Compare and contrast at least two of the epic heroes that we have studied so far: Gilgamesh‚ Rama (or Sita)‚ and Achilles (or another heroic figure from the Iliad). What makes these figures heroic in the eyes of their cultures‚ and what does does their heroic character reveal about the priorities or values of their cultures? There are many stories of heroes out there that exhibit the unique qualities that each one of them possesses . A hero is someone that exposes a behavior controlled by wisdom
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The legend of Gilgamesh is believed to be the first story ever written by man. Before Gilgamesh was written it was passed from mouth to mouth by the ancient civilization of the Sumerians. The Sumerians existed over three thousand years before the birth of Christ. They recorded the story of Gilgamesh in cuneiform script. Later the Sumerian story was passed on to the Babylonians‚ Akkadians‚ Asyrians‚ Hitties‚ and Persians whom had also learned to write in their own languages. The Sumerians and
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others were transcribed. They were mostly about brave heroes and teach lessons. The two tales I’m comparing are Beowulf and Gilgamesh. Beowulf the warrior and Gilgamesh the Wrestler had the stuff that legends were made of. They were fearless leaders who faced great difficulty with the challenges they had to face. And‚ as a result of their actions‚ each one became kings of powerful nations. Beowulf had the Germanic tribes while Gilgamesh ruled the first great civilization of the Mesopotamian
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An unstable compound of two parts gods and one part man‚ Gilgamesh suffers most from immoderation. Although he is indeed a mortal‚ the deity at the core of his nature seeks the gift of the gods: immortality. Knowing that at some point he must shake this mortal coil and move on the eternal deity that comprise 2/3s of him seek eternity. He is the greatest of all men‚ and both his virtues and his flaws are outsized. Gilgamesh is exemplary regarding physical stature with nobility beyond reproach
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The Ramayana and Sita Sings The Blues Art is a form of expression that lives on for centuries but changes in interpretation over time. What may be relevant in this time period may make no sense to the upcoming generations. Nina Paley’s film "Sita Sings the Blues" brings two cultures‚ traditions‚ values and time periods together to convey her message and bring relevance of her art across many cultures and generations. The Ramayana by Valmiki on the other hand is a very traditional epic which depicts
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2012 Heroism of Gilgamesh The nature of heroism is defined as the attributes or qualities of a hero and his or her courageous actions. This might be true when describing Gilgamesh and his heroism‚ in The Epic of Gilgamesh‚ but he is also considered a hero because he follows the model of the mono-mythic quest. Throughout the epic‚ he leaves his society in hopes of gaining everlasting life‚ yet only returns with wisdom that becomes beneficiary to his people. Not only does Gilgamesh have the stereotypical
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GILGAMESH AND THE ODYSSEY “Descriptive comparison between Gilgamesh and Odysseus” Gilgamesh is an ancient poem that significantly marked its name as somehow being the first major heroic narrative in the world literature. Fractions of this literature were discovered uniquely carved in tablets even before the Roman‚ Hebrew and Greek civilization appeared. Gilgamesh depicts a unique and propinquity story of Gilgamesh and his companion Enkidu that transcribed a complex and moving gist of bonds of
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Gilgamesh and Odysseus were two heroes from two totally different time periods that were both in search of the meaning of life. The epics that the two characters are featured in Gilgamesh‚ was developed from early Mesopotamia and the Odyssey in early Greece. Gilgamesh was a very popular and it was very valuable to the historian of Mesopotamian culture because it reveals much about the religious world‚ such as their attitudes toward the gods‚ how a hero was defined and regarded‚ views about death
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The Epic of Gilgamesh The story of Gilgamesh was one of the world’s first literary works but most importantly the very first epic. “An epic or heroic poem is a long narrative poem‚ on a serious subject [that was] written in a grand or elevated style‚ centered on a larger-than-life hero” (Lynch). Because it was only recited orally for many centuries it was forgotten and vanished until “it was recorded at Sumer in the late third millennium B.C.E” (Fiero 19). The story of Gilgamesh is about an arrogant
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The persona I wanted to be for our final presentation was Gilgamesh. What intrigues me the most about Gilgamesh is his will to stay alive forever. Everyone has a different idea about what life means to him or her. I have always been one interested in learning what the meaning of life is‚ and Gilgamesh felt it was to live forever. Gilgamesh was the King of Uruk‚ an ancient city of Sumer‚ which was later known as Babylonia. The story was first an oral myth that was passed down from generation‚ but
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