My Brother Decides My Heart Analysis

Throughout time, civilizations have tended to lower females’ influence in society. However, unlike other cultures, ancient Egyptian women sometimes achieved parity with the men. In some societies, such as Deir el Medina, Egyptian women enjoyed the same legal, economic, and social rights as Egyptian men, but also played a key role in caring for their children. Ancient Egyptian secular poetry from this community indicates the important role of the mother in the love lives of her children and Egyptian society by mentioning key phrases in the poems. One poem that describes the idea that young people in Egyptian society attempt to fall in love in order to please their parents is “My Brother Torments My Heart”. This poem portrays a need for approval when the author passionately states, “Come to me that I see your beauty/ Father, mother will rejoice!” The fact that the poet mentions her mother and father will be happy if they fall in love show how influential the parents are in her love life. The speaker in this poem seems to imply that one reason she is pursuing …show more content…
As the author walks past her lover’s house, she peeks at him and states, “I found his door ajar/ My brother stood by his mother/ and all his brothers with him.” The author’s mention of her lover’s mother in the second line of the poem shows how influential the mother figure is on love life. The purpose of this poem is to passionately express how deeply in love the author is with this man, and how she cannot live without this man, however, in the second line itself, the mother is brought up. Instead of possibly bringing up how lovely her lover looks on that day, the author mentions her lover’s position in relation to his mother, implying the power a motherly figure had. The poem “I Passed Before his House” portrays the influence a motherly figure had on others in the society of Deir el