Analysis and Commentary on The Epic of Sundiata

In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh, the hero of this epic, achieves many feats of skill, which makes him famous, but that is not the reason it is an epic. The Epic of Gilgamesh fulfills the requirements of an epic by being consistently relevant to a human society and carries immortal themes and messages. By looking at literature throughout history, one can infer the themes that are consistently passed on to other generations of humans. It is in human nature for people to want to excel in life and strive to make a name in this world for themselves. We want to be remembered by name or for something we have done. Most, who

Heroes are the people who demonstrate qualities of courage or outstanding achievements and are recognized for their influence in the society. Heroic characters are defined similarly in literatures as well. In the two literatures, Sundiata An Epic of Old Mali and The Odyssey, the main characters shape the plot the stories by their heroic abilities. The literatures also tend to illustrate how heroic qualities were perceived and portrayed in societies. Both characters come from different part of the world yet their plots are similar to each other. The protagonist from two literatures is on a quest to go home and to claim their ancestors’ throne, which is righteously theirs.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is estimated to be about three thousand years old while the story of Sundiata is roughly one thousand years old; this gives us an ample time frame to compare the two. In order to do that we must first compare the conditions in which each are raised and how they handle the situation they are in. To start with we know nothing of Gilgamesh’s birth or childhood just that he is now king and described as being two-thirds divine and one-third human (Gilgamesh 38). We get a sense that there is supernatural machinery at play in Sundiata

The sacred traditions, customs, and beliefs of ancient Mali is a story of epic proportions. To retrieve the great lineage of the First Kings of Mali and learn the history behind certain rituals told by an exquisite narrative that is perfectly woven together through different stories. The legend of Sundiata stresses the importance of understanding and respecting one’s history. In D. T. Niane’s “Sundiata An Epic of Old Mali,” the African history of Mali is presented through tribal customs, honor, and jealousy between brothers.

The griot ends the epic by praising Sundiata and his rule of the golden age of the Mali Empire. He tells the audience that Mali is eternal and that reminders of history are everywhere, but only the griot can know

There once lived a king, the great king of Uruk in Mesopotamia. This great leader was Gilgamesh. His preserved epic is of great significance to modern day culture. Through Gilgamesh, the fate of mankind is revealed, and the inevitable factor of change is expressed. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, it is a great love, followed by a lingering grief that cause a significant change in the character of Gilgamesh.

The Epic of Gilgamesh has its place as one of the first examples of epic poetry in recorded history. The epic describes the adventures of the demigod-king Gilgamesh who, after the death of his close friend Enkidu, seeks immortality but is ultimately unsuccessful. This story arc is not dissimilar to those found in the epics of the ancient Greeks centuries later. This excerpt from The Epic of Gilgamesh clearly demonstrates Gilgamesh’s reckless lust for pride and fame at all costs.

“The whole earth is the tomb of heroic men and their story is not given only on stone over their clay but abides everywhere without visible symbol woven into the stuff of other men’s lives,” said Perculus (PR). You’re born, you live a little, and then you die. There is no simpler way to sum up life. Often times this is done through oral tales, paintings, and various other ways. For those whose lives were truly something great, something memorable, their stories are transcripted into writings. Whether these are simple biographies or symbolic fictional works, stories are often based on someone greater than the writer. These “epic heros” are protagonists that fulfill their potential of greatness through using their bravery, strength and

The story of Sundiata depicts the story of the foundation of the Mali Empire in West Africa. This story takes place during a transitional time period, when the trade network that linked towns and villages across western Africa attracted north African merchants who brought increasing Muslim influence. The Mali Empire was one of the great

The epic of Sundiata pertains to the ancient kingdom of Mali in Africa. The king there has two sons and multiple wives. Sundiata was set to have taken the throne being the first born son but suffered from an severely impairing illness that would prevent him to walk yet rule a kingdom. When their father, the king, died his second son took over the kingdom as king. He turned out to be an awful leader and treated his people and Sundiata terribly. Sundiata struggled immensely but was able to eventually beat his illness which was preventing him to walk. When the current king observed this, he felt very threatened and in retaliation stated that Sundiata and his mother were to be banished from the kingdom. Shortly after leaving they were accepted

When you’re a child, you get to understand your culture. You live with it everyday, but when you grow up, things change in your life that might make you experience new things. That’s what happened to Sundara, when she found something else that was new and exciting for her .

Perhaps one of the main reasons the Epic of Gilgamesh is so popular and has lasted such a long time, is because it offers insight into the human concerns of people four thousand years ago, many of which are still relevant today. Some of these human concerns found in the book that are still applicable today include: the fear and concerns people have in relation to death, overwhelming desires to be immortal, and the impact a friendship has on a person’s life. It does not take a great deal of insight into The Epic of Gilgamesh for a person to locate these themes in the story, and even less introspection to relate to them.

People have been fascinated by tales of heroism for centuries. In ancient Mesopotamia, heroes give people hope and comfort, and fill them with strength. Ancient Mesopotamia is filled with tales of heroes- mighty warriors battling monsters, men ready to risk life and limb to save their true love or to fight for their nation. Still, there is a great difficulty that lies in defining what a hero truly is. Strength alone does not make a hero; nor does intelligence. Moreover, the Epic of Gilgamesh truly defines the definition of a hero. Gilgamesh is portrayed as a true hero through his skill, intelligence, willingness to die, reverence, and his respect for death.

Origins and Potentially Flawed History. The primary and most significant trait that both epics have in common is the origins. Before the stories were written down, they were told orally and passed down as oral histories. Griots serve as the primary form of verbal translation and histories; playing major roles in passing down the Sundiata Epic (Miller 342). The Epic of Gilgamesh is later written down on sun-dried clay tablets in cuneiform. Miller describes cuneiform as “a written script of wedge-shaped marks” (Miller 29). Moreover, both stories carry flaws in their histories. It is likely that points are left out of both historical tales. In western

It can be argued that the orality of Sundiata versus the written translation is an important theme of the epic of old Mali. This story has been translated several times into several different languages. The epic of Sundiata originated as an oral epic performance that was performed by various African griots or bards. It was a challenge translating the oral tradition into written form. Thus concluded that orality is a better form of transmission than writing. Transmitting oral passages into writing can be easily falsified. Oral communication is more unquestioning than writing. Interesting enough, the griots are important persons who transmitted Sundiata: an Epic of Old Mali through many lineages. Griots were not only historical orators, but they were also important political figures.