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Meghan McInaney
Miroslav Penkov
ENGL 3140
March 4, 2015
The King of Egypt’s Great Defeat
This first paragraph is a summary of the original story. A biblical myth, The Ten
Plagues (Exodus 7:14-12:30), tells the story of the Hebrew people who are forbidden to
leave Egypt by Pharaoh Ramses II. God demonstrates his powers, through the ten
plagues of Egypt, in order for Pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery. Moses is
God’s deliverer through the process of the plagues: water to blood, frogs, gnats/lice, flies,
livestock diseased, boils, thunder with hail, locusts, darkness, and the death of all first
born in Egypt.
This is my different take on the story. I have lost my family and my kingdom sits
in ruin. I almost caught my brother, Moses. He and his, so called “god” stole all my
Hebrew slaves from me. They all made it past the Red Sea that engulfed my soldiers
yesterday, but the plagues upon Egypt started two weeks ago at the Nile River.
I could barely stand the melting heat of the sun on the Nile that late morning. I
prayed to the sun god, Ra, to cool down my Egyptian kingdom. I, Pharaoh Ramses II,
was trying to get over my annoying little brother’s act he put on the day before. How
could Moses, with the two serpents and his Shepard’s staff, have challenged me, the
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rightful heir to my father’s throne? I intended to be better than my father, to hold the
weight of his rein and approval. I grew up with Moses and he had the gall to disgrace
me, the Pharaoh. He has committed treason and wishes for all creatures to be treated the
same. Is that not unforgivable? There are too many Hebrews, so I must put them to
harsh conditions of hard labor, malnourishment and whipping, of course. I must be
superior and show them who runs the show. Anyway, my Egyptian servants had brought
me fruits and water on the brink of the Nile, where my son and I skipped rocks across the
shimmering river. I spotted a figure downstream, at the water’s edge. It was Moses,
himself.
He called out to me in rebellion about the slaves’ freedom, to let his people go.
I chuckled loudly so that Moses could hear me. I gave him no response and assured
myself that I am the morning and evening star, the great ruler of Egypt. Moses placed his
rod staff into the water. I couldn’t believe my eyes. At once, the water ran dark red, with
blood, and stretched to the other side of the Nile. My people of Egypt all gasped in fear
and shock. Moses turned to look at me with sorrow and commitment. I tried to ignore,
but he went on to explain that the plague will continue for seven days. I had left the river
immediately, angered by this madman. My heart had darkened with this stunt from their
god. After, thirst was across the entire land of Egypt. I had never felt the choking pain of
having no liquids. I could easily handle this trick of a magician.
Later, my brother Moses was told by his god to bring frogs upon my kingdom and
so they came. The frogs were everywhere, in my servant’s and my people’s homes.
What would frogs do to my kingdom? I could not take any more of this foolery, so I
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called over Moses. I asked him to call off the plague and in return I would let the
Hebrews go to worship their god. Of course I was lying. I had no intention of settling a
deal with this god and my brother’s treason. Once the plague was lifted, I denied the
slaves permission.
The plagues then continued for many days. Their Hebrew god had brought his
wrath upon me with gnats, flies, and even my livestock dying. Every time my heart had
grown darker with anger, revenge and betrayal. I was not the weak link, like my father
before me had predicted. I, Ramses the Great, was prideful and brilliant with how I ran
my kingdom. All that misery I had endured should have been given to those slaves of
mine. I had finally figured out how to make them all pay. I had decreed that all bricks
were to be made without straw and the Israelites were expected to still build my cities on
time. My servants and guards had not agreed with me and felt that I may have taken this
situation too far. What did they know, they were not in charge.
The next day, I awakened to discover my wife, Neferteri, and I was covered in
boils the size of the royal statues of myself. Not really of course, but they scaled our
entire bodies with pain and puss. My image was being tormented and destroyed. I ran
out of the bedroom to find that all Egyptians, even my pet lion and my son, were head to
toe in boils. What did this god, this heathen want of me? I could not simply release all
my free labor and then build my empire myself. My own Egyptian people would have to
build before my hands ever touched mud or stone. That was and is still not in the job
script. In return, I doubled the workload of the Israelites.
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I was playing with my son outside one day when another plague came to warn
me. Thunder and hail, terrific, I was so glad to have a cynical weatherman taking
vengeance, but he would have to do better than that. Immediately I ran to Moses and
“agreed” to let Moses’s people go and soon after, the plague had been lifted. The issue I
kept having concerned the slaves trying to leave when I did not really want them to. I
just did not care for their lives and still do not. They are the people of slavery, a type of
human just inches above dirt. As the King of Egypt, I would have celebrations of my
victories in battle and gifts given from foreign lands to me. How could this shady deity
not understand to get with the program? He unfortunately had his own agenda that
ruined mine.
Once Moses found out about my lie, locusts devoured my land, my food, and my
animals. I was so fed up with his games that I decided to let them all leave, but they
could not bring any supplies with them. Moses was so upset with me and demanded
livestock and water. Can you believe it? He demanded and was angry with me. I was
furious! The idea that he thought I would let them all walk out unharmed with my
supplies after what their god did to me. I sent Moses away, warning him if I saw his face
again, I would kill him for sure. I never had thought of killing my own brother until that
moment, when I prayed to my gods for nothing else to go wrong. I closed out everybody
else, myself in solitude.
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For the next three days, the Israelites’ god mocked me with darkness, another
plague. Why did I care at this point? This illusionist had forsaken me and ridiculed my
rein. What else could he do? I was alone and that’s the way I liked it. My father had
told me to never have friends and trust no one. He was right about everything. On the
third day, Moses came to me to ask one more time. Lucky for him, I could not see him
through the darkness. He tried to persuade me with a heart-felt, sincere concern for my
son. He was my adopted brother after all, but he had been a thorn in my side for long
enough. From childhood to finally earning my crown, Moses had always bested me and
even my father knew who was right for the position. However, I was and am still of
pureblood, the automatic right to rule on my high horse. I did not buy it though, this
god’s power could pull pranks, but it could never harm my son. Was Moses going to
bring misfortune upon my own royal loins? Moses then had gone on to explain the last
plague, which all first born in Egypt would die. I chuckled at the thought for which this
god could take away life. Not possible, I concluded and even if it was done so, then my
god of Horus would bring my son back to life. My Egyptian gods could always defeat
any other gods, including this peasant god.
I went to sleep that night, dreaming of when this nightmare will be over and was
woken by one of my guards in the early morning to find my son had passed through the
river of death. I brought him to one of my god idols, who would surely heal him, but
failed me. Oh my son, my heir to the throne was lost. I had been defeated by Moses and
his Hebrew god, who had not touched the Israelites land of Goshen due to lamb’s blood
smeared on every door post? Lamb’s blood, how did I not discover this method of
protection? I was done with questioning their methods as it did not help me one bit. I
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went to speak with the deliverer who had succeeded, who had completely changed the
way my rein would continue. I gave him permission for the slaves to leave with all the
flocks and cattle they wished to take.
My first defeat in my rein had occurred for I could not bear it. I was stuck with
my wife, never cared for her much aside from creating my son. I was jealous anyway for
she had taken a liking to Moses, but we all know that I am the great and powerful King of
Egypt. Who needs her? I bet I will outlive her any way, that wretch! Now that my son
is no more, I must create a hundred more children! No doubt my heirs will be amazing,
like myself. Moses, an uncaring curse, had slipped through my grasp. Traitor and
murderer, Moses was. I acted instantly from my loss and charged my grand, royal army
after the Hebrews. As I told you, the plan faltered and here I am, still superior and
prideful of myself and my kingdom. Would my father be proud?