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Importance of literature
Why should we study literature
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Importance of literature
Why should we study literature
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Recommended: Importance of literature
Literature is an art form that allows readers to express their ideas and grasp numerous concepts. It allows readers to experience historical moments from the past in the present. Connie Willis does a fantastic job of expressing her thoughts about literature and how her experiences contributed to her view of literature. Connie Willis says that literature is a way for authors of the past to communicate with readers of today in the quote from the Passage, "That's what literature is. It's the people who went before us, tapping out messages from the past, from beyond the grave, trying to tell us about life and death!
The epic poem “The Epic of Gilgamesh” is about a ruler of a city-state who goes on a journey to find everlasting life after his close friend dies. First, you should know that the ruler's name is Gilgamesh, and that he was a tyrant and the gods wanted to kill him, but he ended up friends with the man sent to kill him. (Sandars). In my opinion, heroes should be courageous and strong. They should be able to fight off foes and be able to learn from their mistakes.
"The Gilgamesh Epic" is one of the oldest surviving works of literature, originating from ancient Mesopotamia. Within this epic, Tablet 6 stands out as a pivotal moment where Ishtar, the goddess of love and war, proposes to Gilgamesh, the hero-king. However, Gilgamesh's refusal of Ishtar's advances sets off a chain of events that reveal profound insights into the human condition, power dynamics, and the nature of divinity. In Tablet 6, Ishtar approaches Gilgamesh with a proposition, offering herself as a bride and promising him wealth and power in return for his love. Ishtar's proposal is not merely a romantic advance, but a strategic move to secure Gilgamesh's favor and elevate her own status.
Literature is writing that speaks emotionally about the struggle of humanity. Literature isn’t just printed material, but “…only certain kinds of printed material specifically, the kinds that possess some kind of artistic merit” (Johnston, “What is Literature”). This is great because this doesn’t pertain to traditional books only; music can be included if it follows the guidelines of having highly charged language speaking of the human condition. To come to the conclusion of what literature is one must understand by simple reasoning anything scribbled on a piece of paper isn’t literature. A grocery list isn’t literature, but The Grapes of Wrath is because the author speaks of human conditions and ideals in very emotional language.
The epic poem “Epic of Gilgamesh” is about a hero’s journey. First, one should know that Gilgamesh was once a selfish king that ruled over Uruk. When his best friend Enkidu dies, he realizes that he is mortal, so he goes on a journey to look for immortality (Sandars). In my opinion, heroes should always show loyalty and show respect to all classes of people. If the hero doesn’t show respect in the beginning, he will grow and will later on show much more respect.
“The Return” Reading Questions In order to get the pity from the gods, Utnapishtim challenges Gilgamesh to stay awake for six days and seven nights. Gilgamesh is tempted by sleep constantly, so the Faraway devises a plan to make a visual representation of Gilgamesh’s progress. Everyday of the test, Utnapishtim’s wife bakes a loaf of bread and puts a mark beside Gilgamesh’s head to measure the time. At the end, Gilgamesh is awoken and from looking at the bread, he realizes that he has been asleep.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem written in 2000 B.C. whereas the Ark of Noah was written around 400 B.C. Both stories discuss about the historical great flood which whipped a human races from the earth. The stories were written in to two difference places and era; though they have a lot in common and quiet few differences. Consequently, according to the book of the Epic OF Gilgamesh and The Ark of Noah, the similarities between those two stories is more momentous than their differences. The major similarities in both stories is the cause of the flood.
Gilgamesh is an epic hero because, he part divine, interacts with gods and his story has a series of adventures and superhuman victories. Gilgamesh is a king that shows off his power and enviably shows his weak side in most altercations. Most scholars see him as a historical figure, but I myself think he is definitely an epic hero. He oppresses people who call out to the gods, this is not very heroic, but his other actions will show the truth. Gilgamesh IS an epic hero.
Human suffering is one of the major themes in The Epic of Gilgamesh. When confronting with painful circumstances in our lives, we often ask ourselves why is life so difficult and wonder if suffering is necessary. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the two heroes, Gilgamesh and Enkidu both go through suffering either physically or mentally. There are many beliefs to the reason why suffering is inevitable. In this epic, it is portrayed that the two heroes’ sufferings are the results of their fundamental flaws, such as their hubris and their attachments of to be remembered.
The Epic of Gilgamesh, is the story of the hero Gilgamesh. He is on the quest for eternal life following the death of his best friend Enkidu. Towards the end of his journey he encounters an extremely wise woman named Siduri, a winemaker and celestial barkeep. Siduri is unsure and slightly scared of him at first due to his disheveled appearance from his long and intense journey, upon seeing him she quickly locks herself in her house. Gilgamesh is unhappy with this and threatens to hit her gate, breaking the bolt.
Exegesis is the in-depth explanation and interpretation of scripture that helps us understand all of the references, literary devices, the time period, and how the people of the bible felt and interacted with the world around them. Exegesis is a process of trying to understand the scripture from, not a modern point of view, but the point of view that we assume the ancients received it in. There are four kinds of exegesis called criticisms. They are Textual Criticism, Historical Criticism, Literary Criticism, and Source Criticism. In Textual Criticism, the very original texts or most accurate interpretations are looked at to understand the true forms of the scripture passage without the translators own words added in.
An epic is a long poem derived from ancient oral tradition narrating the deeds and adventures of a heroic or legendary figure. One of the most popular epics is the Epic of Gilgamesh translated by Benjamin R. Foster this story goes all the way back to the 1900 bc. This story is about king Gilgamesh who becomes best friends with Enkidu these two go off on a quest one day to kill Humbaba a monster terrorizing all the land. After Humbaba was killed Gilgamesh and Enkidu Started to make there way back when Ishtar a goddess falls in love with Gilgamesh. She ask him to marry her
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).
Abrams (2009) states that literature has become the expression of human's thought and emotion. The word literature derived from the Latin 'Litteraturae' which means 'writing'. According to Luken (2003) literature is described as the part of writing works which exist because imaginative artistic qualities. Novel is one of literary work that tells the story of its character’s life. Sometimes, topic that is told in the novel comes from the experience or imagination of its author.
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.