UNIT 1 B : GILGAMESH (MAIN) FOR WORLD LITERATURE

Purpose:  Practice discovering the great epic themes of sacred and secular, the hero, the journey, mortality, and gender roles by considering a very early epic, Gilgamesh.  This discussion should build your critical reading and analysis skills, as well as help prepare you for your essays later in the course and other analytical tasks in life.  Keep in mind that your central concern is to understand what the evidence about these epic themes reveals about the relationship between the epic heroes and their own cultures, as well as the relationship between epic heroes and heroic elements common to human society in all times.

Tasks:  Use the steps below to write 1-2 full paragraphs connected to the purpose and overarching themes in the readings for this unit.  Pick Option 1, 2, or 3 below, and follow the steps outlined.

Option 1:  Characteristics of a Hero:  What characteristics define Gilgamesh as a hero?  Does his apparent metamorphosis (or change) affect or change your perspective of him as an epic hero?  How does he compare/contrast to what we consider heroic today?

Option 2:  Roles of Women:  Given the male-centered world of the culture, women (both mortal and immortal) exercise a surprising degree of agency and power in the epic.  Provide some examples of this power and discuss the epic’s treatment of gender.

Option 3:  Quest for Immortality:  Discuss the representation of fear of death and quest for immortality in Gilgamesh–what is the text telling us about man’s destiny and his pursuit for eternal life?  Is there anything in Gilgamesh’s quest that reminds you of current quests for immortality or searches for the meaning of life?

1. Start by deciding which option above you would like to write about.  Once you have made that decision, then:
2. Select a relevant passage of your own choosing from Gilgamesh.  Choose carefully, thinking about how this passage might speak to your overarching theme and the bolded text in the Purpose, above.
3. Depending on which option you chose, explain the following: 
   • Option 1:  How does your chosen passage illustrate a conclusion about characteristics of Gilgamesh as a hero, and how is that significant or important for understanding Gilgamesh within his culture or heroes more generally? 
   • Option 2:  How does your passage illustrate a conclusion about roles of women in Gilgamesh, and how is that significant or important for understanding women within this culture or more generally?
   • Option 3:  How does your passage illustrate a conclusion about the meaning of mortality in Gilgamesh, and how is that significant or important for understanding mortality as viewed within the Mesopotamian culture or more generally?
   • NOTE:  You might want to sketch out your initial thoughts in lists, a concept map, or whatever note format helps you the most.
4. Structure and revise your initial thoughts into 1-2 robust, well-developed paragraphs, using the passage you have selected as evidence to support your ideas, and post them in the discussion.
5. Respond substantively to at least two of your classmates’ posts, explaining why you agree or disagree with them (and you may agree with some parts and disagree with others).  Include other thoughts you may have about their topic and ideas.  Include a quotation to support each of your responses.

Criteria on which you will be graded:

• Your selection of passages to support your argument is thoughtful
• Your analysis is specific and original
• Your post speaks to your selected theme and the Purpose above.
• Your responses to your classmates are respectful and substantive
• Your writing is clear and well-organized