Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
Why are social norms important essay
Social norms theory
Why are social norms important essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Why are social norms important essay
Social norms theory
Why are social norms important essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Why are social norms important essay
Always encountering success, Gilgamesh was once a tyrant to his people. Reflecting on his rule, he recalls that, “He demanded from an old birthright/the privilege of sleeping with their brides” (15). His triumphs fostered arrogance. To him, everyone else paled in comparison. When he experiences defeat, however, Gilgamesh grows as a leader, seeing the similarities between him and his subjects, their common humanity.
Throughout history, patriarchal societies have been very profound, helping shape society and culture into what it is today. In Herbert Mason’s adaptation of Gilgamesh, most women are forced into jobs that accompany the lifestyle of men. Women are used to inflate egos and promote masculinity primarily through sex. However, elderly and motherly figures are seen as welcoming and wise and to be treated with compassion. Whereas patronesses, goddesses, and prostitutes do not elicit respect.
The Epic of Gilgamesh gives a lot of insight to what was happening and what was expected in ancient Mesopotamia. The epic poem which revolves around a king, includes many details in to the civilization, beliefs, and values of the Mesopotamians. The king thrives to be remembered and many of his actions reflect that. The Epic of Gilgamesh show how an ideal heroic king should be in ancient Mesopotamia. The first thing it shows us is that hero kings should be strong.
In comparison, it’s always observed on how different scholars find the similarity of especially marital settings, characters, and as well as the wanderings of the mythological world. Different events within the life of these characters cover broadly a huge range of epic encounters that are heroic. The character, emotional and psychological development of Gilgamesh can be borrowed especially from the ancient heroic perspectives of mortality and death while comparing with Achilles. Mesopotamian civilization has had several phases in which hero Gilgamesh has been in existence, however having similar attributes. One of the earliest stories of Gilgamesh is developed from Sumerian texts, one of the most influential and well-known poems (Michelakis & Pantelis 2007).
Gilgamesh is a powerful yet emotional king. Gilgamesh shows his weak side by saying “I have wept for him day and night…” After this he remains an epic hero in my opinion. The text states he went on a great dangerous journey and survived and killed the guard of The Cedar
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a piece of literature that derived from the Near East. It is said that this epic has stories related to the Holy Bible. This text serves as an archetype to the Bible and reveals characteristics of ancient Near Eastern societies. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the great flood story is compared to the story of Noah’s ark in the Holy Bible. It is mainly compared to the whole book of Genesis in the Bible.
In the setting of The Epic of Gilgamesh, collaboration was necessary if one wanted to survive. While individual strength was important, no man could survive (and thrive) alone. Although Gilgamesh does not immediately see this, it quickly becomes an important theme. The Epic of Gilgamesh demonstrates the importance of community-building throughout the epic by using reoccurring themes of friendship and reliance. Gilgamesh’s friendship with Enkidu emphasizes that reliance is necessary for survival.
In “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, Gilgamesh believes that fear is not and never will be “Justified”. This story was retold by Herbert Mason but no one truly knows who began the tale. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” is a well known epic poem that was created in ancient Mesopotamia around the time of 600 B.C. The point of view in which the story is told in is third person, in the perspective of Gilgamesh himself. The setting of the story is around the time of 2700 B.C. Gilgamesh is the king of Uruk and is struggling to stay off of deaths radar at all cost, even though his true love is fighting against opposing forces.
Social norms are rules that have been ingrained in society and people for hundreds of years. These societal rules can be anything from not talking to strangers on the subway to wearing weather appropriate clothes in public. Yet, when these societal norms are broken, the observers, as well as the person who destroyed the norm, are affected. Societal norms play in large role in how a person conducts him or herself when interacting with others. When deciding what social interaction, I would break, I wanted to do something that would be easy for me to fully commit to without facing too much embarrassment.
Friendship is one of the most powerful and necessary bonds between two people, and in Irving Finkel’s, “The Hero King Gilgamesh”, he portrays the true meaning of this strong force. This is a story filled with Middle Eastern gods, curses, and most importantly heros. King Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu tackle ferocious beasts and take down wild monsters. Along Finkel’s exhilarating story, he showcases the power of friendship and how it can change a person through the ordinary world, trials, and success. Friendship always starts with an awkward first “hello”, but in Finkel’s story, it started with a conflict between two who were destined to meet.
The friendships that we develop throughout our lives strongly influence us, contributing in important ways to the type of people we become. Indeed, a friend can bring out a person’s best or their worst; sometimes the same friend can do both. Strong friendships are centrally important to the main characters of two of literature’s most celebrated epic poems. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the title character has Enkidu; in The Iliad, Achilles has Patroclus. At the center of these epics are two heroic men who share several similarities, including superhuman strength and other god-like qualities.
Although in today’s society Gilgamesh’s over-the-top machismo and acts of hyper-masculinity are seen as a hackneyed trope, in its time, Gilgamesh’s quests were awe-inspiring to audiences. One of the most enthralling parts of the tale is when Gilgamesh and Enkidu are on their way to fight Humbaba because of the vivid description of their journey, and the fact that this is the first time Gilgamesh showcases his combat expertise. Even though there are exaggerations throughout the story, the story reflects the culture and morals of the Mesopotamian society it was written in.
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).
Cultural Values A demigod named Gilgamesh, tragically loses his best friend, then he goes on a journey to find the secret of immortality. One could say that these specific cultural values work effectively for the Gods and the people of Uruk, such as rituals, war, and making sacrifices to make this culture successful. Commonly this culture mostly performs rituals for everlasting life or immortality. Gods are afraid of mortality and death itself.
The Epic of Gilgamesh: Relevant Truth for Today’s Society The Epic of Gilgamesh is set in Uruk, an ancient city of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Sumer, now modern-day Iraq. The epic was said to be written by Sin-liqe-unninni, but it is based on five earlier Sumerian poems with no known author. The piece was difficult to translate, and there are two main version for the Epic of Gilgamesh. This is the result of the environment during the time the piece was being written.