10-6-14
Compare and Contrast essay
12/03
Many people don’t realize how alike the two flood stories actually are to each other. The main theme is the biggest similarity between the two. They also differ greatly because of the events that actually take place. In both stories, the number of days for the events are different, but the same basic event takes place. There are also many other similarities and differences as this is just one difference. The stories are very similar, but when comparing the details of each they are very different. The flood of Gilgamesh was written before 2000 B.C., while the Genesis story was written much later than the Gilgamesh flood. In both versions something angers God or the gods. “The uproar of mankind is intolerable and sleep is no longer possible by reasons of the babel.” This is the main reason the gods in Gilgamesh decide to send the flood on the people. In Genesis there is a much more acceptable reason for God to eliminate mankind. The humans had become so corrupt that God had no choice but to send the flood. This is not a quick, illogical decision like the gods made in Gilgamesh it definitely is a much better reason for the destruction of the human race. …show more content…
In both a great storm wipes out everyone and everything except the passengers onboard the ark or boat. In the Gilgamesh flood the gods cry and that creates the incredibly destructive flood. The rains last for six days and six nights and finally when the flood receded the boat landed on a mountain where it is stuck for seven days. In Genesis, God sends down the flood with his divine power. The rain lasts a longer in this story, this time for forty days and forty nights. In this story when the waters receded the ark was stuck on a mountain for approximately two and a half