Moses in the basket. Every child in Alexandria knows it. The daughter of Pharaoh finds a baby floating on the Nile, and brings him up in the palace.
Myths of the Near East · Contrast
The Baby in the Basket
However, on the other hand, although, even though, despite, in spite of and unlike: the grammar of “but”, dressed up for scholarship, for two babies in two baskets on two great rivers.
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PHILO
SOPHIA
And there is a king of Akkad, a thousand years earlier, of whom the same thing was told. Tonight, two babies.
Two stories
After the Legend of Sargon, and Exodus 2
The Legend of Sargon: “My mother was a priestess; my father I did not know. My mother conceived me in secret and bore me in secret. She put me in a basket of reeds and sealed the lid with tar. She cast me into the river, which did not rise over me. The river carried me to Akki, the drawer of water. Akki lifted me out and brought me up as his son, and made me his gardener. While I was a gardener, the goddess Ishtar loved me, and I became king.” Sargon went on to found the first great empire in the world, from the Mediterranean to the Gulf.
In Exodus, Pharaoh ordered every Hebrew baby boy to be thrown into the Nile. A Hebrew mother hid her son for three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took a basket of papyrus, covered it with tar and pitch, put the baby in it, and set it among the reeds by the river. His sister stood at a distance to watch.
Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe, saw the basket, and felt sorry for the crying child. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said. His sister stepped forward and offered to find a nurse, and brought the baby’s own mother. When he grew up, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him, and called him Moses, “because I drew him out of the water.”
The Legend of Sargon, from later Assyrian copies. Exodus is quoted from the Septuagint.
What we know today
The Legend of Sargon was written down on clay tablets found in the 1800s. The real Sargon of Akkad reigned around 2300 BCE, but the legend was written much later, probably under the Assyrian kings, who admired him. The oldest copies we have are from about the 7th century BCE.
Stories of a great leader abandoned as a baby and rescued are found in many cultures: Cyrus of Persia, and Romulus and Remus in Rome, are two more. Scholars disagree about whether any one of these stories borrowed from another.
However, on the other hand
DEMETRIA
Both babies were put in baskets with tar. However, Sargon’s mother wanted to be rid of him, and Moses’s mother wanted to save him.
SOPHIA
However introduces a contrast in a new sentence, usually with a comma. On the other hand compares two sides: On the one hand… on the other hand…
Although, though, even though
PHILO
Although both babies were saved by a river, only one of them was saved by his own mother’s plan.
SOPHIA
Although / though / even though + a full clause, in the same sentence. Even though is stronger: even though Pharaoh had ordered his death, his own daughter saved him.
Despite, in spite of
MARCOS
Despite of the order…
SOPHIA
Almost. Despite has no of; in spite of has one. Both are followed by a noun or -ing: Despite Pharaoh’s order, in spite of the danger, despite being a Hebrew… Not a full clause (unless you add the fact that).
Unlike
THE CLERK
Unlike Sargon, Moses knew who his mother was.
SOPHIA
Exactly. Unlike + noun: unlike Sargon, unlike the legend. Careful to compare like with like: Unlike Sargon’s mother, Moses’s mother…, not Unlike Sargon, Moses’s mother…
The difference
PHILO
Sargon’s story ends with a king who builds an empire. Moses was brought up as a prince, and then he left the palace, and led a people of slaves out of it.
Sophia’s summary
| Form | Use | From the fable |
|---|---|---|
| however / on the other hand | contrast, new sentence | Both were in baskets. However, their mothers’ reasons were different. |
| although / though / even though + clause | contrast, same sentence | Although both were saved by a river, their stories end differently. |
| despite / in spite of + noun / -ing | contrast with a noun | Despite Pharaoh’s order, the baby lived. |
| unlike + noun | difference between two similar things | Unlike Sargon, Moses knew his mother. |
Practice
Answer all the questions, then press “Check my answers”. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Choose the best form
Choose the form that fits best.
1. ___ Pharaoh’s order, the baby was saved.
2. Both babies were put in baskets. ___, their mothers had very different reasons.
3. ___ Sargon, Moses knew who his mother was.
4. ___ both stories have a river, they end very differently.
5. In spite ___ the danger, his sister watched from the reeds.
6. Despite ___ a Hebrew, he was brought up as a prince.
B · Complete the sentence
Write the missing word or words.
7. though Pharaoh had ordered his death, his own daughter saved him. (strong contrast)
8. On the one hand, Sargon became an emperor. On the other , Moses led slaves to freedom.
9. Despite fact that she was Pharaoh’s daughter, she saved a Hebrew baby.
10. Sargon’s mother, Moses’s mother planned his rescue. (difference)
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
11. “Despite of the order, she hid her son.”
12. “Although he was found in a river, he became a prince.”
13. “Unlike Sargon, Moses’s basket was made of papyrus.”
Now play the Akkadian legend yourself: a baby in a basket who became the first emperor.Play the gamebook →