...Introduction The epic poem dubbed the Epic of Gilgamesh is perhaps the earliest surviving literature on the face of the planet. The poem came from Mesopotamia in its original cuneiform script comprising 12 tablets. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a chronicle detailing the classic adventures of Gilgamesh, a historic king of Uruk. Over the years, historians have eliminated the 12th tablet for alleged inconsistencies. The poem depicts a wide range of themes such as the inevitability of death, which is portrayed when Gilgamesh’s struggle to be young backfires. Other themes include the struggle between humanity and divine power, necessity of friendship, oppression, and the enduring struggle for power along with the conflict between the rulers and the ruled. Relationship between the Ruler and the Ruled The conflict between rulers and their subjects is perhaps the most enduring historical trend known to humanity. As Machiavelli, Hobbes, Karl Marx and other realist theorist of power politics concur, this longstanding conflict manifests itself in terms of oppression and suppression where the ruling class seeks to dominate the masses financially, socially and politically. This trend is no more today as it was then. It is a reflection of survival for the fittest as envisioned in Darwin’s evolution theory (Foster 45). Looking at the epic of Gilgamesh, which was created at around 2500 BC, oppression emerges as one of the mainstream themes. This is portrayed in the eminence of the king, which...
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...Lord of the Rings and Modern Day Epic? Epic adventures are one of the oldest and most celebrated works of literature. These adventures paint pictures of larger-than-life heroes, terrifying battle scenes, and heroic triumphs. Most epics served the purpose of transmitting culture and history, as well as entertaining readers. Among classical epics are the well-known Epic of Gilgamesh, The Iliad, and The Odyssey. However, is the epic adventure a dying breed of literature? Is it possible that epic stories have sustained the test of time and evolved over the centuries? The Lord of the Rings trilogy, including The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, is one of the greatest examples of a modern day epic. What do The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and The Lord of the Rings all have in common? They all share typical characteristics of epic adventures in some form or another. Though the motives and reasons may differ, the theme of journeying is common to all epic adventures. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, King Gilgamesh sets out on a perilous adventure with his closest friend Enkidu in order to find enduring fame and glory. In The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus embarks on a 10 year-long journey through trials and tests to find his way back home to his wife and son. Epic hero Achilles, of The Iliad, sets out to fight in the legendary Trojan War. Similarly, Frodo Baggins, unassuming hero of The Lord of the Rings, sets out from his home and...
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...emotion, especially when it comes to converting such into words, is an otherworldly art only prodigies can master. And when it comes to prodigies, history raises the classic words of The Odyssey by Homer, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and Antigone by Sophocles and puts them on a pedestal of perfect implementation. Throughout the course of these stories, there is one uncut emotion that makes today’s world go round: love. Often times in life people search for the perfect partner -- a true love and a happily ever after. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and Penelope could be considered a power couple even in modern-day society. Although Odysseus is gone for twenty years, he never forgets his faithful wife in Ithaca. This love seems to help him persevere through the many hardships that he encounters on his journey home. On the other hand, Penelope, of course, maintains balance in the scale of affection by unraveling his shroud and delaying her marriage to the suitors...
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...Postcolonial Analysis Postcolonial theory has many themes ranging from identity to hybridity. Many, if not all of these themes can be found in any literature reading. The theme that is the most interesting is oppression. Oppression can be displayed in many ways and forms within any literature reading and can be obvious, or very subtle. All the themes seem to flow together and are often times created from the effects of another theme. For example, oppression can be an effect of identity. Identity is how a person sees themselves and those that are not at the same class or level of knowledge as them. This starts the theme of oppression. Oppression is when someone has control or power over someone or a group of people and controls their actions and way of life. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the city of Uruk is ruled by Gilgamesh, who is part god and part human that was created by the gods. With his power as a ruler of Uruk, he created his own set of rules for the people of Uruk to follow that may not have been a part of their everyday lives before Gilgamesh arrived in their city. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, a townsperson tells Enkidu “Gilgamesh the king is about to celebrate marriage with the Queen of Love, and he still demands to be first with the bride, the king to be first, and the husband to follow”(6). This is one example of how Gilgamesh uses his power to oppress the lives of the people of Uruk to do as he says. Gilgamesh also takes the young sons of the townspeople to use as...
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...The Analysis of Gilgamesh I believe The Epic of Gilgamesh should be considered the world’s first written epic as it reads true to all the literary elements of an epic piece. The plot contains a hero of superhuman strength, a mission which determines the fate of a nation and battles against monstrous foes. This story contains a few different themes which seem to be universally represented in many works of literature. The epic cover tales of love, strength, humility, wisdom and death. While Gilgamesh was young he lived as many young men have throughout history. He was strong, fearless, virile and foolish. As a king with no equal he lived as such. Young Gilgamesh was without any love, humility, or mature wisdom. Besides being a fearless warrior he lacked any traits or characteristics of a good king. He spent endless days in athletic contests and defeating all his competitors. Gilgamesh would lay with all the women of his land without regard to morals or ethics. If the tale was laid out as a human life from birth to death then this section would be his adolescence. He was energetic, rambunctious, and risk-taking. There was no consequences for his actions. Teens often have a need to push the limits of life to learn their physical and mental ends, coupled with the need for adventure cause dangerous actions and behavior. As with most teenagers, later in the story he began to develop mentally, emotionally and socially. As a young adult does, he gradually increased his mental and...
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...Essay: Gilgamesh and Enkidu by Omar Ahmed The relationship between Enkidu and Gilgamesh is a complex bond of true friendship. Enkidu not only serves as a friend, but also a loving brother, a soul mate and a mirror of Gilgamesh. However; this relationship is more than just a bond between friends. Enkidu's life and death serve a great purpose as a catalyst for Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is deeply affected by Enkidu and this is primarily because of the strength of their relationship. Anne Kelly cites Aristotle when defining this bond as a true friendship. Aristotle believed in four types of friendships. First, a friendship of utility. This is based on what the friends can gain from each other. Second, a friendship of pleasure, which is based on the pleasure gained from each other. The third type of friendship is of inequality, where both parties gain something different than what they give. And finally, the fourth type is a true friendship, which grows slowly over time. This type involves love and trust between equals. (Kelly, 1) The relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is a good example of the fourth type of friendship. At first, they are not friends at all. Enkidu was created as a test for Gilgamesh. Once this trial is overcome, their bond slowly starts to build. Although Enkidu is uncivilized when they first meet, Gilgamesh takes him under his wing and humanizes him. By doing this, Gilgamesh treats Enkidu as an equal and a friend. Kelly goes on to state that Aristotle also...
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...The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Book of Job can be thoroughly analyzed containing many similarities and differences. These two works of literature were written in different time periods. Fiero states that The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem that precedes the Hebrew bible (19), while The Book of Job is religious text that is an actual excerpt from the Hebrew bible. Both originated from the region, Mesopotamia where it was common for people to have negative views on everything and believe that the evil in the world outweighs the good. Utnapishtim in the Epic of Gilgamesh and Job in The Book of Job shows these views in both works. Utnapishtim says to Gilgamesh, “There is no permanence” (Fiero 37). This shows how Utnapishtim believes that good things won’t last forever. God blesses the main characters in both works. Gilgamesh is blessed with a perfect body, beauty, and courage. “Two thirds they made him God and one third man” (Fiero 19). Job was blessed with flocks of animals, a large family, and protected land. Job is said to be “blameless and upright” (Fiero 34). Although blessed both men were pushed to their mental and physical limits to see what they were made of. “Job and Gilgamesh are tested by superhuman forces, and both come to realize that misfortune and suffering are typical of the human condition” (Fiero 37). Gilgamesh is tested when Ishtar, the Goddess of love, takes the life of his companion Enkidu for rejecting her affections for him. “Because I am afraid of death...
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...ancient literary texts are addressed in Esther Hamori’s “Echoes of Gilgamesh in the Jacob Story.” Though fundamentally different, these texts have a series of elements that are quite unusual to other literature of the time which Hamori indicates throughout the article. She discusses a group of seemingly unique features that appear in both The Epic of Gilgamesh and in the scene of the wrestling match between Jacob and God in Genesis 32:22-32. Her argument is that the author of Genesis knew some form of Gilgamesh and used it as a framework while writing the wrestling scene in Genesis. Some of the arguments Hamori makes are solid and defend her initial statements. However, there are several small...
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...Tablet I Summary The story begins with a prologue introducing us to the main character, Gilgamesh, the Priest-King of Uruk. Gilgamesh’s mother is Ninsun, sometimes referred to as the Lady Wildcow Ninsun. She was a goddess, endowing Gilgamesh with a semi-divine nature. Lugulbanda, a priest, was his father. Gilgamesh constructed the great city of Uruk along the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia, and surrounded it intricately decorated walls. He also built a temple for the goddess Ishtar, the goddess of love, and her fatherAnu, the father of the gods. Gilgamesh is credited with opening passages through the mountains. He traveled to the Nether World and beyond it, where he met Utnapishtim, the sole survivor of the great flood that almost ended the world, the one who had been given immortality. When he returned to Uruk, he wrote everything down on a tablet of lapis lazuli and locked it in a copper chest. As the story begins, Gilgamesh is a tyrannical leader who shows little regard for his people. He takes what he wants from them and works them to death constructing the walls of Uruk. He sleeps with brides on their wedding night, before their husbands. It is said that no one can resist his power. The old men of Uruk complain and appeal to the gods for help. The gods hear their cries and instruct Aruru, the goddess of creation, to make someone strong enough to act as a counterforce to Gilgamesh. Aruru takes some clay, moistens it with her spit, and forms another man, namedEnkidu. Enkidu...
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...Epic of Gilgamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh is epic poetry from Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known works of literature. Scholars believe that it originated as a series of Sumerian legends and poems about the protagonist of the story,Gilgamesh, which were fashioned into a longer Akkadian epic much later. The most complete version existing today is preserved on 12 clay tablets from the library collection of 7th-century BC Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. It was originally titled He who Saw the Deep (Sha naqba īmuru) or Surpassing All Other Kings (Shūtur eli sharrī). The story revolves around a relationship between Gilgamesh (probably a real ruler in the late Early Dynastic II period ca. 27th century BC)[1] and his close companion, Enkidu. Enkidu is a wild man created by the gods as Gilgamesh's equal to distract him from oppressing the citizens of Uruk. Together they undertake dangerous quests that incur the displeasure of the gods. Firstly, they journey to the Cedar Mountain to defeat Humbaba, its monstrous guardian. Later they kill the Bull of Heaven that the goddess Ishtar has sent to punish Gilgamesh for spurning her advances. The latter part of the epic focuses on Gilgamesh's distressed reaction to Enkidu's death, which takes the form of a quest for immortality. Gilgamesh attempts to learn the secret of eternal life by undertaking a long and perilous journey to meet the immortal flood hero, Utnapishtim. Ultimately the poignant words addressed to Gilgamesh in the midst...
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...day lives. I am going to compare one ancient, non-western myth with one modern, western-made myth. I have chosen to compare the Mesopotamian version of The Epic of Gilgamesh and Walt Disney’s Heracles. Heracles has become a western classic and while it defiantly does not have the same cultural and spiritual effects Gilgamesh’s myth does there are still many similarities between the two myths. Both myths are epic tails of Heroes who go on a journey to become all they can be; fighting Monsters and even gods along the way. Each of these myths is started with a sort of introduction from outside the story, Heracles by the muses and Gilgamesh by narration. The introductions tell of the deeds both heroes would come to do and give some background of why they were so famous. While they are both described as great heroes, the journeys of Gilgamesh and Heracles have some similarities and differences. Both have parts with our heroes valiantly battling monsters, saving cities from monsters and even meeting companions along the way; there are also many differences in their stories, like the type of hero they are, the Nichols 2 repercussions for their transgressions against the gods and their moral values. It is after the introduction that the real myth begins and one finds that they are not as similar as they seem. Gilgamesh and Heracles are both Heroes so their stories are, of course going to have similarities. Heracles was born a god but was kidnapped from Mt. Olympus had...
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...Sunny Ithaca is my home! Atop her stands our seamark, Mount Neriton’s leafy ridges shimmering in the wind.” (Homer 212). Through the acknowledgment of his own flaws and the value of his homeland, Odysseus embodies the theme of human vulnerability and resilience. In this moment of triumph, Odysseus breaks the stereotype of his mortal limitations and embraces his humanity, reaffirming the universal truth of the human condition and fulfilling his hamartia. Through Odysseus's journey, Homer offers a timeless reminder of the inherent vulnerability of human nature and the universal struggle to reconcile our aspirations with our mortality. Through the trials faced by the protagonist, the Epic of Gilgamesh explores the complexities of human vulnerability, the consequences of unchecked ambition, and the transformative power of redemption. During his tyrannical rule of Uruk, Gilgamesh is narrated to walk “around in the enclosure of Uruk, like a wild bull he makes himself mighty, head raised over others. There is no rival who can raise his weapon against him.”...
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...It has been said that The Torah symbolizes events and life of the Jewish people, their experiences, laws, legends and the meaning and expressions of their gods. With the Bible, there has been a rough debate of many hundreds of years about the roots of it. The Bible has been written by the beginning of the tenth century, which was by the time the Hebrews have settled in Canaan. The Jewish religion declares that The Torah represents the history of Hebrew people. But scholars tend to argue that the stories that are apparently the creation of Moses and the Hebrew language, are off by more than five hundred years from Torah. Comparing the Hebrew flood story of Noah’s Ark, of 2348 B.C, there are many similarities found with the Epic of Gilgamesh. Both of these stories start out with God getting furious at the people. They, in his mind, were becoming more and more sinful, and because of that, he regretted of ever having to create the human race. So he goes to a man he chooses, Noah, and asks him to build a boat because he wants to get rid of humans. God then gives accurate measurements to Noah for the building of the boat. He then tells Noah to get animals on the boat, two of each, so they could survive. God reminds Noah that a great flood will occur that is to destroy all living things, but save Noah’s family if they get onto the boat. After the seven days have past, it started to rain, just like God has said it would. By that time, Noah had his family and two of each animals...
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...------------------------------------------------- Ishmael Question 1 In the novel, Ishmael, the phrase that the gorilla uses to represent society’s creation of a reality for an individual and a group is Mother Culture Question 2 at the end of the novel, the narrator expresses the idea that what he wants from Ishmael is a program Question 3 Daniel Quinn wrote the novel “Ishmael” in the twentieth century Question 4 According to Ishmael, if the takers accumulate knowledge about what works well for things, the leavers accumulate knowledge about what works well for people Question 5 The premise being acted out by Leaver cultures, according to the novel, Ishmael, is humanity belongs to the world Question 6 In the novel, Ishmael, the gorilla says there are two stories being enacted by humans at the present time: the takers and the leavers Question 7 Based on the text of the novel Ishmael, complete the following analogy. The Takers are to the Leavers as Cain is to Abel Question 9 In the novel, Ishmael, the dialogue eventually deals with a biblical story. Which biblical story is a key part of the novel? Garden of Eden Question 10 There are two trees in the biblical story of the garden of Eden, as recounted by Ishmael. One tree is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The other tree is the tree of Life Question 11 According to the novel, Ishmael, if the Takers know the one right way to live, Leavers know the way that they prefer to live Question 12 ...
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...INTRODUCTION THE OLDEST STORY IN THE WORLD In Iraq, when the dust blows, stopping men and tanks, it brings with it memories of an ancient world, much older than Islam or Christianity. Western civilization originated from that place between the Tigris and the Euphrates, where Hammurabi created his legal code and where Gilgamesh was written -- the oldest story in the world, a thousand years older than the Iliad or the Bible. Its hero was a historical king who reigned in the Mesopotamian city of Uruk in about 2750 BCE. In the epic, he has an intimate friend, Enkidu, a naked wild man who has been civilized through the erotic arts of a temple priestess. With him Gilgamesh battles monsters, and when Enkidu dies, he is inconsolable. He sets out on a desperate journey to find the one man who can tell him how to escape death. Part of the fascination of Gilgamesh is that, like any great work of literature, it has much to tell us about ourselves. In giving voice to grief and the fear of death, perhaps more powerfully than any book written after it, in portraying love and vulnerability and the quest for wisdom, it has become a personal testimony for millions of readers in dozens of languages. But it also has a particular relevance in today's world, with its polarized fundamentalisms, each side fervently believing in its own righteousness, each on a crusade, or jihad, against what it perceives as an evil enemy. The hero of this epic is an antihero, a superman (a superpower, one...
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