A Mortal’s Sense of Immortality
To fear death is to fear life itself. An overbearing concern for the end of life not only leads to much apprehension of the final moment but also allows that fear to occupy one’s whole life. The only answer that can possibly provide relief in the shadow of the awaited final absolution lies in another kind of absolution, one that brings a person to terms with their irrevocable mortality and squelches any futile desire for immortality. Myths are often the vehicles of this release, helping humanity to accept and handle their mortal and limited state. Different cultures have developed varying myths to coincide with their religious beliefs and give reprieve to their members in the face of irrevocable death. The same is true for the stories in the Book of Genesis and the Mesopotamians’ Epic of Gilgamesh. In these two myths similar paths are taken to this absolution are taken by the characters of Adam and Gilgamesh, respectively. These paths, often linked by their contradictions, end with the same conclusion for each man on the subject of immortality; that no amount of knowledge or innocence, power or humility, honoring or sinning, will achieve them immortality in the sense of a life without death. Eternal life for a mortal lies in memory by one’s friends and family after one’s death.
When Adam is created in the second chapter (and second creation story) of Genesis out of the dust by the newly created world of God, he is the most innocent being ever known. It says of he and Eve, “they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed (Genesis 2:24)';, and why should they be, having no knowledge that their state was indecent? The opposite is true for Gilgamesh, who Anu grants “the totality of knowledge of all (Gilgamesh 3)';. Through the course of the epic we discover that Gilgamesh indeed does not have knowledge of all things, namely a grasp upon death. Adam does not even know that such a thing exists, thus his life, without the threat of death hanging overhead, is originally one of tranquility, happiness, and perfection. He is humble before his Lord God, with whom he shares the unique relationship of aiding him in His creation of all things. Adam’s life is full in this passive innocence and he has no need for any...
... middle of paper ...
...am’s innocence and ignorance, followed by Gilgamesh’s fame and power to Adam’s humbleness, then their shared punishments and voyages/exoduses and finally their collective discovery about immortality. I find Adam more honorable in his quest, for he searches after unknowingly defying God, rather than Gilgamesh’s looking through defying the gods. Adam knew not what evil he was doing when he ate the fruit of the tree, pressed upon him by Eve and the serpent, for he did not know the subject of evil even existed. Gilgamesh, on the other hand, was arrogant and overbearing in his knowledge and strength, acting more like a spoiled brat than one who was two-thirds a god. His one major saving point is that he does realize humility in the face of death and after failing to find a means of immortality. I can associate much more with Adam and his innocence and meekness for the wills and works of God(s), whatever they may be and if they even exist, are above and beyond the likes of me, a mortal being. I will live my life, the only one given to me, as best I can, not letting issues like inescapable death and unattainable immortality exhaust my limited time.
A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, is set in the 1950s, chronicles the life of the younger family, struggling to survive Chicago’s Southside.(111) A series of events transpires challenging the “American Norms” depicting the nuclear family and its “unabashedly patriarchal” life of the 1950s (Domina). The Younger’s are a family with a power structure that is complicated, and they have no clear leader. Women by definition of societal principle are presumed under a shadow from birth, of what they are capable of and the roles they are expected to fulfill. Hansberry creates a character in Ruth who is portrayed as a “beaten down” woman whose disappointments in life have “begun to hang in her face” (111) Ruth is struggling to find herself and yet stay loyal to the expectations of a “settled woman” ()
Although A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, and A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, appear to be very different plays, there are some great similarities. Ruth, from A Raisin in the Sun, lives with her immediate family and her sister and mother-in-law in the Southside of Chicago. However, Stella, A Streetcar Named Desire, has left her family behind and moved to New Orleans. Although these two women come from very different backgrounds and are characters in very different plays, they have surprising similarities. Therefore, Ruth and Stella have similarities and differences in their overall lifestyles.
Wisdom is the key which keeps the hierarchy off balance, distinct of power and moreover favoring God or the gods over mankind. Upon reading and comparing Gilgamesh and the Old Testament, it should be state that deities prefer to control mankind's wisdom in order to maintain the higher status, continue the ideas of worship, power, sacrifice and honor within the relationship of mankind and divine.
The play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry has many interesting characters. In my opinion, the most fascinating character is Ruth because of her many emotions and captivating personality. She goes through extreme emotions in the play such as happiness, sadness, anger, stress, and confusion. Ruth is very independent, firm, kind, witty, and loving.
Here and there emulating celebrity diet guidance is much the same as any possible eating regimen or activity arrange: a few things work better for others, while other don't. Only on the grounds that your most loved performer or vocalist cases to have shed pounds by doing x,y,z; does not mean you will consequently do the same. Only remember that while taking after the expressions of a celebrity; they are much the same as you, j...
Diabetes is a metabolic disease where the body is unable to produce any- or enough- insulin which causes high glucose levels in return. There are 3 different types of diabetes that people are most familiar with. Type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease where that person would need insulin from the second they’re diagnosed. Type 2 diabetes, which may take months or even years for a person to require insulin. With type 2 diabetes, the affected person is usually older and overweight. The third type that people are most familiar with is Gestational diabetes. GD occurs during pregnancy. Around 28 weeks gestation, the pregnant woman is instructed to go for a one hour glucose test to check for diabetes. Usually after the pregnancy, the diabetes goes away- although there are some cases where it doesn’t.
For my final project I chose to compare two works of art from ancient Mesopotamia. A visual work of art and a literary one. The visual work of art I chose was the Statuettes of Worshipers which were created around 2900 to 2350 BCE at the Square Temple at Eshnunna, a city in ancient Mesopotamia. The literary artwork I have chosen is the Epic of Gilgamesh written roughly around 2800 BCE by author or authors unknown. It was set in Uruk, another city in ancient Mesopotamia. Both of these works of art share a common theme; the theme of immortality. It is my hopes that within this paper I can accurately show how each of these works of art express this theme, and how it relates to modern society.
First of all, diabetes also known as diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that a person gets from high blood glucose or when your bodies cells do not respond to insulin and in some cases both (Medical News Today). There are three types of diabetes type 1, type 2, and gestational. All cases of diabetes do not affect you the same and all have different syndromes that will affect your body differently. While men can get two of these cases of diabetes, women can get all three.
This quote that was said by Ruth had a significant meaning and also a purpose for it being put in the book.
Children create peer groups to gain a sense of belonging and acceptance, alongside with socializing with others who have common interests, jobs, or social positions. At a young age, peer groups show children what is considered acceptable behavior around his or her peers and what is deemed unacceptable behavior. In certain social groups, there are role expectations that people have to be met. When in the peer group, often children will influence each other to engage in appropriate behaviors that can be seen as right or wrong.
He was, in fact, on the verge of doing just that. As Gilgamesh was taking a bath in a well on his way home to Uruk, all his hard work to become immortal was wasted. “It rose out of the water and snatched it away”(Gilgamesh 27). The “it” refers to the serpent that was in the well who snatched the sweet flower, the flower that gives you immortality. If the serpent had not have snatched that flower, Gilgamesh would be immortal. In Genesis, the serpent makes Adam and Eve not be immortal as well, but in an opposite way as Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh loses nothing that he had before his quest, but Adam and Eve lose their immortality. Gilgamesh starts off without immortality, and has to eat the flower to become immortal. Adam and Eve are already immortal, and God tells them not to eat the fruit from one of the trees, but ate it, making Gilgamesh’s and Adam and Eve’s situations opposites. However, we can link these two situations by the serpent. In Genesis, Adam and Eve are told by God that they could eat from any tree except the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and that if you do, you will die. When the serpent hears that God had said this, he tries to trick Eve into eating from the tree. “‘Ye shall not surely die:’ ‘For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil’” (Genesis 42). The serpent says that God even knows that if you eat the fruit off of this tree, you will not die, you will be like God and know good from evil. So, Eve is tricked into eating the fruit and shares it with her husband. Since they do this, they will die, and lose their immortality because of the
Ruth is Walter's wife. Her dream is to have a happy family but she also wants to be wealthy.
The issue of obedience figures prominently in both "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and the book of Genesis in the Bible. These works were produced by very different cultures and traditions (Middle Eastern and Hebraic, respectively) and the characters in each react to authority or advice with very different levels of obedience. Noah is found to be righteous by God and is rewarded with a means to escape the devastation of the flood. Gilgamesh, in his arrogance, thinks himself to be above the mortal concept of death. I have chosen the two opening paragraphs from the seventh chapter of "The Epic of Gilgamesh" and Genesis 6:8-22 to illustrate the conflicts between obedience and arrogance.
Gilgamesh was considered a hero because he had many great qualities, such as loyalty, perseverance, and heroism. Although these are heroic traits, he also had his flaws and was self-righteous, selfish, and prideful. Gilgamesh was a great man and was seen as flawless and “perfect in strength” (4). He represented almost a human version of a god; therefore, making it hard to see his flaws because he seems so ideal. He appeared like the perfect man that had absolutely nothing wrong with him. He was very courageous and this was evident when he states, “There dwells in the forest the fierce monster Humbaba, [You and I shall] kill [him] [And] wipe out [something evil from the land]” (18). This statement shows both a heroic quality and a flaw in Gilgamesh. It shows his heroism and how he felt that he could accomplish great things. His statement also shows how prideful he was because he always wanted the glory and wanted to be seen as the hero. This comes from the fact that he was part human and part god and he knew how amazing everyone thought he was and felt that he needed to live up to that expectation. This can be seen as both positive and negative because it shows his determination, but yet shows his pride. Being prideful is not necessarily a good thing because in this situati...
There were no real evidence on the existence of an everlasting life. Humans have never went to this extent because of aging and diseases that cause death. The reason why people are desperately aiming for an eternal is fear of the death, more especially the unknown of what comes next. That fear triggers many to believe there must be an upcoming of events right after death. However, this suggests that there is no evidence of immortality, but it is a set of belief created by mankind to reassure death, and many philosophers such as David Hume disapproved it.