Deir El Mama Essay

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Recommended: Egypt civilization and its culture

The great Egyptian Empire ruled over the Nile river for many centuries. Today, society looks at the feats of the once all powerful empire and marvels and the beautiful architecture and complex customs. The Egyptian Empire truly was a hallmark in human history, but it is surprising to most people that unlike other ancient civilizations, many Egyptian people were literate. This can be seen in the poetry of Deir el Medina. These poems reveal the attitudes of the village’s youth towards love and marriage, as well as their overwhelming obedience to their parents. In Deir el Medina, the younger generations struggled to control their emotions, which was expressed through the poems. The writers of the poems often share how the feelings of love have …show more content…

Many of the poems reference the mother’s opinion on important matters such as marriage, rather than the fathers. The poem My Brother Overwhelms My Heart displays the matriarchal mentality; “He does not realize how I wish to embrace him, or he would write my mother.” In this line the author explains how her brother is unaware of her feelings towards him. More importantly, it is explained how the mother would be contacted in lieu of the father. This informs the reader that the mother is the parent who dealt with these types of issues; unlike most civilizations where the father had the final say. In addition, this line shows how women had some power and respect in a time where men dominated household. It is also important to note how obedient the children were to their mothers. The quote from My Brother Torments My Heart shows how the children see the mother’s decisions as final; “Mother is right in charging him thus: ‘Give up seeing her!’,” the mother is commanding the brother to cut off relations with the writer of this poem. When she states that the mother is right, she understands that allowing further contact could only cause problems. This relays to the reader that the children have complete respect to the mother’s judgements. The analysis of the poems from Deir el Medina uncovers a small shift of power from the father to the

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