The Story of Sinuhe
Although now thousands of years old, the ancient story of "Sinuhe the Egyptian" reveals a lifetime of trials and tribulations comparable to the experiences of the modern-day immigrant. The story is about the life of Sinuhe, an Egyptian palace official, who flees Egypt after the death of his king. He begins a new life in exile under a ruler in Syria, and as a result, encounters many obstacles along the way. Some of these obstacles are physical, such as when he is challenged to a duel by a Syrian champion, which he ends up killing. Other obstacles are purely mental, such as dealing inwardly with his cowardice that made him leave Egypt in the first place. The modern immigrant faces the same types of physical and mental obstacles when leaving their home of origin and coming to begin a new life in another country as a foreigner. This paper will compare the physical and mental experiences faced by both Sinuhe and the modern immigrant.Sinuhe fled Egypt because he feared strife after the king's death. When speaking of how he left, Sinuhe states in the translation, "I removed myself in leaps, to seek a hiding place....I believed there would be turmoil and I did not expect to survive it (Touregypt.net, at pp.1)." Modern day immigr
Finally, the story of Sinuhe and that of the modern immigrant share many of the same hardships that must be overcome. Sinuhe did not feel "peace" until he felt that he had accomplished everything to please the king. As such, the modern immigrant does not feel their inward peace until they feel as so though they have been fully "accepted" by their new home. This is similar to modern immigrant, who first comes to a new land in fear of something he left back home. When the immigrant arrives in the new country, he does not know anyone, nor is he aware of the customs of his new environment. He will probably encounter physical problems, such as not having a place to live, and will have to work until he is able to establish a home for himself, which will take some time. The jobs he may take will be hard labor, for he seems to have no friends, although he may become lucky, as Sinuhe was, to meet a friend that takes care of him and helps him adjust to his new home. There may be a major physical obstacle he may have to overcome, comparable to Sinuhe's killing of an opponent. The modern immigrant will also have to metaphorically "kill his opponent," or overcome the unfamiliar, and become th
Some common words found in the essay are:
Sinuhe Egyptian, modern immigrant, , story sinuhe, sinuhe modern immigrant, sinuhe egyptian, killing opponent, left home, physical mental, modern day, sinuhe modern, life sinuhe, country fear,
Approximate Word count = 805
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
