Passage A is from The Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient epic from Mesopotamia as translated by Andrew George. In this passage, Gilgamesh is persuading his friend Enkidu to join him on a seemingly impossible task to kill the monster Humbaba. Gilgamesh utilizes various arguments in his efforts and, in this variety, the reader can begin to distinguish many Sumerian ideals and see where value is placed in its culture. In the first two lines of the passage, Gilgamesh uses pathos in his argument to evoke shame in Enkidu. He labels Enkidu’s response as cowardly and weak. In this appeal to Enkidu’s emotions, the reader can develop an idea of the ideal Sumerian man. It is a man who is brave and ready for battle, never refusing a fight. Courage is demanded and held in high regards. In the passage, the position of this point is important. It is placed first within the passage to show that possessing bravery is one of the most important Sumerian ideals. The speaker, Gilgamesh understands this, as he is the personification of Sumerian ideals, processing the desired masculine traits in abundance. …show more content…
The issue of mortality is very important in The Epic of Gilgamesh as Gilgamesh himself is in between two worlds. While he is the son of a God, he must bear the weight of mortality and so death is a common theme and central to the plot of the epic. In this exact passage, Gilgamesh tells Enkidu to not worry about fatality as all men are destined to someday die. While mans life may be cut short, heroic actions live on forever. This idea carries validity as Gilgamesh’s story, whether factual or not, has lived on for thousands of