The Story of Gilgamesh in Sumerian Versions

Table of Contents Introduction Discussion Conclusion Work Cited Introduction In world literature 1, the story of Gilgamesh is among the oldest narratives around the world. The story was initially an oral tradition story and was later recorded on clay in Mesopotamia. The legendary story comes in different Sumerian versions from around 2700 B.C. The story talks about the powers of Gilgamesh who was the King of Uruk and the influence of other gods in the land.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Story of Gilgamesh in Sumerian Versions specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Later on it was recorded in a Akkadian version and then reserved in King Assurbanipal‘s library. According to the story, Gilgamesh was a super human creature and a powerful king who could destroy and conquer others (Lishtar para.1). This paper seeks to critique the nature and powers of historical gods and their relationship to humanity in the past centuries as depicted by the narrative. Discussion Heroism of the kings is limited. The story describes how Gilgamesh oppressed people and slept with every woman. This made the people plead with other gods to provide security for them. As a result, Enkidu is created to counter Gilgamesh powers. Enkidu is however not as powerful as the superhuman king because he is part man and part animal. The limitation of the king’s powers is further seen when Gilgamesh fails to prevent death of Enkidu. This incident occurred after Enkidu and Gilgamesh collaborated to kill the Bull of Heaven (drought) who wanted to crush Gilgamesh to death (George 2). Drought had been sent by Anu the father of Ishatar who wanted Gilgamesh to marry her. On refusal, Ishtar compelled her father to kill the King of Uruk. But because two thirds of Gilgamesh was a god and the other third human, Enkidu died. The other issue that emerges from the myth is that the gods in Ukur are uncooperative. This can be see n when the council of gods decide to kill Enkidu as a punishment for Gilgamesh’s actions. This exposed the other humans to the exploitive powers of the King of Ukur. This further shows that the people in Babylonia were subjects to the gods and had no voice. Human beings are also depicted as creatures that have no freedom. According to the story, Gilgamesh gods have the power over life and death but Gilgamesh still becomes worried after realizing that she would also die. When the people pleaded with gods to create a god who would match Gilgamesh’s powers, the gods created Enkidu and also brought an end to his life. In the story, Gilgamesh is determined to learn the secrets behind life and death. The story says that Utnapishtim was the only creature who had the power to eternally live. In his search for the secret, he meets Utnapishtim who tells him about the flood story that is also described in Genesis, in the Bible. The floods symbolically represent the end and punish ment for human kind. Utnapishshtim says that they were saved from the floods by other gods and that it would not occur again. However, human beings have to die since they are not immortal.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to the story, the Bull of heaven is referred to as drought. This is an irony. Naturally, drought is known to be catastrophic because it causes human suffering. However, the ‘Bull’ springs from heaven where people believe that there are good things and that it is a beautiful land. The other ironic incident is between King Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Gilgamesh is portrayed as a god and a man whereas Enkidu is illustrated as an animal and a man. This is a clear indicator of the differences in the two divinities who were created to control humanity. Conclusion The floods are symbolically used to show that man is immortal and death is inevitabl e. The narrative describes the birth and death of Babylonian gods’. Gilgamesh is depicted as a remorseless leader who has no responsibility for his people. He is depicted as a womanizer and an oppressor. He forces the city’s inhabitants to build walls for the temple so as gain fame. These are indicators of abuse of power and therefore the need to limit the powers of gods. Work Cited George, Andrew. The epic of Gigalmesh: the Babylonian epic poem and other texts in Akkadian and Summerian. London, Great Britain: The Penguin Press, 1999. Print. Lishtar. Gilgamesh and Enkidu: the soul siblings. 1999. Web. http://www.gatewaystobabylon.com/gods/partnerships/gilgaenk1.html This essay on The Story of Gilgamesh in Sumerian Versions was written and submitted by user Charles Doyle to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Gifts to boo radley Essays

Gifts to boo radley Essays Gifts to boo radley Paper Gifts to boo radley Paper At the end of the novel of Heaper Lees novel To Kill a Mockingbird, many things unravel. An adult Scout says, Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into that tree what we took out of it: we have given him nothing, and it made me sad. Scout is wrong. Scout, Gem, and Dill eave Boo Raddled various gifts as well he gave them. Throughout the novel, Scout gave Boo friendship, a connection to the outside world, and privacy. Although the gifts may not have been material, they are very meaningful to Boo. Nobody can deny that Scout and Boo Raddled had a special bond. Scout and Boo had secret friendship. Neither of them may have realized how much they cared for each other, but the readers they knew. Boo Raddled was a huge part in scouts childhood. In this hidden friendship, Boo had given scout material, and a slight interaction with her. : Scout, she gave Boo the opportunity for Macomb to not see him s the monster they think he is. She wanted to interact with him in more than the childish ways Gem and Dill and various other children were intending. She didnt Just want to go and touch the Raddled house, and at the time she didnt know she actually wanted to see more of Boo Raddled, she wanted to befriend him not Just be the cause of him bursting out of the front door in an annoyed tone for a 10 second glance. She also gave him the experience of watching her and Gem grow up from his own front porch. The chance to see a six year old girl and two ten year old boys fascinated bout his existence, reenacting his personal life, and as they slowly matured Into adulthood. These gifts may have seemed Like nothing to Scout but to a man who spent his life hiding they were his everyday life, his vague connection with the world. Nonetheless, Scout gave Boo a connection to the outside world. He spent all these years concealed in the security of his home. Undoubtedly, Boobs attempts in interacting with them, and watching them, he started to participate in outside world. His first act of participation took place when , Gem and Scout found the knothole in the tree. Boo had been placing these gifts there as an act of kindness, and friendship, proving that he isnt as strange as Macomb presents him as. The gifts were a major part of Scout and Seems day. They were delighted and intrigued by them, until Nathan Raddled filled the knothole with cement. Ending all communication with Boo and the children. Without a doubt Boo found other ways to communicate and show kindness towards the children. Such as wrapping a cold and shivering Scout In a blanket, as she and Gem watched Miss Muddies house being eaten In flames. In addition, Boo also gave Scout and Gem the gift of salvation. He cared enough to save Gem, as a pure act of kindness. Boo was no longer a stranger human being to them. But a friend, a friend who needed distance, a friend who needed privacy, but a friend. Moreover, as Boo was becoming a known person to Scout and Gem, he needed his distance. Even if he did save the childrens lives, he wanted privacy. Scout and Gem they gave him that, they did not tell a soul about what had happened. They kept being saved from Bob Lowell a secret. They kept Boo killing Bob Lowell a secret. If the people in Macomb had found out about how nice of a guy Boo actually was; the owns people would overwhelm with kindness and gifts. Which is why as soon as the danger of Bob Lowell was overcome he went back into his shell. He vanished from the childrens lives once again. As stated in the novel He gently released my hand, opened the door, went inside, and shut the door behind him. I never saw him again. Boo had done his part in having the children grow up. They didnt need him anymore. They had everything they had desired. In the long run, Scout may not have given Boo material gifts but she did give him psychological gifts. She gave him the gift of friendship, by showing him the world isnt as cruel as it seems, and interacting with him. She gifted him a slight connection with the world by exchanging kindness and curiosity. Nevertheless she gifted him the gift he was most pleased with and that was privacy. She never told a soul about him killing Bob Lowell. She left him alone, and he left her. Boo Raddled shaped Scouts childhood, and Scout she formed a smile on a Boo Readers face. A smile and happiness is the best gift anyone could give somebody. Scouts completely correct, she didnt give him a gift, she gave him the experience of a lifetime.

Week 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Week 3 - Essay Example It also involves three important elements which include availability, accessibility and food utilization (Food & Culture Encyclopedia). When food security is threatened or not met, it can alarm not only the nutritionists, but the country or the nation affected, in general. This is because if there will be inadequate supply of food and related goods, it will directly affect the health and nutrition of the people. Thus, food insecurity can cause individuals, families, communities and to some extent, the world, to suffer in varying degrees. The Dictionary of Medical Terms defined malnutrition as a state or condition wherein a person is deemed as having a poor nutrition that resulted from either an insufficient, excessive, or unbalanced diet or in disorders in which there is an impaired ability to absorb and assimilate foods (Rothenberg and Chapman 269). Meanwhile, obesity is a malnourished condition of having an excessive weight and an increased amount of fat in subcutaneous tissues of the body. Obviously, obesity is the effect of overeating, but in some cases, it may be precipitated by disorders that involve organs such as thyroid, pituitary and endocrine glands where there is a disturbance of the body’s metabolism (Rothenberg and Chapman 318). Today, an alarming statistics states that approximately 60 million Americans are obese, while 9 million are extremely obese (ObesityinAmerica.org). Hence, according to Mokdad, et al, obesity has been regarded as the second cause of preventable death in the US (qtd. in Ob esityinAmerica.org). Suppose that you were engaged in biotechnology, or genetic engineering; what environmental safeguards would you impose on your own research? Are there experiments that would be ethically off-limits for you? If I were to engage in genetic engineering projects, or related experiments, conscientiousness on my part would be necessary, so as to