Gligamesh

"You will never find that life for which you are looking. When the gods created man they allotted him death, but life they retained in their own keeping," Siduri talking to Gilgamesh. (Gilgamesh 4). The epic of Gilgamesh has an abundant of examples and parallels to the trial and tribulations of any human life. Gilgamesh's story is humanities story of life, death, and realization. The awaking of Gilgamesh from a childish and secure reality connects my own life experiences to the epic tale.

As a young child everyone is much like Gilgamesh, in the beginning of the story, they are brave and will try new things, but few knew if what they were doing was wrong or right. Gilgamesh ran around with tons of energy and never let anyone slow down. "Gilgamesh sounds the tocsin for his amusement, his arrogance has no bounds by day or night. No son is left with his father, for Gilgamesh takes them all, even the children; yet the king should be a shepherd to his people. His lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warrior's daughter nor the wife of the nobleÐ'..." (Gilgamesh 1). He did the most outlandish things in order to please himself and make everything good for himself. Young children often get what they want by throwing fits, taking it, or finding it. They could be in a store and want some candy. In order for them to get the candy, they will throw a huge screaming and kicking fit to try and get it. However, young children have something Gilgamesh did not have at first, parents. Kids have somebody that is trying to help in the molding of there values and beliefs of the world. Hopefully, they are good parents and teach them wrong from right. If not, then the kids could grow up to be much like Gilgamesh, at the start of the epic. The story does reveal Gilgamesh to have parental figures in the Gods. They are the ones who heard the cries from the people of Uruk and sent Enkidu. Enkidu was sent not only give Gilgamesh a companion, who could keep up with him, but was the one, with his death, who showed Gilgamesh the reality of death. This then led to his journey of realization that he is not a mortal being and finally grows up. I feel that when a kid learns right from wrong and what death is they have then started to grow up.

Another aspect of the story that has some comparison to my own life is Enkidu as a friend to Gilgamesh. I, as all kids do, had a best friend in elementary school, and in the third grade he moved away. I have never seen him since nor will I probably ever see him again. My friend did not die like Enkidu, but he did go away. As a nine year old this was something I had never dealt with before. Looking back upon the situation I learned a great deal from my friend leaving. I learned how to say goodbye to someone forever and that I might not always see the people around me again. Gilgamesh had different influences from his friend's death, but he did come to a realization like me. Enkidu was Gilgamesh's best friend and his best guide to the real world. "Ð''My friend, the great goddess cursed me and I must die in shame. I shall not die like a man fallen in battle; I feared to fall, but happy is the man who falls in battle, for I must die in shame.' And Gilgamesh wept over Enkidu."(Gilgamesh 3). Gilgamesh was very distraught over his friend's death. He did not want the