The Epic of Gilgamesh can in many ways be compared to a recent article from the New York Times entitled, Gates to Meet with Russian Defense Minister. In the epic, Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s relationship starts off rocky to say the least. Enkidu feels he must teach Gilgamesh a lesson for the way he treats his people. They proceed to battle, however in the end become the best of friends and wind up having a unique and brother-like relationship. This is a great comparison to the enemy-like relationship between the United States and Russia during the cold war. However as acknowledged in the article, Defense secretary Robert Gates of the U.S. and Anatoly E. Serdyukov of Russia are working together to combat a similar burden. The article states, “…they are expected to find common ground on a topic that would have been unimaginable during the cold war.” (NY Times) Gilgamesh is a king with much experience on the battle field and who knows how to handle his armies of men as stated in the epic, “He walks out in front, the leader, and walks at the rear, trusted by his companions” (A60) Enkidu on the other hand was bred from the wild and therefore has never been able to gain experience of the sort. Robert Gates of the U.S. has had many years of familiarity with military business and knows has had experience of his own. The New York Times reveals that Mr. Serdyukov of Russia has no knowledge in the necessary field, in this case the military, and therefore he is left with little or no experience similar to Enkidu. These are just a few of the many comparisons that can be used in discussing both the Epic of Gilgamesh and this recent article of the New York Times.
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