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Similarities and differences between the bible view of creation and in the mesopotamian epics
Comparing and contrast creation myths
Comparing and contrast creation myths
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In the literary nonfiction story “A Genetics of Justice”, Alvarez’s purpose is to advocate human rights by demonstrating how oppressive dictatorships affects its citizens and generations beyond. She uses three major claims to reveal her purpose; trauma, silence, and freedom. She expands on these ideas to further advance the understanding of how living in an oppressive society takes a toll on its inhabitants and how they remain in that mindset until freed. One of her claims focuses on trauma, and the hardships her mother endures under the tyranny of Trujillo. Alvarez informs us that in “1937, [he] ordered the overnight slaughter of some eighteen thousand Haitians” (par. 5), to show the readers his barbarity and viciousness.
The Monster from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Charlie from Flowers for Algernon have many similarities. “People don't talk to me much anymore or kid around the way they used to. It makes the job kind of lonely”. In the sentence, Charlie explains how, as he grew smarter, everyone became afraid of him and avoided him, making him feel lonely. “You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being.
Unraveling and chaotic atmosphere with destructive waters, as described in the beginning of the story, Enuma Elish describes the world and the seasons that come with it. Enuma Elish focuses on the beginnings of gods and how they all were created with a specific job. The reason why this story was so impactful is because it was written on seven stone tablets by the famous Babylonians created in the late 12th century B.C. Genesis 1-2 begins in a similar atmosphere of darkness and hovering water and the creation of the world also followed by its seasons.
The creation myth found in The Way to Rainy Mountain fulfills the characteristics described on page 33. This myth describes how the universe and life began. For example, “it (tree) began to rise into the air …the seven sisters were borne into the sky, and they became the stars of the Big Dipper” (55). Secondly, The Way to Rainy Mountain creation myth explains the workings of the natural world. By way of illustration, the seven sisters came to the stump of a tree while being chased by a bear, whose goal was to kill them. When they got to the stump, the tree bade they climb upon it, which in fact saved them.
The Popul Vuh is a creation story written by the Quiche peoples of Guatemala translated by Christian missionaries. To the casual observer, one may see obvious parallels to the Jewish and Christian Books due to the influences of the conquistadors over the region, exemplifying the interaction and integration of beliefs between two extraordinarily different cultures (Norton 520). Such elements of interest included a rather more mythical version of the creation of Earth, where the thought of soil, water, and animals were brought into existence. In addition, the trials the Heart-of-Sky encountered in creating a being to worship him as well as the imagery accompanying each attempt had strengthened the mythical impression of this story of creation
The most important way to think about myths is that they are symbolic stories that attempt to answer difficult human questions about the universe. For instance, where did we and the world come from? And what is the meaning of life?. “We all want to know where we came from, but because our earliest beginnings are lost in the mists of prehistory, we have created myths about our forefathers that are not historical but help to explain current attitudes about our environment, neighbors and customs” (6). Myth functions as a guidance that explains everything that we come into contact with in the universe.
1. What phenomenon or practice does each story seek to explain? Pay close attention to the power relationships. Each study seeks to explain origin myth and creation myths. For instance, in the story titled, How the World was made discusses about how the world was constructed, how it began, and how people first came to inhabit it which is a origin myth..
Amazingly, creation stories from complete opposite sides of the globe feature similar details. Both Greek creation myths and Inuit creation myths are almost identical in some elements. In Greek mythology, Prometheus and his brother, Epimetheus, were tasked with creating all the creatures that roam the earth. Prometheus shaped man out of clay, and Athena breathed life into it. Epimetheus quickly gave all of his allotted good qualities to animals, leaving none for man.
There are many creation myths that have the same motifs. Why do you think that there are so many motifs in these creation myths? Are the creation myths based on one belief possibly? Even though there is no clear truth on why these creation myths have many of the same myths, there are people that have predictions on why the myths have so many similarities. Concerning creation myths, there are three main motifs: the idea of humans being made from organic materials, the idea of only having one creator, and the idea of having humans being on earth for a purpose.
Hesiod’s account of creation, as outlined in the Theogony offers one of the most detailed and accepted theories of creation in the Greek culture. On the other hand, the Biblical account of creation, regarded as a Hebrew culture creation account, is to date one of the most widely acknowledged and accepted versions across various cultures seeking explanations for the origin of life and the earth. However, even though these creation accounts originate from two different cultures, they share some thought-provoking parallels in terms of their content and intentions, as well as some contrasts that make each of the creation accounts unique. Both Hesiod’s and the biblical creation accounts are similar in that they argue that prior to the beginning of creation events, the earth was merely a void that had no shape or form and this void was filled with darkness.
Cole and Ortega’s The Thinking Past is a book that covers the history of humans and civilization. The authors cover the transition of humans from a hunter-gatherer life into a sedentary life, forming the civilizations we know today. This transition can be witnessed through the character, Enkidu, in The Epic of Gilgamesh. Enkidu—a glorified forager—is created by the gods to keep the King of Uruk, Gilgamesh, in check.
In this essay I will discuss the interactions of nature relating to Enkidu, dreams and gods. As in the epic they are portrayed as obstacles for Gilgamesh. Natures onward movement seems extremely linked with the character of Enkidu. Enkidu was created as a wild man, he had “long hair like a woman’s.”
Each every creation myth is unique in its own way. Of course, creation myths have their similarities, but each of them has at least one detail that separates them from every other myth. The question is how those similarities came about, considering for some of these groups that didn’t even know that each other existed. It would have nearly impossible and extremely unlikely for them to communicate with each other let alone, share their stories with each other. Yet, despite this there are some extremely common themes and events throughout these myths.
There are hundreds of motifs scattered throughout the world about many vastly different creation myths. There are some myths linked with only a few motifs, and they originated from the same continent. Then there are also myths which originated from the other side of the world and share so many motifs one would think they were just a hundred miles away. With so many different motifs, it remains unclear and unproven as to how so many different cultures can share the same theory about how Earth and humans were created. Although there are so many fascinating motifs about the creation of the world and everything on it, I believe these three are the most common motifs shared by creation myths: nothingness (chaos) in the beginning of time, humans
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest story known to mankind, being written on Sumerian clay almost five thousand years ago (Garone). Since the story was originally known orally, the culture and themes from The Epic of Gilgamesh must have existed long before it was finally inscribed (Mark 4). Having known this, the cultures and themes can be compared to today’s society, discovering about how they have shifted and evolved, and also observe how they are similar. The ancient days of Gilgamesh has brought culture that has greatly influenced today’s society. Because Gilgamesh was set around the time of late Babylonian or early Sumerian society, the Babylonian and Sumerian cultures also play a role in shaping the world into what is is today (Mark).
