History

History

In the first part, the writer talks about the benefits of being a scribe. He compares scribe

to other professions. He goes on in terms of giving advice to people on some of the general

professions. He strongly criticizes them to the extent of showing how inferior they are as

compared to scribes. According to the writer, scribes are the best in professions. This profession

is exciting, and one does not need to put in much energy while working, unlike in many other

professions. He says, “it pleases more than wine…bread and beer…” He refers to it that despite

beating them with sticks, they do not heed his advice. He sees the reluctance of his audience

towards his advice. They relate his advice as a plague to him by evading it. He argues that

everyone fits writing where he or she just requires their fingers.

He says that a washer-man has a lot of hard work to do. Washing linen is hard work that

makes him weak. Making of pots is another profession that involves a lot of input. He argues that

pot makers live a pathetic life, and he compares it to a dog’s life. A cobbler’s work is very

manual, and it makes their hands look red. Being a watchman is also one of the hardest jobs.

Watchmen spend nights working in the cold and darkness. Merchants have to carry goods from

one place to another for their businesses to flourish. Their businesses also depend on people’s

requirements. He describes them as having to travel “downstream and upstream”. Out-workers

require more as compared to being a scribe. They require a lot of tools. This makes it the hardest

of all jobs since they spend the whole day working. A peasant has to work tirelessly. He goes as

far as borrowing input (grain) to sew onto the land in order to accomplish his goals. All other

professions call for substantial commitments and energy input.

According to the writer, being a scribe is the best decision and also comes with rewards.

They associate with high-ranked and noble people. In the last paragraph of page 101, he says that

a scribe is among those the king trusts most. Despite all the others toiling hard, one attains from

their hard work easily. He says, “…make you become one who the king trusts; to make you gain

entrance to treasury and granary”. This comes from a lot of hard toiling from the peasant and

out-worker. Despite the hard work of tailors, scribes “are dressed in fine clothes”. They live in

the best mansions with powerful offices that the king gives them.

According to the writer, if “you put the writings in your heart…you will be protected

from all kind of toil”. The king goes to the extent of making them a top official within the

government. He gives a comprehensive description of the hard times that officials subject

laborers. They can be summoned at any moment. Supervisors are after “him as (after) a donkey”.

They toil, yet they do not enjoy their fruits. They suffer from hunger. The writer goes further in

describing them as “dead while yet alive”.

Being a soldier is another hard job. No one is sure when a war hits. In case it does, they

get summoned abruptly to go to war, with motivating words that they should win fame for

themselves. When they win a war, the fame is for the king. If the opponent is stronger, then it is

soldiers, who lose and get killed. They treat soldiers in no different manner from slaves.

According to the writer, scribes enjoy one of the best statuses in the nation. They do not

participate in hard jobs. Their job is light, and they get the best out of the common man’s toils.

They are also highly respected. The advice from him is that if one wanted all those privileges,

then is no other choice than being a scribe.

The second extract is about the administration of law and coordination between the law-

makers and law abiders. It revolves around the issue regarding how the two should relate and the

effect of the implementation method used. The writer continues to stress the need for proper

coordination from the ruler to the countrymen through lawmakers. In the last paragraph ( 151),

the writer explains the consequences that would arise if rulers gave ultimate powers to ministers,

in particular regarding the issue of punishment. It would be even worse if ministers assumed the

role of administering rewards to law abiders. This would make the common man fear and respect

them more than the ruler. He says, “everybody in the country will fear the ministers and slight

the ruler, and turn to the ministers and away from the ruler”. This results in perceiving of

misters by common men as the top authority in place of the rulers themselves.

However, leaders should not be too harsh, rather they should allow ministers to have a

say in the law administration. They should encourage countrymen to follow the law and rebuke

those, who break rules of the law. The writer further stresses that punishment is not the only way

to ensure that they follow the law. They may as well use incentives. The best way of incentives

that ministers should use is the reward, whereas “reward for good never misses the commoner”.

However, ministers should not evade the act of punishing the evil. The writer further warns that

ministers should not be afraid of punishment and censure.

Governing the state by the law is the same as blaming the wrong and praising the right.

This is done by means of rewards and punishments for the law abiders and wrong-doers

respectively. In the third paragraph, the writer says “intelligent sovereign makes law selectmen

but makes no arbitrary promotion himself”. The law has no match because it is a general base

that regulates how the commoners relate to the nobles. It works on all without regards to one’s

status. In the fourth paragraph, the writer argues “the law does not fawn on the noble …

Whatever the law applies to, the wise cannot reject nor can the brave defy”. Furthermore,

“punishment for fault never misses the minister”. It unifies mass folk-ways, suppresses disorders,

rebukes vices of the law and straightens the crooked. Ministers have the mandate to implement

the law, which they should do while following directives from the ruler. Both of these methods

are crucial as the punishment method ensures that everyone follows the law in order to avoid

punishment. Incentives method motivates a common man to follow rules of the law so that they

can get rewards.

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Author's Note

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