Gilgamesh Materialism

The story of “Gilgamesh” depicts all of the heroic triumphs and heart-breaking pitfalls a heroic narrative should depict to be able to relate to today’s audience. However, “Gilgamesh” was once considered a lost and forgotten piece of literature for thousands of years, so there is a tremendous gap between the time it was created and the time it was translated into language that today’s audience can understand. That gap in history makes several aspects of the story of “Gilgamesh” strange and unfamiliar because what we now know about ancient Middle Eastern cultures and languages is a lot less than what we know about the cultures that prospered after ancient Middle Eastern cultures. Much of the content in the story of

In the period of 2800-2700 B.C.E. Gilgamesh was seen as a god and a warrior to his people, and to them a god is immortal. Little did Gilgamesh know, he wasn’t immortal but the people of Uruk weren’t aware of this they actually believed that Gilgamesh was a divine. I think that Gilgamesh is an important historical hero that influenced the society to have a relationship with gods, view there gods, and on how divinity impacts culture in the Mesopotamian civilization. Throughout this essay I will address the main purposes and analyze the influence of Gilgamesh for his society.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the world’s oldest existing stories that were collected in Mesopotamia. It is a story about a heroic king named Gilgamesh, who treated his people in a nasty way. He was a domineering, and cruel leader, feared by many because of his unnatural strength. He forced his people into labor in order to expand his kingdom. The people cried unto the gods and they created Gilgamesh’s equal Enkidu, who they later became friends. Gilgamesh witnessed the death of his close friend Enkidu, and this made him to search for immortality because, he was afraid to die. However, he learnt that, no human was immortal, and that he was destined to die, just like his friend Enkidu.

The short epic revolves around the namesake character Gilgamesh, who regularly acts impulsively using his intuition and instincts without heeding the advice and wisdom of others. The adventures and downfalls of Gilgamesh illustrate why using reason matters so much. Gilgamesh’s propensity for rashness can be seen early on in the epic when he meets Enkidu and immediately decides to go after the monster Humbaba. Once he decides to go, nothing can persuade him otherwise (Gilgamesh 109-110). Even when Enkidu, who lived in the area where the monster guards, tells Gilgamesh “The haunt of Humbaba is a hopeless quest (110),” Gilgamesh remains steadfast in completing his conquest of the monster. When the elders hear about their king’s plan they sternly tell him:

In the first text, our main character Gilgamesh is immensely unsatisfied with his life. Regardless of being king and having access to anything he desires, he yearns for more power and needs to “make a lasting name for [himself]” (95). To fulfill this need, Gilgamesh decides embark on a journey to kill Humbaba, guarder of the Cedar forest. This quest is completely unnecessary and unjustifiable. Humbaba is merely doing the job that he was created to do. These pursuits lead only to fear and disaster for Gilgamesh and all other parties involved. In his journeying’s throughout the text, Gilgamesh meets Shiduri, a tavern keeper. Shiduri gives Gilgamesh valuable life advice, hoping to help him find happiness and satisfaction:

The second piece needed for a hero’s journey is initiation, which includes the roads of trials, the belly of the whale, meetings, attonement with the father, and the ultimate boon. Gilgamesh’s fight against Huwawa was one of many challenges he had during his journey. “Then Gilgamesh was afraid, and Enkidu/was afraid, and they entered into the Forest, afraid” (Ferry 26). Just as a hero would act, Gilgamesh didn’t let his fears get the best of him, but instead he entered the Forest to fight Huwawa. Another challenge Gilgamesh faces later in the story is fighting the Twin Dragon Scorpion Beings. When he came to the mountain and saw the monster, fear spread through his body, but he didn’t let it stop him from his goal. “Terror in the body of Gilgamesh/seized hold of him

When Gilgamesh rejects her advances, Anu directs the Bull of Heaven to attack Gilgamesh’s homeland, Uruk. Gilgamesh and Enkidu easily kill the Bull of Heaven which enrages the gods when they hear that the bull is dead. The gods make Enkidu become terribly ill, which kills him seven days later in a very painful death. Seeing his friend die, Gilgamesh obtains apotheosis and continues on his expedition of seeking immortality.

Throughout history western and eastern philosophies have developed a vast segregation from one another. The geographical and cultural distance between eastern and western civilization determined massive differences between the two. On the other hand, the works of ancient Greek philosophers like Socrates, and some eastern philosophies like Taoism have many of the same or common ideas and concepts. Both eastern and western philosophies regardless of having similarities have distinctive differences when examining the view of the conception of the good. In this rgard, each philosophy is noticed to have beliefs that strive for followers to improve their lives and to be on a path of self-purification. This essay will primarily focus on

Gilgamesh is not a completely flawed character; he possesses, and obtains through his adventures, many positive qualities or virtues. For example, he is courageous. This virtue is evident during his battle with Humbaba. This forest giant is a fearsome adversary, aided by the gods, with a considerable size and strength advantage. Defeat of Humbaba takes the combined efforts of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. To succeed, Gilgamesh had to gain the courage to undergo this task. Enkidu rallies his friend by saying, “O Gilgamesh, remember now your boasts in Uruk. Forward, attacks, son of Uruk, there is nothing to fear.” (Sandars 20) With this, Gilgamesh’s “courage railed” (Sandars 20). He defeats and eventually kills Humbaba for which he is subsequently praised.

Caring for this earth is a duty of our faith and a way to respect God’s creations. Regardless of a person’s background, culture, or religious preferences, we are all called to protect the planet on which we live to preserve the future of the earth. As stewards and stewardesses called by God to share the responsibility for the future of the earth, we must work to protect all of creation for the sake of future

meditation. Proper use of this path lead to a balanced and moderate life were the people would

Both Gilgamesh and Enkidu go to the cedar forest and cut down the trees and kill Humababa. Killing Humababa contributes a lot to Gilgamesh journey; when Gilgamesh kills Humababa he will be considered a hero in the eyes of the people. The people will love Gilgamesh because he saved them from the monster. Gilgamesh wants to feel honored by the people because he has done a great achievement. As Gilgamesh and Enkidu go back to the city of Uruk they face a monster named the Bull of Heaven. Bull of Heaven was sent by Ishtar father; Ishtar loved Gilgamesh, but Gilgamesh rejected her. Ishtar father sends the Bull of Heaven to kill Gilgamesh and Enkidu, but then they end up killing the Bull of Heaven. The Bull of Heaven is one of the obstacles that face Gilgamesh through the journey. When Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill the Bull of Heaven, it proves that they both have great power to kill two monsters one after the other.

Man lacks proper gratitude for nature.  People often are blind to nature's great beauty.  "It moves us not," says Wordsworth.  Many people never see a sunrise or a sunset because we are too concerned with the hustle and bustle of our tiny worlds to appreciate the opulence around us.  We don't recognize

In other words, each one can and has to find his/her peace from within. This peace is real and cannot be affected by outside circumstances.

Individuals need to consider the impact of their actions on the environment as a part of their daily routine, because what we do today will significantly impact the Earth and future generations for decades. Sustainability is now considered more than