Author Archives: lauren.daquila

The Epic of Gilgamesh can be compared to an article in the New York Times, Gates to Meet With Russian Defense Minister Serdyukov, by Gates representing Gilgamesh and Serdyukov as Enkidu. During the Cold War Gates and Serdyukov were adversaries, now they are finally beginning to see eye to eye. This relationship is similar to the one between Gilgamesh and Enkidu, they start out as enemies and eventually become friends. The Epic of Gilgamesh says, “They grappled with each other at the entry to the marital chamber, in the street they attacked each other, the public square of the land. The doorsteps trembled and the wall shook. … They kissed each other and became friends.” (66-67) This shows how the relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu quickly changes from foes to friends. Another comparison would be how Serdyukov does not have a lot of experience in the military, just as Enkidu came from the wild and did not have much experience with slaying. The New York Time states that Serdyukov “had more experience in the furniture industry than with the military,” likewise Enkidu lived with the animals before he met Gilgamesh and ventured out to slay Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. Also, Enkidu slaying Humbaba resembles Serdyukov’s goal of reducing the size of his military and changing to a streamline command structure. In both of these situations both, Enkidu and Serdyukov, are doing, or have done, something that differs from what they would have done in the past. Lastly, the New York Times states, “’The entire military hates him, and that is not an overstatement,’ said Aleksandr Golts, an independent military analyst in Moscow. ‘That which Serdyukov is doing is a challenge to the Russian military culture as a whole, the culture that is based upon the idea of a mass-mobilization army starting with Peter the Great,’” this shows that Serdyukov’s military does not agree with his new plan to alter the Russian army. Which is similar to how the God’s felt about Enkidu after he killed Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. Enkidu was created to stand up to Gilgamesh not befriend him, this happening angered the God’s. These comparisons show how similar the situation between Gates and Serdyukov is to Gilgamesh and Enkidu in the Epic.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/world/europe/15military.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=gates%20and%20russian%20counterpart&st=cse

In The Epic , Gilgamesh is “two-thirds god and one-third human.” Therefore he has strength and power above the people of Uruk. Enkidu is created and taken to meet Gilgamesh, so that there will be someone who can stand up to his powers and greatness. However, when Gilgamesh meets Enkidu and becomes friends with him he decides to go out on a quest to kill Humbaba with Enkidu, because he knows that with their strengths combinded they will be able to defeat him and create a name for themselves. After this is done they go on to kill the Bull of Heaven which is sent on them by Princess Ishtar. These acts of killing anger the God’s who decide to have their revenge against Gilgamesh and Enkidu.

“In my dream Anu, Enlil, and Shamash held a council, and Anu spoke to Enlil: ‘Because they killed the Bull of Heaven and have also slain Humbaba, the one of them who pulled up the Cedar of the Mountain must die!’ Enlil said: ‘Let Enkidu die, but Gilgamesh must not die!'” (Gilgamesh, 79)

Therefore even though it was Gilgamesh’s idea to go out on the quest to kill Humbaba and he was the one who brought the Bull of Heaven onto them, it was Enkidu who was going to be killed for it. This is similar to a big topic in the news today. Many United States citizens are holding a grudge against Muslims because of the attack on the World Trade Center. People are threatening to burn books pertaining to the religion as well as protest the building of an Islamic religious center near the 9/11 memorial. This is unfair because the terroist group who preformed the attack on the United States is a very small fraction of people who study that religion. The United States is a diverse country with a wide variety of religions and to categorize the Muslim community here because of that small group is unfair. The Muslim citizens in the United States are as innocent as every other citizen and to hold them and their religion responsible is completely unethical.

“We’ve got millions of Muslim Americans, our fellow citizens, in this country,” Mr. Obama said. “They’re going to school with our kids. They’re our neighbors. They’re our friends. They’re our co-workers. And when we start acting as if their religion is somehow offensive, what are we saying to them?”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/11/us/politics/11obama.html?ref=us

(Obama Tries to Calm Religious Tensions”