Humanities
December 5, 2013
Gilgamesh
Throughout this course we covered many topics that shaped our past and the surrounds we have today. From buildings, monuments, to the way we perceive certain social aspects like: mortality, leadership, heroism, and the condition of the soul. For this, I chose to discuss and analyze the epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh, the once great king was known for his architectural work as well as many other qualities that made him the legend he is. Gilgamesh was dealing with numerous hardships that caused him to emit oppression amongst his people. He was a distraught man that needed a distraction in his life. This distraction became Ekindu, the wild man. As the story goes, Gilgamesh was able to tame and control Ekindu. As he did so, the two became close friends and endured a story that has been passed on from generation to generation. Throughout the tale, Gilgamesh and Ekindu display acts such as leadership. Gilgamesh, without doubt, was the leader of the two. He was the leader. He controlled the decision to take down the monstrous beast Humamba. He was a fighter, a champion; he resembled a modern day phenomenon. Gilgamesh displayed his role of heroism by standing up for his people and doing what was right. He fought for his kingdom alongside his peer, and led his way to the top. I believe Gilgamesh resembles leadership in comparison to "superstars" and heroes that exist today. Gilgamesh being king was looked upon as an idol. With enlightenment, he possessed qualities that made him stand above the rest, qualities such as: bravery and independent. To compare to people of today, I would say figures like United States Generals, athletes like Peyton Manning, or President Barack Obama. All of these people today resemble Gilgamesh as brave individuals that stand up for what they believe in and in return get their peers to follow. Another aspect of Gilgamesh that I was intrigued upon was his thought of mortality. The story tells of Gilgamesh finding the secret to eternal life. The king is known for the quote “Life that you look for, you will never find. For when the Gods created man, they let death be his share, and life withheld in their own hands. Gilgamesh believed in pursing life, and living it to the fullest. To him, life was determined to be eternal by the actions you sought within your life. Life is not life unless you live it. I am intrigued by this famous quote because it is displayed by only the strong in this world; life is only what you make it so to speak. This personally translates to my life because I try to do the best of my abilities day in and day. To put you to the test through day to day tasks is one thing, but to accomplish dreams is another? The quote is inspiring for me, as I am sure it is amongst many other people. As I stated previously, Gilgamesh was known for his architectural skills. He was the key component behind many architectural projects of his time. His work has translated into today’s world and is still relevant because of his influence upon the generations that existed after him. As we all can see, we are now in the age of technology. The world is changing vastly and abruptly. Just watch the television for a couple minutes, or search the web and you will find an improvement to something already existing. Not directly