-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
Categories
Meta
Author Archives: miosotis.cruzfernandez
Posts: 6 (archived below)
Comments: 0
midterm exam questions
1.- How is the relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu
2.- How is the behavior of the God\gods in Genesis and Gilgamesh
3.-Describe Odyseus leadership
By;
Weng, Kinga, Tsheten, Monique, Eric, Miosotis
Posted in Uncategorized
33 Comments
Gilgamesh and the Russia and United States Meeting
The New York Times article “Gates to Meet with Russian Defense Minister” is about the meeting between Russia’s defense minister and the defense secretary for the United States in the effort of bringing better solutions to the army of both countries. As ironic as might seem the United States and Russia at a point in history are enemies that fight each other at war, and just after this incident is when the two countries begin diplomatic talks; “It has been almost six years since a Russian defense minister set foot inside the Pentagon, and when Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates devotes Wednesday to hosting his Kremlin counterpart, Anatoly E. Serdyukov, they are expected to find common ground on a topic that would have been unimaginable during the cold war.” (The New York Times)
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the two main characters experience similar situation to the one experience by Russia and the United States. After Gilgamesh and Enkidu engage in a fight, this two become devoted and inseparable friends; “Enkidu blocked the entry to the marital chamber, and would not allow Gilgamesh to be brought in. They grappled with each other at the entry to the marital chamber, in the street they attacked each other, and […] they kissed each other and become friends.” (A, pp. 66-67)
The symbolical fight I elect to highlight in both readings draws the similarity between The New York Times article and the Epic of Gilgamesh, where this fight does not separate the United States and Russia as well as Gilgamesh and Enkidu, instead just bring them together as never before.
Thom Shanker and Michael Schwirtz. “Gates to Meet With Russian Defense Minister” The New York Times. Web September 14, 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/world/europe/15military.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=thom%20shanker%20and%20michael%20schwirtz&st=cse>
Posted in Gilgamesh
22 Comments
The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Book of Genesis
The Book of Genesis and The Epic of Gilgamesh narrate two different stories. Genesis describes the creation of earth and all leaving things in it by the almighty God, and Gilgamesh recounts the life and adventures of a king named Gilgamesh and the people around him that one way or another have an impact on his kingdom. Although these two books recite two different stories, there are some similarities within themself. For instances, in Gilgamesh there is the account of a “flood” to terminate all humankind from earth, and so does Genesis. There is one more similarity between this two books and that’s the one I like to focus on.
In Genesis, God tells the human and his woman they can eat everything they like except from one specific tree in the garden of Eden; “From every fruit of the garden you may surely eat. But from the tree of knowledge, good and evil, you shall not eat.” (A, 30)
In Genesis the “tree of Knowledge” is just a symbol and it represents the unknown, all that is unacquainted to the human and his woman. In Genesis, the temptation for the unknown is represented by a “serpent” which in the story persuades the woman to eat from the tree; “And the serpent said to the woman; “You shall not be doomed to die. For God knows that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will become as gods knowing good and evil.” And the woman saw the tree […] that it was lust to the eyes […] and she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave to her man, and he ate. And the eyes of the two were opened, and they knew they were naked.” (A, 31)
Right after the human and his woman eat from the tree of Knowledge all that it’s unfamiliar to them suddenly becomes acquainted, now they know good and evil. Before the human and his woman eat from the tree all they know is good, but after acquiring knowledge they are aware of themselves and everything around them.
There is a personage in Gilgamesh named Enkidu, who experiences something similar to the human and his woman in Genesis. Enkidu is created by Aruru (mother goddess) as a wild man who knows nothing else but the wilderness; “In the wilderness she created valiant Enkidu, born of Silence, […] he knew neither people nor settled living […] he ate grasses with gazelles, and jostled at the watering hole with the animals; as with animals, his thirst was slaked with water.” (A, 61)
Enkidu has no knowledge about what’s around him except for the animals and the wildness. Ones Enkidu is exposed to the “unknown” and “temptation”, which in the Epic of Gilgamesh is represented by a woman and the task of womankind (sex), everything that is unacquainted to Enkidu suddenly becomes familiar. Enkidu becomes aware of himself and his surroundings, he is more like a god now, he knows good and he knows evil; “Shamhat unclutched her bosom, exposed her sex, and he took in her voluptuousness. […] she performed for the primitive the task of womankind. […] Enkidu had intercourse with the harlot until he was sated with her charms. But when he turned his attention to his animals, the gazelles saw Enkidu and darted off, the wild animals distanced themselves from his body. […] But then he drew himself up, for his understanding had broadened. […] The harlot said to Enkidu: “You are beautiful, Enkidu, you are become like a god.” […] What she kept saying found favor within him. Becoming aware of himself, he sought a friend.” (A, 63)
Posted in Genesis - Gilgamesh
3 Comments
The Book of Job and the Leader of Ethiopia
The Book of Job narrows the story of a man named Job. In the story Job is a man like no other in earth, irreproachable and honest who devotes his entirely life to serve and does as God says; “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God, and turned away from evil.” (A, 126)
Though Job is a blameless man and has never sin, God allows him to suffer and to endure a great deal of sorrows; “And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power; only spare his life.” So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and afflicted Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.” (A, 127)
Job knows deep in his heart he has never done anything against God’s will to justify his mistreatment by God. He refuses to believe he has done something wrong to deserve his punishment; “If I have made gold my trust, or called fine gold my confidence; if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, […] and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand; this also should be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I should have been false to God above.” (A, 134)
Birtukan Mideksa, a leader and activist in Ethiopia, finds herself in a similar position as Job. She is sentenced to life in prison by the authorities of her country, but she refuses to believe and to acknowledge any wrong doing, because she knows deed in her heart she has not done anything wrong and the accusations are untrue; “She was imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression and association,” said Michelle Kagari, the organization’s deputy Africa director.” (The New York Times)
The Associated Press. “Senior Opposition Leader in Ethiopia Is Released From Prison” The New York Times. Web October 6, 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/world/africa/07ethiopia.html?_r=1&ref=africa>
Posted in Book of Job
12 Comments
The Odyssey and the Miners
The Odyssey narrates the days of the king of Ithaca, the great hero Odysseus. In the story Odysseus is kept captive and away from his home for many years. Odysseus endures a really long journey and he has to survive endless ordeals in order to return home to his waiting wife, Penelope, and his son Telemachus; “Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twist and turns driven time and again off course, […] many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea, fighting to save his life and bring his comrades home. […] But one man alone… his heart set on his wife and his return.” (A, 259)
Similar to the ordeals Odysseus suffers, are the ordeals encounter by the 33 miners trap for more than two months beneath the earth in Chile. These miners are kept away from home and their love ones enduring a physical and mental challenge by being trap beneath the earth with little room, air and food. Like Odysseus, these miners are setting their hearts to overcome and do everything they can to make sure they come back home with their families; “There have been hard moments, beautiful moments, sad moments, moments filled with happiness, nights where we were cold here,” said Juan Sánchez, 48, the father of Jimmy Sánchez, the youngest of the trapped miners. “But we just kept going, trusting in God that this would all work out. Right now all I feel is happiness; it’s like calm has come over us.” (The New York Times)
Alexei Barrio Nuevo and Christine Hauser. “Drill Reaches Miners in Chile, but Risks Remain.” The New York Times. Web October 09, 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/world/americas/10chile.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=miners&st=cse>
Posted in Uncategorized
Comments Off on The Odyssey and the Miners
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh narrows the story of a beautiful and strong King who is two-thirds god and one -third human, king like no other king. Throughout the whole epic, Gilgamesh is described as a brave, bold and wise man with a brave and youthful heart, who has no adversaries that would even dare to rise against him, “There is no rival who can raise a weapon against him.” (A, 60)
Additionally, in the Epic of Gilgamesh, we see how Gilgamesh fights to protect his people and to create a name for himself that would pass generation after generation “He walks out in front, the leader, (…) mighty net, protector of his people.” (A, 60) After Gilgamesh fights and experiences all the passages he has, trying to conquest his own quest, he realizes that he has not achieved anything for himself that everything he has done has been in vain. At the end of his journey he wonders what he has done and who he has been doing it all for;
“Counsel me, O ferryman Urshanabi!
For whom have my arms labored, Urshanabi?
For whom has my heart’s blood roiled?
I have not secured any good deed for myself,
but done a good deed for the ‘lion of the ground’! (A, 97)
I found a very interesting small article that can be very much related to Gilgamesh. The article is about another leader of our current era, that just like Gilgamesh is strong, brave and it seems that no opponent would rise against him. I’m talking about the former president of Cuba, Fidel Castro. The New York Times had an article on September 09, 2010 called “Fidel Castro’s Doubts about Cuban Communism and Iranian Anti-Semitism” This article is based on an interview with Fidel Castro. During this interview Fidel Castro is asked if he still believed on his communism system, “I asked him if he believed the Cuban model was still something worth exporting. “The Cuban model doesn’t even work for us anymore,” he said.” (New York Times)
The answer of Castro is that the communism model does not even work for Cuban society anymore. At the end of his journey Castro realizes that everything he has done it is not as worthy and useful for his country and his people as he thought it was. Just like Gilgamesh realizes at the end of his journey.
Robert Mackey. “Fidel Castro’s Doubts about Cuban Communism and Iranian Anti-Semitism.” New York Times. Web September 09, 2010. <http://thelede.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/fidel-castros-doubts-about-cuban-communism-and-iranian-anti-semitism/?ref=middleeast>
