[2] The tale is about a peasant, Khun-Anup, who stumbles upon the property of the high steward, the noble Rensi son of Meru, guarded by its harsh overseer, Nemtynakht.
[6] The story begins with a poor peasant, Khun-Anup, traveling to market with his donkeys heavily laden with goods to exchange for supplies for his family.
Failing to receive justice from Nemtynakht, Khun-Anup seeks out the high steward, the noble Rensi son of Meru, and presents his case.
The poor peasant, Khun-Anup, lives with his wife, Marye, and their children in an oasis around the Nile Delta in Egypt.
[13] Ma'at is the ancient Egyptian law based on the idea of harmony and balance and allows for the social hierarchy to be prevalent in citizen's everyday lives.
The themes and intellectual points in the story make it evident that the author - if it was one person - was a part of the educated class.
[16] While the story of The Eloquent Peasant was set in the ninth and tenth dynasties, it is generally accepted that the poem itself was written during the Middle Kingdom, around the same time as "The Tale of Sinuhe, during Egypt's Classical Age.
[17] The Eloquent Peasant was one of the few texts that highlighted some of the concepts of Egyptian law during the Middle Kingdom dynasties.
[18] The Eloquent Peasant shows the modern reader a glimpse of how justice in crime might have been attained in ancient Egyptian culture.
While it is natural to assume that guilt may be determined by the hierarchy of the time, The Eloquent Peasant shows us that you could speak your mind and possibly change the verdict cast upon you.
The Eloquent Peasant was adapted into an award winning short film with the same name, directed by Egyptian director Shadi Abdel Salam in 1969.