The pyramids … the emblem of ancient Egypt

             Have you ever heard about pyramids in Egypt? Have you ever watched them on T.V. or on the internet? Have you ever been to Egypt to visit the pyramids? Maybe one day you will do. Today we will learn about the history of the pyramids; who built them, when they were built, how they were built and why. Pay attention because there will be a quiz at the end.

Who built the pyramids at Giza and when?

The age of pyramid-building in Egypt began about 2900 BC. The Great Pyramid was built by the king of the fourth Dynasty Khufu, known also as Cheops by Greek historians. The pyramid's base covered over 13 acres and its sides were over 755 feet long. It originally stood over 481 feet high; today it is 450 feet high. Scientists estimate that its stone blocks average over two tons apiece, with the largest weighing as much as fifteen tons each. Two other major pyramids were built, for Khufu's son, King Khafre (Chephren), and a successor of Khafre, Menkaure (Mycerinus).

Why were the pyramids built?

The ancient Egyptians believed that death on Earth was the start of a journey to the next world.  The mummified body of the king was entombed underneath or within the pyramid to protect it and allow his transformation and ascension to the afterlife. They built pyramids as tombs for the pharaohs and their queens. The pharaohs were buried in pyramids of many different shapes and sizes.Pharaohs traditionally began building their pyramids as soon as they took the throne. The pharaoh would first establish a committee composed of an overseer of construction, a chief engineer and an architect. The pyramids were usually placed on the western side of the Nile because the pharaoh’s soul was meant to join with the sun disc during its descent before continuing with the sun in its eternal round. They thought that the sun ‘dies’ on the western horizon every night. However, after it became clear that the pyramids did not provide protection for the mummified bodies of the kings but were obvious targets for grave robbers; later kings were buried in hidden tombs cut into rock cliffs. Although the magnificent pyramids did not protect the bodies of the Egyptian kings who built them, the pyramids have served to keep the names and stories of those kings alive to this day.

How were the pyramids built?

The outlines of the pyramid were measured and marked in the desert sand. Then the building began. Large blocks of stone were cut from quarries nearby. They were dragged by groups of men across the desert to the site of the pyramid and set in place. Most of the workers were farmers who worked on building the pyramid during the flood season when their fields were under water. After the first level of blocks was in place, the workers built ramps of mud brick, limestone chips and clay. The workers dragged the large stones up the ramps to build the next level of the pyramid. When the pyramid was almost finished, a special block covered in shining metal (either gold or electrum) was placed on the top of the pyramid. The pyramid was originally encased in smooth, white limestone that must have gleamed in the scorching Egyptian sun.  The blocks were trimmed to make the outside of the pyramid smooth.The two deciding factors when choosing a building site were its orientation to the western horizon where the sun set and the proximity to Memphis, the central city of ancient Egypt.

Now you know that the three largest Pyramids were built at Giza at the beginning of the Old Kingdom around the year 2900 BC as burial places for pharaohs. They were built by Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure respectively. The most well-known of these pyramids was built for the pharaoh Khufu. It is known as the ‘Great Pyramid’.

Teachers Are Generation Builders

Teachers per se are usually seen as leaders who shape the future of their students as potters shape clay with their hands. Their role is extremely crucial as it sets the path for their lives and paves the way for developing their personalities. Their encouragement, hard work and personal traits can, overtly or covertly, nurture the character of their students to greater extent. They can, albeit unknowingly, inspire students, making ever-lasting impressions that propel them forward to reach their potentials. However, in some cases, they could be a reason to severely ruin their lives. Hence, their role is salient and crucial, especially during the students’ tender ages. Being educators give them the honor of sharing the responsibility of bringing up generations after generations. On balance, teachers have either positive or negative impacts on their students that can define their prospective lives.

           “She [the teacher] moved me from the back of the room to the front seat by her desk,” narrates Santiago who is a primary student. A tiny act like this made a big difference in her life; she thought that she was doing well and mostly she was the best. This is in part fuel her self-confidence. She also liked her teacher as well as English composition, which she “found appealing.” By the same token, another student, Eva Hoffman, described her teaches as “a kindly looking woman who tries to give us reassuring glances.” This pacified her and her sister and somehow made them feel that they were in a place to which they belong. She even helped them return home by writing them a sign that carried their address. Their overriding worry was their new names that significantly affected their self-image, which made them feel “strangers” to themselves. Both Eva and Esmeralda remembered every nook and cranny of their first day at school as well as the treatment and attitudes that they have observed at the time. 

Bloom Wherever You Are Planted

        Have you ever had a friend or a role model that left a wide gap behind when he moved away or died? Have you ever tried to be that kind of person? In today’s post, I would like talk about my family motto that touches upon that point. My family motto is “Bloom wherever you are planted,” which is the statement that passed on from forefathers to my current family generation. This motto is not just words of mouth, rather it tells about a characteristic that we, as an extended family, try to inculcate in our offspring, teaching them to be good citizens wherever they are. It is the piece of advice I used to receive whenever I asked for help or to be advised. Let me explain the original Arabic variant of this motto which is

 "كن كالغيث أينما حل نفع ولا تكن كالبركان كلما ثار فجع"

This can be translated as “Do your utmost to be like rainwater, whenever it falls, it brings about life and goodness and do not be like a volcano whenever it erupts, it causes devastation and catastrophes.” We usually suffice by mentioning the first part only. I portrayed this motto in the picture of the water cycle, when I went to the middle school and studied science. The English equivalent of this motto is “Bloom wherever you are planted.” The interrelationship between these two eloquent statements is that both call upon everyone to be beneficial everywhere they are. Whenever they are absent, they leave a gap that can hardly be filled.

     To sum up, bloom wherever you are planted is part of my family’s legacy. I think if we all were to apply this motto, we would reach our potential. We would not be selfish, caring for nothing but feathering our nests. Rather, we will give priority to the well-being of the whole society over our own individual interests. Actually, this simple motto can serve as a magic wand that can turn our world to be a better place to live in.

Shylock as depicted in the Merchant of Venice

Shylock’s role in Shakespeare’s play “The Merchant of Venice” indicates with no iota of doubt that he is the most noteworthy figure in the play. He was portrayed as a bloodthirsty bogeyman, a clownish greedy moneylender and a wicked self-centered villain. He can also be viewed as tragic figure due to what he encounters of bias, prejudice, racism and persecution. Antonio takes the pride in tarnishing the image of Shylock, considering him as an outcast and enticing others to treat him as such. Shakespeare depicts the Jews as freaks of nature, and Christians as a centrally coherent, wholesome society. Christians at the time have some sort of distaste of anyone different from them and this justifies their anti-Semitic attitude.

Although Shylock is deemed as Shakespeare’s most memorable characters, the play’s title actually refers to the good merchant of Venice, namely Antonio. This is quite tricky though. Shylock is also the play’s antagonist through several stereotypes. Additionally, he is a creation of circumstances; even in his single-minded pursuit of a pound of flesh, his frequent mentions of the cruelty he has endured at Christian hands make it hard to label him a naturally-born monster. Shakespeare often steers us against Shylock, painting him as a miserly, cruel, and prosaic figure. Let’s have a thorough look at his role in the play:

Shylock is depicted as a notorious Jewish moneylender in Venice, who has one daughter named Jessica. As the stereotype entails, he is very bitter and tightfisted with his money. Shylock does not like Antonio, a Christian merchant, because of past experiences where Antonio made fun of him publicly. Angered by his mistreatment at the hands of Venice’s Christians particularly Antonio, Shylock schemes to revenge by mercilessly demanding as payment a pound of Antonio’s flesh. Shylock, having been mistreated by the Christians in Venice, particularly Antonio, was not very friendly with them and held much contempt for them. The play’s protagonist, Antonio, lends money with no interest and thus spoils Shylock’s business. That is why shylock keeps waiting anxiously for an opportunity to harm him.

When Antonio's friend, Bassanio, needs money in order to impress and thus woo his beloved Portia, a pretty wealthy heiress from Belmont, he goes to his friend Antonio, who does not have the money at the time because all of his ships are at sea. Antonio uses his good credit to get the loan for his friend from Shylock the moneylender. Shylock agrees to loan the money, three thousand ducats, with no interest as long as Antonio will sign the contract, promising a pound of his flesh as collateral. If he fails to pay back on time, Shylock is entitled to cut the pound of flesh from his body. Antonio accepts the condition of the bond and signs it, thinking of the bargain as a mere joke.

Shylock intuition, that Antonio’s ships may wreck, doesn’t fail him.  Antonio’s ships are reported to have wrecked at sea. The deadline already passes, Antonio does not pay back the debt, and shylock wants to exact the pound of flesh as per the contract. So he gets Antonio arrested and put him into trial.

Word comes to Bassanio about Antonio’s predicament. Portia now is married to Bassanio and wants to help in anyway. She seeks the advice of a relative lawyer of hers, borrows his work attire, goes to the court disguised as a lawyer and exquisitely defeats shylock’s right of the pound of flesh. Shylock asks to be paid thrice the money lent instead, but Portia turns him down again.

Given the authority of judgment by the Duke, Portia decides that Shylock can have the pound of flesh as long as he doesn’t draw blood. Since it is obvious that to draw a pound of flesh would kill Antonio, Shylock is denied his suit. Even worse, for conspiring to murder a Venetian citizen, Portia orders that he should forfeit all his wealth. Shylock has to give up half of his property to Antonio and the other half to Venice as per the law. Antonio waives his half on condition that Shylock converts to Christianity and bequeaths his wealth to his disinherited daughter, Jessica, and her Christian husband, Lorenzo. The Jew has no choice but to accept, and the trail ends.

On the whole, the play is nothing but a misrepresentation of Shylock. The trend at the time has been defaming the reputation of Jews. Marlowe and Shakespeare prove this true in their plays. For instance, Barabas, in Marlowe’s the Jew of Malta, and Shylock have many things in common. Both are Jewish notorious wealthy men. Greed, materialism, selfishness and economic conservatism are some features that Barabas and Shylock equally share. Jews are a minority in a hostile society. This shows the  society at that time as an outfit that does not fit foreigners. 

Barabas as depicted in Marlowe's the Jew of Malta

Barabas is the protagonist of Christopher Marlowe’s “The Jew of Malta” which is a tragedy and revenge play that satirizes the willingness of people to put aside moral and ethical principles to achieve their goals by whatever means possible. He is a wealthy Jewish merchant who is unrelenting in his efforts to gain revenge against his foes and retrieve his confiscated wealth. 

However, Barabas is never a tragic hero. His heinous conspiracies and plots greatly outweigh the gravity of confiscating his wealth. These injustices cannot justify in any way his obsession with vengeance and cruelty. He is a scheming manipulator who feels no pity for his hapless victims and a greedy old man who guards his wealth with all his might and main.

Barabas's only motivation is gain back his riches by any means. Gradually, he grows to loathe his Christian enemies and notions of vengeance begin to consume him. Being vengeance-obsessed, he mercilessly poisons an entire convent of nuns, along with his daughter, not to mention his other wicked schemes.

Now let’s have a look at his role and delve deep into the realm of his horrific plots:

When the Turkish sultan’s son Selim Calymath arrives to the island of Malta o levy the tribute for the elapsed ten years, the Maltese governor Freneze cannot produce it immediately but he promise to pay within a month. The tribute has accumulated to a considerable sum over the last ten years. After the Turks leaves, Frenze decide to collect it the Jews of Malta; each Jew must give up half of his property.

When Barabas objects, his entire estate is confiscated. Consequently, he plots to retrieve part of his wealth with the help of his only daughter Abigall. She manages to enter the nunnery, formerly babarabs mansion, and retrieves her father’s hidden fortune. Mathias and Lodowick have fallen in love with Abigall, and Barabas promise his favors to each. He contrives a plot to have Mathias and Lodowick kill each other, and they foolishly do.

On knowing of her father’s scheming and the death of her lovers, Abigall enters the nunnery once again. So Barabas poisons an entire convent of nuns, along with his daughter for fear of her betrayal. He sends Ithamore, his Turkish salve, to the nunnery with a pot of rice laced with a deadly powder. Two friars know, via Abigall, of her father’s plots. When they confront his with his crimes, he cunningly tells them that he would like to repent and convert to Christianity. Naturally, he will contribute the entirety of his fortune to whichever monastery he enters. Being from two different monasteries, each tries to win Barabas allegiance, and end up killing each other.

Freneze refuses to pay the tribute to the Turks and thus rebels against them at the advice of the Spanish. The Turks wage a war on Malta.

 As Barabas accomplice, Ithamore knows a great deal about his plots and begins to blackmail him. So he poisons him as well. Barabas meanwhile has been captured but he feigns death and leads the Turks into the city. The Turks offers him to be Malta’s governor but he declines it. Then he decides to return Malta to Frenze and contrive to massacre the Turkish forces who fall in the trap as well. However, his plot fails miserably. He finally tastes his own poison of hatching conspiracies and then dies. He falls through the trap door and into cauldron which is the climax of his villainous acts.

          All things considered, Marlowe depicts Barabas as the cruelest and wickedest man under the sun. Shakespeare does the same in his depiction of Jews in his plays. The merchant of Venice is just a case in point. Like Barabas, Shylock was a notorious moneylender who conspires to kill a Venetian Christian, Antonio. Each of Barabas and Shylock has a single daughter.  Apparently, the two plays lend themselves to each other in many ways.

Egypt vs. the USA