Chapter 2: Reflection on The Occupations of Old Egypt

The Egyptian text "Be a Scribe" was a school text that students would copy in hopes of improving their own writing. The text stresses the importance of becoming a scribe and highlights many of the disadvantages of following any other line of work.
By reading the Egyptian text, the occupational and social structure of Middle Kingdom Egypt did not seem very diverse. There seemed to be those who have noble positions and then... everyone else. "Be a Scribe" goes through over ten different occupations, each one very different and yet each one describing the toils and hardships that the men and women of those jobs face. The profession of a scribe was one of great importance and luxury seeing that it "it pleases more than bread and beer, more than clothing and ointment." In contrast to the more egalitarian societal structures of the Paleolithic civilization, the social and political hierarchy of the Egyptian society is very evident, as seen in the document. From "Be a Scribe," historians are able to grasp a real sense of the developing social structures that early civilizations were beginning to develop.
Learning how to write would open a boatload of opportunity for young Egyptians! After describing the many tedious and tiresome jobs of the peasant and the ships' crews and so on, the narrator of the document pauses to share some of the pleasantries of becoming a scribe. To succinctly sum up the many advantages of learning how to write: "Put the writings in your heart, and you will be protected from all kinds of toil. You will become a worthy official."Nice clothes, a mansion, and servants are just a few of the things that are mentioned.
While reading the Egyptian text it was kind of funny to truly see the absolutely timeless frustrations of a teacher. Not simply a teacher in a classroom, but the kind of person who has ever tried to give you any valuable advice in your life. The narrator of the document is practically begging the student to educate themselves as they say, "If you have any sense, be a scribe."And for as long as the instructor tries to press this information among the students, they do not seem to listen or to care: "But though I spend the day telling you 'Write,' it seems like a plague to you." The humor that I found in this is the uncanny familiarity of it all. Today, our educators and parents tell us to be educated and work hard and listen... But we are college students and we are invincible. History proves again that it does, indeed, repeat itself.