Module 3 Readings & Response

You may have noticed by this point that ancient Egyptian literature is extremely focused on the pharaohs and the gods. Sometimes, it can seem like texts are nothing more than a string of titles for the king and blessing for and by the gods. That all begins to change in the Middle Kingdom, when literature becomes far more complex. Instead of a series of events or incantations, Middle Kingdom literature is often focused on the difficulties and struggles of real people in the real world. I mean one of the most famous texts (which you’ll read below!) centers on a poor guy wondering to himself whether life is actually worth living. Luckily for him, his spirit, or ‘ba’, works to convince him that life is actually pretty good even though it can be tough at times.

For this assignment, I’d like you to do two things. First, since this literature is more focused (to some extent) on regular people than the Old Kingdom literature from the last module, I’d like you to write 150+ words about what you think we can learn about everyday life and everyday people from these texts. What was daily life like? What themes emerge? Second, I’d like you to write 150+ words about what these texts reveal about kingship. Consider, perhaps, how it’s different in the Middle Kingdom than it was in the Old Kingdom. Make sure to support your assertions with at least 3 references to the texts.

What to Read

• The book is called “Gift of the Nile: A journey through ancient Egypt” by Robert Stephan
• (same as last time)

What to Write

Prompt: For this assignment, I’d like you to do two things. First, since this literature is more focused (to some extent) on regular people than the Old Kingdom literature from the last module, I’d like you to write 150+ words about what you think we can learn about everyday life and everyday people from these texts. What was daily life like? What themes emerge? Second, I’d like you to write 150+ words about what these texts reveal about kingship. Consider, perhaps, how it’s different in the Middle Kingdom than it was in the Old Kingdom. Make sure to support your assertions with at least 3 references to the texts.

Grading Criteria

Overview: For this assignment, you will be graded on four different criteria: the quality of your response, the quantity of your response, your use of sources to support your response, and the overall formatting of your response. Let’s take a look at each of these individually. The grading rubric is then provided below.

Quality of Response. The best responses have strong and nuanced arguments. These arguments are both clear and creative, and they are well supported using your own logical reasoning and using evidence from the text. Moreover, the strongest responses convey their ideas using formal, academic prose, varied sentence structure, and powerful rhetorical strategies to persuade the reader of their argument.

Quantity of Response. The reading responses for this course are expected to be at least 300 words.

Use of Sources. You are expected to use the ancient source as evidence for your argument. In order to receive full credit, you need to cite the ancient source at least three times using in-text, parenthetical citations. You also need to provide a full bibliographic reference for the ancient source at the end of your response. Cited references to the text can either be direct quotes or paraphrases from the text. Make sure to choose your evidence thoughtfully, as you’ll be graded as much on the effectiveness of your source use as on the mere presence of sources. For in-text parenthetical citations go with this format (Ancient Author, Ancient Text Title, Page or Line #). For the end-of-response full bibliographic entry, you can check out the example below. It should go Ancient Author. Ancient Title of Text. Translated in Gift of the Nile: A Journey through Ancient Egypt, Argos Publishing, 2024.

In-Line Citation Example: (Tale of the Eloquent Peasant, 20-25)

Bibliographic Entry Example: Tale of the Eloquent Peasant. Translated in Gift of the Nile: A Journey through Ancient Egypt, Argos Publishing, 2024.