During our English class, I found that Lorena made a very interesting point about Utnapishtim and Gilgmesh. She said that eternal life was granted to Utnapishtim, and Utnapishtim did not have to seek it, unlike Gilgamesh. I feel as though Lorena was almost implying that Utnapishtim was destined to be immortal, because although Utnapishtim did not seek immortality as hard as Gilgmamesh, Utnapishtim was ultimately granted immortality. Lorena said that Gilgamesh should not have had seek immortality because if it was meant for him to be immortal, like Utnapishtim, he would have been. As I was listening to Lorena speak in class, I did agree with her, however, after thinking long and hard about it I found myself disagreeing with her opinion.
Gilgamesh's idea of having to seek what he wanted in life is what, I think, can connect Gilgmesh to most people, including me. Gilgmesh did not want to wait for "destiny". Gilgamesh knew that in order to be immortal, there were things that had to be done, he did not wait on destiny to tell him his fate. However, I do believe that Utnapishtim also worked hard for immortality, I just do not agree with the idea that Gilgamesh should have waited for immortality to find him instead of going to look for it himself. I find it very often that people say "What is meant to happen will happen", and as I grew up, I could not disagree with that saying more. I realized that nothing just happens without hard work, not even what is destined.
Everything you seek or want in life comes with a price or sacrifice. Gilgamesh sacrificed his best friend, his time, and even almost sacrificed his life and he still was not granted eternal life. It just goes to show that destiny is nothing without effort. Gilgamesh worked really hard and still did not gain immortality. Having said that, if Gilgamesh had not seek or work hard for immortality but still gain it anyway, would you have had felt as though he deserved it? I know I'm not the only one who has ever said or thought to myself, "Wow, he/she did not even deserve that!" when I feel as though someone was rewarded something they were not worthy of or work hard for.
So why wait for destiny? If you want something in life, seek it. Nothing, in life, is guaranteed. You may not have found what you were initially looking for, but you can learn way more valuable lessons along the way. Although Gilgamesh was not granted eternal life, his story serves as an inspiration to others and his name lives on forever which can be equivalent to eternal life. If Gilgamesh had just sat there with the mindset that "If I am meant to be immortal then I will be", what would he have accomplished in life?
Very interesting thoughts! Maybe both Lorena and Myriam can be "right." In life, sometimes unexpected things find us as we search for what we truly want. Maybe Utnapishtim was seeking something when he trusted Ea, and immortality found him as well. However, I agree with Myriam in that none of us can afford to wait for what we want. We have to go after it. Like Gilgamesh, we may succeed in finding it in unexpected ways.
ReplyDeleteI really like this Myriam, you gave me a lot to consider. And just like you, I feel upset when people get handed things without working hard for it. So I can completely agree when you say Gilgamesh had to take some action to attain his immortality otherwise he would of still been sitting around waiting for it to come to him
ReplyDeleteI can see where your coming from but the main difference between Utnapishtim and Gilgamesh is that one had a desire to be immortal while the other wasn't interested in being immortal. Utnapishtim gained immortality by following direct orders from the Gods but he wasn't aiming to be immortal whereas Gilgamesh had to work for his immortality since he knew he wasn't destined to have it.
ReplyDeleteWow Myriam! Great connection . I can tell a lot of thought went into this and now that I have read this I have to agree. If Gilgamesh didn't work so hard and he would have gained immortality , then the Epic of Gilgamesh wouldn't be worth reading and he most likely wouldn't be fulfilling his role as an Epic Hero. But let's remember he did gain immortality in a way. His story lives on today even though he in the flesh did not.
ReplyDeleteGo You! I loved your post, you really laid out your opinion clearly. I have to say that I do in fact agree with you Gilgamesh wasn't destined to live on forever in human form but he was granted immortality through the story of his life and journey. Everything does indeed happen for a reason.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyones comments so far. I agree with Myriam (great post by the way) when it comes to getting handed things without working for it but I believe Utnapishtim did work for it (even though he wasn't searching for immortality) since he did follow orders from the Gods and basically restarted the human species. Gilgamesh wanted it for his own selfish reasons in the begining and was not fit to become an immortal. In the end he still lived on through the generations so he did gain his "immortality" in a way because he lives on through this story, just not the physical form he really wanted to begin with.
ReplyDeleteAlso, to answer your ending question I believe he wouldn't have accomplished all that he did. He had something in mind and he went for it. It was his motivation that got him what he wanted and changed the way he thought.
Good post Myriam!
I totally agree, Myriam. Some are not lucky enough for a god to come and say that you've been so good and obedient that you deserve immortality; this was Gil's case. He had to work for it. But there is something good in fighting and going after what you want instead of having it given right to you, and that is finding out more about yourself. Gilgamesh had immortality right in his hands(the flower), and being careless the flower gets eaten by the snake. If someone gave me something I've wanted for so long, and I loose it the same day; I think that speaks volumes about my character. My mother would even say, "maybe you didn't really want it, if you were that careless". So being the epic hero, Gil recognizes his flaws and his mistakes through his journey for immortality. I think being able to see your mistakes and recognize them is better than living with your mistakes unrecongnized for all eternity, which he would have done if he was just granted immortality without working for it. With that said, great blog Myriam it was well written.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this... Do you blog often? Anyway, in class that day I really hadn't formed an opinion because I had only heard one side of the situation. Reading this and comparing it to what was said as you stated from Lorena, I really see where we can see the Epic-ness of Gilgamesh. He is a "go-getter", even though he did not succeed in his short-term goal, he was able to succeed as a legend. Basically, all I'm trying to say is that totally agree and but I still feel as though the idea that eternal life was purposely given to Utnapishtim and not to Gilgamesh is something we should still consider.
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