Literary Analysis - Joseph's Rise to Power

Reading Joseph's rise

Your set text is Genesis, chapters 41 to 43 - Joseph's rise to power in Egypt. This module analyses it as literature: its story, its themes, its characters and the writer's craft. A note on the text: the Hebrew of Genesis is ancient and in the public domain, but every English wording here is a plain retelling of my own - no modern translation is quoted. The passage is treated with respect as the set text of a living tradition.

A few key words

These appear pointed (with niqqud), then in transliteration, then in English. They are here to recognise, not to type.

The story of chapters 41 to 43

Put the events of the set text into order.

• Pharaoh is troubled by two strange dreams
• Joseph interprets them: seven years of plenty, then seven of famine
• Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge of storing grain for Egypt
• The famine spreads, and Joseph's brothers come from Canaan to buy grain
• Joseph, unrecognised, tests them and demands they bring Benjamin
• The brothers return with Benjamin, and Joseph hosts them at a meal

The meaning of the dreams

In Pharaoh's dreams, seven thin cows swallow seven fat cows, and seven withered ears of grain swallow seven healthy ones. What does Joseph say this means?

• Seven years of plenty will be followed by seven years of famine
• Egypt will win seven great battles
• Pharaoh will reign for seven more years
• Seven new cities will be built by the Nile

The big themes

Five threads run through the set text. Hold them in mind as you read.

Match each character to their role

Dramatic irony

The most powerful device in these chapters is dramatic irony - when the reader knows something the characters do not. Joseph recognises his brothers at once, but they have no idea that the Egyptian official who controls their fate is the brother they sold years before. Every word between them carries a double meaning for us, and the tension never lets go - in the questioning, the tears Joseph hides, and the demand for Benjamin.

Why so tense?

What creates the dramatic irony in the meetings between Joseph and his brothers?

• Joseph recognises them, but they do not recognise him
• The brothers know who Joseph is, but he does not know them
• Neither Joseph nor the brothers know each other
• Pharaoh secretly watches every meeting

Themes in the text

Select the THREE themes that genuinely run through Joseph's rise to power.

• Divine providence guiding events
• Reversal of fortune
• Testing that begins to heal a broken family
• A great sea battle between navies
• The giving of the Ten Commandments

Match each theme to a moment

Where the set text stops

Know your boundaries. Set Text 1 is chapters 41 to 43: the rise, the famine, and the testing of the brothers up to the meal with Benjamin. The emotional climax - Joseph revealing himself and forgiving his brothers - comes just after, in chapters 44 and 45, beyond your set text. So your analysis should focus on the build-up: how tension, irony and theme are developed, not on the reconciliation that follows.

Reading a whole clause

Analysis starts with noticing where the grammar changes. Both halves of Genesis 41:41 are on the page together, and they are built differently:

Which reading is right?

The grammar changes between the two halves of Genesis 41:41. What does that change mark?

• The move from narration into Pharaoh speaking in his own voice
• That the second half happens much later
• That the second half is a question
• Nothing - the two forms are interchangeable

Analyse it

Three analytical judgements. Choose the strongest answer each time.

• You want to name the technique in: "Joseph knew his brothers, but they did not know him." Which is it?
• Which is the strongest analytical point about Pharaoh's TWO dreams?
• An exam asks how providence is shown. What is the best answer?

Pharaoh's dreams

In Genesis 41 to 43, Pharaoh's two _____ warn of seven years of plenty and seven of _____. Joseph interprets them and is made ruler of _____. When his brothers arrive to buy grain, the key device is dramatic _____: Joseph knows them, but they do not know him. Across the section runs the theme of divine _____, guiding events to preserve the family.

How the writer builds tension

Explain how the writer builds tension in Joseph's meetings with his brothers (Genesis 41 to 43). Use the idea of dramatic irony, and refer to at least one theme.

• Explain what dramatic irony is and how it works in these chapters
• Give one specific moment where the reader knows more than the brothers
• Link the tension to a theme, such as testing or reversal of fortune
• Write your analysis in your own words, without quoting a modern translation