Essay Life on the road to Thebes is hard for anyone, not the least for a foreigner from the land of Egypt’s former enemy. Not that it makes much difference if you have money. The poor walk; the rich take horses or camels. If you are walking along the roads and are suspected of being a foreigner, be prepared to be harassed. As for me, I am fortunate. I am neither poor, nor rich for I have some skills of value. These skills I would consider modest in comparison to the military conquests of other men which have defined most of my life. My name is Jakarob, the son of a stone mason from the land of Syria, but that land has long been abandoned by my family. The Hittite invasion swept away my father’s house. As a result, I received very little knowledge of stonemasonry and instead, survived by learning the art of languages such as Akkadian, Sumerian, and Egyptian. My knowledge of the surrounding regions, languages, and eventual journey into Egypt has made me a valuable asset to the court of Pharaoh Ahmose I. The caravan I ride with is apart of a group of professionals answering the request of the pharaoh; many of them have military expertise. These men are like me in ancestry. We are Semites who came across the Sinai into the land of Egypt seeking refuge in the land of Egypt from the Hittites. Our kings are referred to by the Egyptians as Hyksos, or â€Å"rulers of foreign lands† (Kishlansky, p. 22). We settled throughout the land of Egypt, taking up their customs, traditions, and assimilating into their culture. My father was among the first Semites to arrive in Egypt and settle. However, regardless of how assimilated our people have become in Egypt, we will never fully be accepted as Egyptian. To them we will always be foreigners. The most important innovation our people brought to the Egyptians was military technology, and hence the reason the caravan I am in consists of primarily military men. Before the Semites, the Egyptians had an army which was not very mobile. We introduced the chariot, along with a variety of tactics associated with using the chariot in combat. Then around 1552 B. C. E. , Ahmose I was able to expel the Hyksos and begin again the reign of Egyptian pharaohs (p. 23). Now it seems that no matter what Ahmose does, he will never get rid of his need for Semite military expertise, not to mention translators like myself. The chariot has become a symbol of Egyptian power, and in order for them to continue dominating local dissenters, the pharaoh must rely on our knowledge of chariot methods and tactics. Personally I have no qualms with helping the pharaoh build his base of power. Life under the Egyptians is much more preferable to life under the Hittites. Before coming to Egypt, my family spent a number of years fleeing the Hittites in Babylon and southern Mesopotamia. In this region I learned how to use the character system of writing of â€Å"cuneiform† and the language of Akkadian (p. 14). With this knowledge I was also able to learn how to write characters in my native tongue of Sumerian. The reason for this similarity I learned was that â€Å"for over a thousand years, scribes used the same symbols to write not only in Sumerian but also in the other languages of Mesopotamia, such as Akkadian, Babylonian, and Persian† (p. 15). Thus, culturally the peoples of Mesopotamia and Egypt share a common link in their system of languages. In contrast, the Hittites do not share in this cultural similarity. Instead, they originate from the Indo-European people with writing traditions vastly different than the cuneiform system. At one time, part of the Hittites’ land was of the Akkadian Empire under King Sargon and the Hittite influence was minimal (p. 16). Alas, that time has long since past, as well as the later period in which the Babylonian Hammurabi ruled his strong empire and prevented the Hittites from forming theirs. Over a period of time, Hammurabi’s successors were unable to deter the rise of the Hittites, and Babylon was overrun. Now on the road to Thebes, the threat of Hittite invasion is very far away. The Sinai desert protects Egypt from incursions by Hittite chariots. Egypt is a land of great wonder and ancient power, for the reign of the pharaohs has stretched back for generations. The source of Egyptian power comes from multiple sources, including religious authority, strong government bureaucracy, and the magnificent pyramids. Each of these pillars of Egyptian strength supports the other. King Zoser, â€Å"the founder of the Old Kingdom who built the first of the pyramid temples, the Step Pyramid at Sakkara,† could not have done so without an efficient bureaucracy and religious legitimacy (p. 21). Likewise, the pyramids reinforce a pharaoh’s power and religious significance, for the pyramids is the resting place for pharaohs in the afterlife. In other words, â€Å"the pyramids strengthen the image of the living king by honoring the physical remains of his predecessors† (p. 21). This focus on the afterlife is partially the reason for their early downfall. As I make each step closer to Thebes, I think about how the focus of Ahmose I have changed since his predecessors. Men from a multitude of backgrounds can contribute to the pharaoh’s court, even peasants (p. 22). I have no doubt my contribution will expand its power and that the second rise of Egypt’s power has just begun.

The Glass Menagerie :: essays research papers

The play the Glass Menagerie supports the theme of illusions. A menagerie, a zoo, refers to a group of inhuman creatures. Since the creatures are glass, they are very fragile and not real. The title specifically refers to Laura’s collection of glass animals mainly horses. To escape the harshness of reality, Laura spends hours playing with the menagerie; this is an imaginary world for her. It is not only Laura, it is all of the Wingfields, they are all fragile enough to break easily. They burn with the slow and impeccable fires of human desperation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Glass Menagerie is a sad story of hopelessness and tragedy, a story of human nature and how it affects people's lives. The story itself may not seem tragic but the social downfall of the Wingfield's in itself is tragic. Williams shows the Southern family in decline, with certain members holding desperately to past visions of grandeur. Amanda Wingfield desperately clings to her romanticized memories of her southern past. Williams makes it clear that her memories are just mere illusions. The south has a tragic history, just like Amanda and Rose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As you read into the play, you understand that the Wingfield's live in a life of fantasy wrapped in tragedy. Many aspects of their life, I believe, are very depressing and heartbreaking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Such is the case of Amanda Wingfield. A southern girl, who had the opportunity to marry very rich husbands. She takes a wrong turn and marries a drunk who deserts he, there is no coming back from the one mistake. Everyday she reminisces about her past life and how glorious it once was. Tennessee Williams uses this as a perfect way to compare their present life to their past, creating a feeling of misery and pain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These feelings of misery and hopelessness are enforced by her children's sorrows and wretched lives. As Laura develops a inferiority complex after going to school for one day, the reader develops a sense of compassion.

Paper on the Movie “Crash” Essay

The movie crash is a combination of many different things including labeling theory. Crash is not just a movie about car crashes, but also of cultures and values. There are several intertwined lives and personal relationships with a common point of prejudice involving ethnic issues. The narrative is circular, as the film’s message about racial discrimination develops as a snowball, the director Paul Haggis shows us how prejudice is the most central issue. The political crime that is shown on the film gives the audience an understanding of how betrayed a civilian can be by the law enforcers. Racist ideologies are perpetuated through discourse, actions and even of misunderstanding. It is possible to understand the interconnected nature of each core characters and how a certain attitude interferes with a subsequent event among others. The racial profiling is also seen extremely harshly. Being in the 21st century these things are overlooked, but there are still many people who classify people because of their race and what they look like. The characters in Crash are shown in their humanity attitudes sometimes negligible, sometimes admirable. The film is far from a Manichaeism to address the issue that no human being is totally good or totally bad by nature. The cop played by Matt Dillon takes contrasting positions – its portrayed both in times of abuse of his position of authority, to take advantage of Christine (Thandie Newton), as in heroics, saving the same girl in a traffic accident. People who condemn the prejudice facing black people can be absolutely phobic about the Arabs or Latinos. Behaviors are variable according to the circumstances and, therefore, can not judge a person independent of them. The different ethnicities also portray minority groups which are barely hanging on by a thread in society, we see this mainly in the Arab family. People with certain ethical values succumb before a higher offer, a personal benefit exactly like status inconsistency. Detective Graham Waters (Don Cheadle) is adamant in his ideals, but when given the opportunity to save his brother delinquent, he gives up his own principles and â€Å"sells itself† in favor of a family gain. That was a perfect example of people’s status changing consistently. Crash deals with ethnic prejudice analyzing multiple variables and deepening both motivations as consequences. The discrimination against any racial group, is present deep within every character in the movie. The nurse Shaniqua Johnson, black, shows anger on receiving the trespasses officer Ryan (Matt Dillon), but on another occasion directs all his hatred of a particular group of immigrants. Even those who at first appears to be incorruptible, as Officer Hansen (Ryan Phillippe), being disgusted by the racist behavior explicit companion Ryan, in the end, ends up having a prejudice outlook. His values may not have changed but his vision of morality changes because of the people he has been surrounded with. Rationally, condemns discrimination of fellow, but when the situation is outside the limits of rationality and asks for a quick response, intuitive, Hansen suspects the black who gives a ride and, a movement that seems suspicious, you know that is under threat and shoots. Even those who fight and seems strongly supported by human values, can not escape an ingrained prejudice, supported by education in a racist society. How could it be, Crash also addresses the role of the media through the character of Cameron (Terrence Howard), director of television. Cameron is forced to redo a scene where a black actor spoke without slang characteristics and therefore fled to their stereotype. By repeating the scene, also repeated a pattern of behavior expected for a black. Cameron, who holds a certain power to work in a vehicle of communication is cut off the possibility of spreading a change in society or at least not condoning what he considers to be wrong. Even when a black occupies a prominent position and has the possibility to intervene, larger forces interfere with his freedom of action and he finds himself with his hands tied. Overall it was a great film to watch. I was completely surprised by how explicit it was and how it showed even in the first 8 minutes of the movie how race and ethnicity sort of control everything. People who don’t want to discriminate are in fact prejudice and surprised by the fact that they are. The characters in the movie change and evolve, which was good to see because it means that with time less and less people can be discriminating, it just all depends on how they are raised and their beliefs; nature vs nurture debate has all of this taken into consideration.

Drugs Are Bad Or Bad - 2007 Words

Drugs are bad, Mmkay? What doesn t kill us makes us stronger right? Well that s what athletes of this generation believe. They think if steroids or human growth hormones don t kill us and cause us to become stronger then it s totally worth it. Performance enhancement drugs are very harmful to a person s body and can cause huge Problems in an individual s life. Someone can have just a hint of these substances in their system from that time they tore a muscle and needed that edge to come back stronger. That small amount can cause someone to be accused of doping with performance enhancing drugs, and they can take everything they have worked for and take it away. Athletes think they are smart and can pass these tests or avoid them for long enough, but do not stop to think about what the consequences are for taking them. When athletes today are such idols and looked up to as much as they are, they should set better examples, like donating to charity and helping others instead of breaking rules and being involved in illegal activities. Athletes who have used, or are using these drugs should be stripped of trophies and awards they have won, because they have cheated and do not deserve the title. Rules were set in sports at the beginning of it all. Stating that if someone were to break these rules or cheat them, they would have to face the results of their actions. Such rules as if someone is found using performance enhancing drugs, everything they did during theShow MoreRelatedDrugs Are Bad For You2267 Words   |  10 Pagesdo drugs and are told that â€Å"drugs are bad for you,† in schools, at home and by many other authority figures. 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Since then, the teenager has been prescribed several antipsychotic drugs such as Aripiprazole (Abilify), thereafter, Risperidone (Risperdal) and a sleuth of others, but none curtails or controls his moodRead More Bad Neighbor Policy: Washington?s futile war on drugs in Latin America?3153 Words   |  13 PagesBook review: â€Å"Bad Neighbor Policy: Washington’s futile war on drugs in Latin America† Edited by Ted Galen Carpenter Overview Introductionnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;3 Read MoreRecreational Drugs Essay1047 Words   |  5 Pagesstatement is that recreational drugs are bad and good for you. It is also lot better for a recreational drug to be legal than keeping it illegal. 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