Gilgamesh's Travels

I have never written a blog before but I have always been interested in the concept. I feel like it is a great way for people to share their ideas and a great way for people to actually form their ideas as well. The topics of my conversation will be based upon literature reading done in ENGL 2200 at Auburn University. First up is the Epic of Gilgamesh. I found the story to be quiet interesting and pretty descriptive for a story that was preserved by oral tradition for a long time. I do question, however, the translation of the story. I do not pretend to be an expert on the art of translating 1,000's of year old works, but I do wonder how a very detailed and verbose story burgeoned out of, to my understanding, cuneiform scrawled on clay tablets...Regardless of the stories' authenticity, the themes of the story, the search for fame and eternal life are consistent with the longings of the human race since the beginning of time. Gilgamesh's quest for eternal life is an interesting one. Gilgamesh's quest is seeded in the loss of his friend and "brother" Enkidu. Repeatedly, Gilgamesh states that it is because of the loss of Enkidu that he cannot bear the thought of death. It seems as if the reality of death hits Gilgamesh when Enkidu dies. Before, Gilgamesh was not afraid of death, he went out to fight Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven without even really considering the danger and potential for death. After Enkidu dies however, he becomes wreckless and cannot bear the thought of dying so he sets out in the wilderness to obtain the secret to immortality. Even though i read the summary before I read the actual story, I still found myself rooting for Gilgamesh and thinking that he might actually gain eternal life. Although he fails in his attempt, in which every human does, his legacy becomes in a sense eternal. The story of the mighty king Gilgamesh and his doings still live on. In the end Gilgamesh learns to accept that he has been given a certain amount of time on the earth and that he should enjoy the many beautiful and enjoyable things that the world has to offer.