Search for Immortality Depicted in The Epic of Gilgamesh...

Through the many of mankind’s tales of adventure the search for immortality is a very common theme. Many heroes have made it the objective of their travels and adventures. This is no different in The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Odyssey. The heroes in both are tempted by the offer of immortality, however each of them turns it down for their own reasons. In The Odyssey, Odysseus rejects the offer of immortality from the goddess Calypso long after he discovers the true nature of the afterlife after travelling to Hades. In Hades he meets Achilles who tells him â€Å"I’d rather slave on earth for another man. than rule down here over all the breathless dead’ (â€Å"Odyssey†, 265). Given such strong words from someone who has experienced the afterlife†¦show more content†¦It would not only make the trip futile but almost disrespectful to all of the crew he had lost on the journey. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh also turns down the prospect of immortality from a goddess (Ishtar, in this case), however, he does this under different circumstances. He comes into this situation in the beginning of Tablet VI (lines 1-79), when he returns to his city of Uruk, and is admired so greatly by Ishtar that she instantly proposes to him. Gilgamesh turns her down for one reason mainly, he realizes that she has had many a husband previously, and none of them had happy endings. This stands in particular contrast to the rest of the story where Gilgamesh is actively seeking immortality. In fact, one could argue that the main theme of this epic is the search for immortality. However, at this point of the story he has not yet learned the details of the afterlife, which may have affected his decision; because much like the afterlife of the Greeks, the fate that awaits Gilgamesh is not particularly appealing. Between the two stories there are plenty of similarities, yet there are enough differences to create two distinct morals between the two. For example both of the heroes turn down the offer of immortality from a goddess who wishes to keep the heroes to themselves. The difference lies in the reasoning for the decision to reject the offer. Odysseus does it because he realizes the entire point of this return journeyShow MoreRelatedThe Epic Of Gilgamesh And Odysseus1497 Words   |  6 Pagescharacter Gilgamesh from The Epic of Gilgamesh and Odysseus from The Odyssey by Homer can be compared by their similar journeys and differing heroic qualities. PURPOSE STATEMENT Through careful research and reasoning, Odysseus and Gilgamesh can be seen as both similar and differing characters because of their choices and changes throughout their journeys. INTRODUCTION Gilgamesh, the famous hero of The Epic of Gilgamesh and Odysseus from The Odyssey are found to be similar. Some say that The Epic of GilgameshRead MoreEssay on The Odyssey21353 Words   |  86 PagesThe Odyssey Set in ancient Greece, The Odyssey is about the hero Odysseus long-awaited return from the Trojan War to his homeland, Ithaca, after ten years of wandering. The current action of The Odyssey occupies the last six weeks of the ten years, and the narrative includes many places - Olympus, Ithaca, Pylos, Pherae, Sparta, Ogygia, and Scheria. In Books 9-12, Odysseus narrates the story of his travels in the years after the fall of Troy, and this narrative includes other far-flung

A Brief Note On College And Higher Education - 2160 Words

Kyle Laffin is seen ias a typical mid 20’s American. He attended college to pursue a degree in accounting and financial freedom, but this came at a cost which he didn’t imagine. He took out a loan with his father as a cosigner for a little over $100,000. Even though he got an accounting job directly out of college, he is now stuck paying back a monthly loan payment of $1,200, when he only makes $3,333 a month before taxes. This has forced his father to make payments since he cosigned the loan. His father began working two jobs and was forced to take money out of his retirement account just to be able to make those excruciating monthly payments (Woodruff). College and higher education are often viewed as the fundamental key to the American dream. It is often seen as a gateway to the middle and upper class. However this dream comes with a price, which is often overlooked until its too late. According to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, the cost of college has increased 439% in the last 30 years. This has forced a large amount of the American college students to take out enormous student loans that they will struggle or fail to payback. If too many students fail to payback their loan (commonly known as defaulting), it could result in an economic recession similar to the 2008 housing market crash. How did these costly college loans come to be? The beginning of college loans occurred in 1965, when the government created the Guarantee Student LoanShow MoreRelatedBooming Hispanic Population in Texas do not have Good Educations715 Words   |  3 Pagesearning a college degree and different socio-economic levels (Swaii, Redd, Perna, 2003). Another study looked at the advantages of earning a post- secondary degree such as more pay, higher level of job satisfaction, movement between classes, access to better health insurance, and contributions as a tax payer (Baum, Ma, Payea, 2013). The Texas Higher Education plan â€Å"Closing the Gaps† has indicated the need for an educated workforce to contribute to the state’s prosperity and noted that an education takesRead MoreThe Relationship Between Student Success Courses and Academic Achievement of Community College Students645 Words   |  3 PagesIntroduction Importance of the problem With the intent of raising the state’s mediocre ranking among higher education institutions, the Tennessee Legislature passed into law the Complete College Act (CCA) in 2006. Setting a goal of increasing the number of college graduates by 3.5 percent annually, the law has radically reformed the way Tennessee funds its public community colleges and universities. Eliminating the old enrollment formula, which funded the institutions based on student enrollmentRead MoreWide Range Of Developing Academic Study Skills900 Words   |  4 Pagesachieve high expectations in Higher Education, developing a range of effective study skills and strategies, is an absolute necessity to fulfil any criteria! Of course revising is a beneficial accolade, both on subject matter and examination preparation. Most students, successful academic students, have developed their own study strategies for examinations and academic writing (Lengefield, 1994). However, revising alone, is just not enough. Dev eloping study skills in note taking, critical thinking,Read MoreBrief Overview Of Education System Of Pakistan And China Essay1654 Words   |  7 Pages Brief Overview of Education System in Pakistan Similarities and Dissimilarities in the Higher Education of Pakistan and China Name: Muhammad Saleem I.D Number: M2016127 Subject: Higher Education of China Assigned by: Professor Lee Saiqiang Dr. Han Jiying Semester: First â€Æ' Abstract The purpose of this paper is to fulfill the requirements of a final term paper of the first semester. This paper attempts to put the glance on the Education system of Pakistan and ChinaRead MoreThe Education Of Higher Education Essay1662 Words   |  7 Pagesclasses, I have begun to understand that the foundation of higher education in the United States has a tumultuous past, however, is also an example of how enough desire for progress and pressure from external sources fosters change. From our readings in A History of American Higher Education by John R. Thelin we have discussed the progress and design of American Higher Education from the early 1600’s on. In our second text, American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century: Social, Political, and EconomicRead MoreWhat Is National Board Certification?706 Words   |  3 Pagesbeing tested in the areas of trigonometry and calculus because these are not areas that I teach. In fact, these are areas I will have to brush up in and review because I have not looked at a Calculus or Trigonometry problem since by second year of college during my undergraduate degree. The subjects that I am most familiar with are those of Mathematics History, Application, Numbers and Operations, Algebra and Functions, Geometry, Data Analysis, and Statistics, for several reasons. One of the majorRead MoreThe Voice of a Feminist: Rhetorical Analysis Essay1287 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of â€Å"Claiming an Education† â€Å"All I have, is a voice.† –W.H. Auden. These are five words that could leave a thoughtful philosopher speechless. But perhaps found within the lack of â€Å"finding a better word† moments, are when revolution seeds are planted in the hearts and tongues of the passionate. And if this is a truth, then Adrienne Rich was absolutely no exception. The radical feminist and poet opened her speech, â€Å"Claiming an Education† to the girls of Douglass College, in the most straightforwardRead MoreGraduation Speech : Skipping English964 Words   |  4 Pagesmajority of high school students try to take more Advanced Placement (AP) and AICE classes in order to obtain college credit hours well in advance, and each one presents an exam at the end of the year. If they pass these exams with a certain grade or score, then they can avoid taking certain prerequisite classes because they met some of the requirements for their college general education plan.. In fact, I was able to skip English Composition I in my freshman year , for my scores in AP English LanguageRead MoreThe Focus Of My Action Research958 Words   |  4 Pagesthey succeed and not place roadblocks in their paths. My student’s survey and interviews focused on their college experiences. Others questioned their assessment of their college classes, teachers, student service departments and so on. Questions on whether they would recommend the college to others, but my focus was on their college experience as an integrating themselves into college life. Some of the themes that are emerging are that most find lacking in matching schedules with coursesRead MorePublic Education Has Negatively Affected Children1417 Words   |  6 PagesMichelle Molnar, a contributor for Education Week, states: â€Å"In a report released last week, the business school [Harvard] indicated that 47 percent of its alumni. . . saw little improvement in the K-12 education system.† Even though public education can have a positive influence, rising high school dropout rates, increasing juvenile crime, and the falling of American education’s global rating causes some parents to wonder if public education is truly working. Public education has negatively affected children

The Computer a Blessing or a Curse free essay sample

As a scientific breakthrough, some people fear that computer might dominate the world. Just like any other inventions, it has its advantages and disadvantages. The use of computer has lowered human labor lots and lots The work which required much time before can now be done simply within fraction of seconds. It helps you organize your data and information. Computers are being used to conduct lessons for all subject, students are learning through computers by reading as well as seeing diagrams on screen. Computer are helping the doctors to detect disease and keep information about patient. It has much more computing and calculating power then an ordinary human. The main advantage is that you can now communicate instantly with friends, family, and co-workers. You no longer need to send them a letter that will take 3 days to get there and then wait for a reply. You have all of the information that you could possibly need at your fingertips. We will write a custom essay sample on The Computer a Blessing or a Curse or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Children are learning to read and write with computer games instead of homemade flash cards. They are reading their bedtime stories online instead of in bed with their parents. Slowly traditions are being broken and the computer is becoming a child’s learning tool. Many parents are buying computer learning games instead of board games and pop-up books. One benefit of the computer age is that children are becoming smarter. They are growing up computer literate and will have that as a huge advantage. Computer literacy is becoming a huge job qualification and feeling comfortable with one will put them a step ahead. But a disadvantage is that parents are leaving the learning up to the computers and spending less quality time with their children. The most important learning step for children is interaction with others. If they are sitting in front of the screen all day, they do not learn to share, wait their turn, or even something as simples as manners. Children need to be in contact with other children, adults, and animals. They need to experience things first hand not off a computer screen. The disadvantages to computers is that when electricity is out you cant seem to get any information. Businesses become paralyzed when their mainframes arent functioning properly. It can have negative effects on your social life and interactions with other people if you do not maintain the balance between time online and offline. It may have a negative effect on your eyesight due to radiation.. Overall the modern computer is both a blessing and a curse, it allows long-distance relationships, but also allows bad things to happen. So in an attempt to answer the question of whether computers are a curse or blessing, the only logical answer is they are both. It is ultimately up to human beings to minimize the curse parts while at the same time taking full advantage of the blessing parts.

Jonathan Edwards And Benjamin Franklin Essays - Benjamin Franklin

Jonathan Edwards And Benjamin Franklin From their critical assessments on how to improve themselves and to the American public that they influenced by their writings, Jonathan Edwards and Benjamin Franklin illustrate American themes in their personal narratives that quintessentially make part of American Literature. Although they lived in different times during the early development of the United States of America and wrote for different purposes, they share common themes. Their influence by their environment, individualism, proposals for a better society, and events that affected their society generate from their writings. By analyzing Jonathan Edwards' "Personal Narrative," "Resolutions," "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," and selections from Benjamin Franklin's The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin found in The Heath Anthology of American Literature: Third Edition Volume One edited by Paul Lauter, the fundamental themes in American literature are evident and their individual ideas are distinctive. These personal narratives reveal the influences of their environment that gave them epiphanies to their closer perfection of themselves. Jonathan Edwards' "Personal Narrative" shows his journey towards a closer relationship to God. His family was followers of the Congregationalist Church, and from early childhood, he followed a Christian life (Lauter 569). In the beginning of his autobiography, "Personal Narrative," he says "I had a variety of concerns and exercise about my soul from my childhood; but had two more remarkable seasons of Mckenize 2 awakening, before I met with that change, by which I was brought to those new dispositions, and that new sense of things, that I have had" (Lauter 581). Edwards endures a "rite of passage," which brings him closer to God. These epiphanies assisted on his assessment of becoming a better man in the eyes of God and minister to his community. Benjamin Franklin did not hold his family beliefs of Christianity, but from his early environment, he drew his relationship to God as a Deist. Franklin believed there is a Supreme Being and it is our job to discover our own reality by reasoning. In his autobiography, he notes several epiphanies that changed his lifestyle. For example, he regretted his leaving Miss Read for England without pursuing their relationship further. He calls these regrets or wrongdoings "Erratum" (Lauter 788). The spirituality of Franklin and Edwards is distinctive, and their writings reflect their experiences and growth of improvement. Franklin as a Deist felt that he created his destiny by the decisions he made. His autobiography illustrates his faults and accomplishments. This openness aims to the audience, the American, in order for them to reevaluate themselves and improve from their weaknesses. Franklin wanted Americans to become better Americans. With Edwards' beliefs, he felt that god predestined every man, and only the "elect" entered in the afterlife to heaven. He focuses his writing to the Christian audience. His goal is to prepare them to become candidates to be "elect" and show how the "elect" can set an example for the rest of the congregation. These men felt the responsibility to live a better life and set the example for every man in their community. As individuals, they constantly contemplate and self-evaluate there position in life and Mckenzie 3 community. In Early American Literature: A Collection of Critical Essays, the editor Michael T. Gilmore writes in the introduction, "[the Puritans] in their minds the Bible was the book of history, and typology revealed the developmental pattern of events by finding correspondences between the Old and New Testaments" (2). Edwards constantly places his life according to the bible. He believed like Winthrop, that his community needs to prepare and become "a city upon a hill" (Gilmore 2). Through his contemplation and goals seen in "Resolutions," he constantly seeks to improve himself, so he can fulfill God's plan for a new Holy Land, which is his congregation in New England. His sole concentration was interpreting the Bible and living by its words. He recorded his goals to improve himself and set an example to his community. Benjamin Franklin seeks the same goals as an individual, but he desires to improve the "American man." In Soundings: Some Early American Writers, Lewis Leary writes "Franklin was the true American...[he] constantly redefines himself...none better represented the simple, noble men...who lived close to nature faithful to her laws uncontaminated by artificialities of court or town" (9, 11). Franklin lists virtues that he intended his audience to try to follow when they chose to improve themselves. By explaining that no one can change overnight and work on one vice until successively conquered, such as chastity, every man can find self-improvement and further contribute to their community (Lauter 810-11). With