Classic Books for a 9th Grade Reading List

Essay about Overview of The Epic of Gilgamesh - 923 Words

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poetry that originates from Mesopotamia. It is among the earliest known literature in Mesopotamia. Many scholars believe that it originated from a series of Sumerian poems, and legends about Gilgamesh who is the protagonist. It is known to be the oldest recorded story in the human history that is over 4000 years old. The story portrays Mesopotamia’s society in the third millennium B.C.E vision of after life. In addition, the story tells shows the reader how the people in Mesopotamia believed in the gods, and offered sacrifices for their prayers to be answered. The people of Uruk cried to the gods to be liberated from the cruelties of Gilgamesh, and they did so by offering sacrifices to the gods. It shows†¦show more content†¦Together, the two undertake dangerous quests which displeasured the gods. They went out to fight obstacles to save the world. In their journey to the Cedar Mountain, they killed the Bull of heaven that the goddess Ishtar had created to punish Gilgamesh for snubbing her advances. Enkidu later on dies, and this affects Gilgamesh so much. Enkidu died of punishment for challenging one of the gods. Gilgamesh feared death especially after his close companion’s death, and this led him to embark on a quest for immortality. He was very bitter that only gods can live forever without dying, and he was terrified of death and wanted eternal life. In the end, Gilgamesh in his epic learns that, death is inevitable, and an inescapable fact in human life. The story has a number of themes like the inevitability of death, and immortality is unachievable. The major theme in the literature work is death, and how it affects the protagonist. The story highlights that death is inevitable, and no one is immortal, not even the king. The theme of death is portrayed by the protagonist, Gilgamesh who had the curiosity about immortality. Gilgamesh feared death, and he could not imagine dying at any time. He says, â€Å"Shall I die too? Am I not like Enkidu? Grief has entered my innermost being, I am afraid of Death, and so I roam open country.† This is the reason as to why he embarked on a journey to seek eternal life in order to avoidShow MoreRelatedA Critical Appraisal of: Beowulf and Gilgamesh Essay examples1640 Words   |  7 PagesA Critical Appr aisal of: Beowulf and Gilgamesh There are many differences and critical comparisons that can be drawn between the epics of Beowulf and Gilgamesh. Both are historical poems which shape their respected culture and both have major social, cultural, and political impacts on the development of western civilization literature and writing. Before any analysis is made, it is vital that some kind of a foundation be established so that a further, in-depth exploration of the complex natureRead MoreDifferent Texts Speak Of A Friendship Between Two Or More Heroes1390 Words   |  6 PagesMany different texts speak of a friendship between two or more heroes. Two such are the Bible and the Gilgamesh Epic. In 1 and 2 Samuel we find the story of Johnathan and David and the Epic presents the story of Gilgamesh and an Axe with the entual introduction of the character of Enkidu. In both of these texts friendship is taken to the level of sexual love. Although I do not believe you can interpret both in this manner. 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For instance, in the Epic of Creation, Marduk states that â€Å"[He] shall create humankind, they shall bear the gods’ burden that those may rest† (Foster, 38). In this Babylonian myth, Marduk passes this idea to Ea, who is actually responsible for the creation. There is no notedRead MoreThe Sumero-Akkadian Pantheons mos Important Gods 1389 Words   |  6 Pagesdemand that Namtar restore Ishtar back to health by sprinkling the water of life on her. With her strength renewed Ishtar is able to ascend back into the upper world bring spring with her. (34-37) 3/ Give a brief overview of the Babylonian story of the Flood and the role of Gilgamesh (Noah). As the story goes, one day the gods decided to destroy mankind with a flood; for apparently no good reason except out of anger. Ea, the god of both water and wisdom, revealed this plan to one man who’s nameRead MoreComparitive Flood Stories Essay3018 Words   |  13 Pagesand ancient Creation or Flood stories can be classified as comparative religious studies. They generally involve one text isolated from its original historical context (e.g., the Babylonian creation myth Enuma Elish or the Flood tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic) and one related biblical narrative. On the basis of currently available evidence, their earliest-known written form can be dated only to the first half of the first millenium B.C. William Shea of Andrews University has pointed out thatRead MoreReview Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh 2187 Words   |  9 Pages Throughout the past century, it has been increasingly the case that authors and artisans utilize familiar stories and adapt them into a different medium. This practice of course, has been in place for many thousands of years, as we see the epic of Gilgamesh transcending its initial narrative to become more poetic, and weave itself into various mythologies, and Homers tales have long since made the rounds through all manner of works, whether narrative, paintings, plays or poetry. However, this practiceRead MoreThe Birth of Civilization18947 Words   |  76 Pagesmyhistorylab.com Read the Document CRAIMC01_xxx-031hr.qxp 2/8/11 3:42 PM Page 5 6 P A R T 1 HUMAN ORIGINS AND EARLY CIVILIZATIONS TO 500 B.C.E. In about 2125 B.C.E. the Sumerian city of Ur rose to dominance. Sumerian culture and literature flourished. Epic poems glorified the deeds of the ancestors of the kings of Ur. A highly centralized administration kept detailed records. After little more than a century, the Third Dynasty of Ur disintegrated in the face of famine and invasion. Elamites attacked

Euro Ap Ch. 22 Study Guide Free Essays

Euro Ch. 22 Study Guide Italian Unification * Victor Emmanuel II (VERDI): First King of United Italy, King of Italia * Cavour: Prime Minister of Piedmont-Sardinia from 1852 until his death, had a realpolitiker’s vision, promoted economic development, to unify Italy he had to confront Austria so he got help from Napoleon who feared growth of Piedmont and gave them Lombardy but not Venetia to Piedmont and left the rest of Italy disunited, helped achieve a strong economy, modern army, liberal political climate provoked Austria to invade Northern Italy Garribaldi: a committed republican, dedicated guerilla fighter, set sail from Genoa with a thousand red shirted volunteers to liberate Sicily, where peasants were rebelling against their landlords and the corrupt gov. in anticipation of Risorgimento. We will write a custom essay sample on Euro Ap Ch. 22 Study Guide or any similar topic only for you Order Now Victor’s victorious forces and Garilbaldi’s met in Naples. Garibaldi threw his support to the king. In 1861 the kingdom of Italy had Victor as their head. Originally wanted to liberate sicily * Piedmont Sardinia: * Role of Napoleon: * France promises to help out Italy with the war against Austria, but switches sids in the middle and makes a treaty with Austria * gave Lombardy to Piedmont, but not Venetia, took Rome for France * left Italy disunited * Role of Francis Joseph: Austrian Emperor who signed peace treaty with Napolean 2nd French Empire Napoleon III: called himself â€Å"A man of Destiny†, modernizer, promoted strong economy -conservative control with democratic reforms -wanted to economically modernize and reform France -disrupted the concert of Europe by establishing French domination   * Italian Unification: napoleon pitted France against Austria * Crimean War: started with conflict between Russian and Ottoman empires. Russia had been expanding into Asia and the Middle East. Tsar Nicholas I wanted to absorb much of the Ottoman Empire so Napoleon encouraged him to be more aggressive in his expansion which provoked a war between Ottomans and Russians. Brits started to support Ottomans and so did french. Nicholas died and his son Alexander II took over and asked for peace. * Maximillian Mexico: was the brother of Habsburg emperor Francis Joseph, installed as ruler of Mexico by napoleon but Mexico revolted and executed him * Collapse after Franco Prussian War: end of 2nd empire Policies- free-trade agreement with Britain, backed the establishment of innovative investment banks, (late 1850s) allowed working class organizations to form, introduced democratic features into his governing methods Crimean War * Russia vs Turkey, Britain, France * Good weapons, bad tactics * Florence Nightingale: British women who read about how Britain wasn’t taking care of their soldiers and so she decides to help * Efforts to reform Russia * End to serfdom * Mir communit ies prevent reform German Unification Wilhelm I: king of Prussia who appointed Bismarck as prime minister in hopes that he would quash the growing power of the liberals in the Prussian parliament * Otto Van Bismarck, the Iron Chancellor * Vs. Liberalism * Vs. Denmark 1864 * Vs. Austria 1866, tricked Austria into declaring war on Prussia which Austria lost * Schleswig Holstein * Austria’s Dual Monarchy: Hungarians could rule over themselves too * Vs. France 1870 * Kulturekampf: culture war against religion by Birmarck. German gov. xpelled the Jesuits from Germany in 1872, increased state power over the clergy in Prussia in 1873, introduced obligatory civil marriage in 1875 * Working Class Suffrage: upper class votes counted more than those from lower * Iron Blood Progress * Haussmanization: process of urban change, rebuilding of Paris, clean (water, neighborhood), wider pathways * Pasteur: came up with germ theory, suggested that certain organisms like bacteria and parasites might be responsible for human and animal diseases * Lister: Education Reform: middle classes argued that civil service jobs should be awarded according to talent and skill rather than automatically go to those of aristocratic birth or political connections. In Britain a civil service law passed in 1870 requiring competitive examinations to assure competency in government posts * Darwin: nature is a constant struggle for survival (natural selection), human development came about through evolution * Religious conflicts Herbert Spencer social Darwinism Imperialism * Indian Mutiny * Government of India Act: established direct Britain control over india * Suez Canal: connects Mediterranean sea to Red sea, shortcut to asia * Panama Canal Scandal: * Taiping rebellion * Meiji restoration: Japan’s attempts to modernize itself Intellectual Movements * Bakunin Anarchism: anarchism maintained that the existence of the state was the root of social injustice. According to Bakunin, the slightest infringement on freedom, especially by the central state and its law, was unacceptable * Realism in the arts Literature: rejection of emotionalism romanticism * Positivism: theory claiming that careful study of facts would generate accurate and useful laws of society * The Rise of Marxism: opposed both mutualism and anarchism * Das Kapital: adopted the liberal idea that human existence was defined by the necessity to work to fulfill basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. * The Commune of Paris: How to cite Euro Ap Ch. 22 Study Guide, Papers