Epic of Gilgamesh - 1581 Words

Introduction The epic poem dubbed the Epic of Gilgamesh is perhaps the earliest surviving literature on the face of the planet. The poem came from Mesopotamia in its original cuneiform script comprising 12 tablets. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a chronicle detailing the classic adventures of Gilgamesh, a historic king of Uruk. Over the years, historians have eliminated the 12th tablet for alleged inconsistencies. The poem depicts a wide range of themes such as the inevitability of death, which is portrayed when Gilgamesh’s struggle to be young backfires. Other themes include the struggle between humanity and divine power, necessity of friendship, oppression, and the enduring struggle for power along with the conflict between the rulers†¦show more content†¦Therefore, the interaction between divine and mundane entities was anarchical for the most part. The gods valued piety and as such, respect and obedience was important to them. Another reason for the conflict in the inte ractions with the gods was that human reverence for their divinity was no guarantee for protection. For instance, the floods that swept Uruk killed many innocent people who revered the gods for the sins of their king. The divine entities in the poem are comparable to God as depicted in the Bible as both kind and vengeful. His vengeance as that of the Sumerian gods was indiscriminate too. From the poem, one can deduce that for the people of Uruk, piety and respect for divinity are not regarded moral obligations rather a mere acknowledgement of divinity and supernatural order of things (Kovacs 98). Death and Afterlife One of the most dominant themes in the Epic of Gilgamesh is that death is inevitable; no one is immortal, not even the king. The theme of death as depicted here leans more towards the spiritual significance of death in which all are equal in death even if they were different in life. From the death of a bird to that of a hero, the state of death equalizes all. What one l earns from the Epic of Gilgamesh is that destiny is predetermined. Historians and mythologists use the phrase ‘our fate is sealed’ or ‘destiny is written in the stars.’ The first death significant to this studyShow MoreRelatedGilgamesh And The Epic Of Gilgamesh988 Words   |  4 PagesThe maturation of Gilgamesh and his desire to acquire wisdom throughout his journey is quite apparent. By overcoming difficulties such as upholding Uruk, becoming friends with Enkidu, and various other scenarios, Gilgamesh proves that he did in fact grow up throughout the epic. As the epic starts, Gilgamesh is portrayed as a self-centered, self-admiring leader who believes that he is the only individual that can lead the city of Uruk. Gilgamesh believes that he is a god-like figure and often refersRead MoreThe Epic Of Gilgamesh : Gilgamesh1013 Words   |  5 Pages Gilgamesh in 2015 Even though the epic Gilgamesh is thousands of years old, it is still read today. Why would the era of technology read an epic this old? This is because the themes in Gilgamesh are still relevant. In addition, the themes are experiences that Gilgamesh went through in his life period, and serve as lessons for the current readers. Gilgamesh’s themes include journey, legacy, love, and death. These themes make Gilgamesh a vital reading for the 21st century citizens because peopleRead MoreGilgamesh : The Epic Of Gilgamesh876 Words   |  4 PagesIn The Epic of Gilgamesh a young man meets and befriends a wild man named Enkidu. Enkidu, once a man who lived among animals, became civilized after having sex with a female. From this point on Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s relationship start, but shortly into the novel Enkidu becomes sick and dies. This is the start to Gilgamesh journey in attempting to avoid death by seeking immortality. In his quest Gilgamesh meets several people all w ho assign different routes to the next person he should speak to.Read MoreGilgamesh : The Epic Of Gilgamesh1194 Words   |  5 Pages The Epic of Gilgamesh is a Mesopotamian epic poem loosely based on a real king who ruled sometime around 2700 BCE. The standard version of this epic was written in the Akkadian language. In this epic poem, Gilgamesh is King of Uruk, he is one third mortal and two-thirds god; he is described as a strong, arrogant, and unruly king that does not show much consideration for his actions. Gilgamesh is a very egocentric person; he has no respect for the feelings of others and does not care about howRead MoreGilgamesh : The Epic Of Gilgamesh909 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"The Epic of Gilgamesh† is a didactic story set out to expose the inevitability of death. The true meaning of this story is sometimes overlooked because the story is told in heighten language not easily understood. The epic hero in this story is Gilgamesh; he undertakes a quest for knowledge which is overshadowed by his ignorance. The tragic death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s trusted companion forces the epic hero to change his perception of death. To overcome great obstacles one must be willing to putRead MoreGilgamesh The Epic Of Gilgamesh877 Words   |  4 PagesThe Epic of Gilgamesh the lines that are repeated at the beginning and end of the epic show that only immortality a human can gain lies in creating things that last beyond a person’s lifetime. While at the beginning of the epic Gilgamesh is seeking eternal life, when he concludes his journey he realizes that he has created an enduring legend through the foundation of his city, Uruk. Through this legend, Gilgamesh can live on in the memory of his people, long after he has passed away. The epic is ableRead MoreThe Epic Of Gilgamesh And Gilgamesh1422 Words   |  6 PagesIn the Epic of Gilgamesh there are many notable relationships but the relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu is hands d own the most noteworthy. When analyzing the relationship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu there are many factors that go into play. It is really the sole foundation of the whole Sumerian epic and it really changes the whole personality of Gilgamesh. In order to get a better understanding of how the two characters complement each other we have to first break down their individual appearancesRead MoreGilgamesh : The Epic Of Gilgamesh2225 Words   |  9 PagesEpic of Gilgamesh In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh became a hero and Enkidu helped Gilgamesh grow and develop as a person, a leader, and a hero. Heroism is a major theme of this story. Gilgamesh also overcame the obstacle of his best friend dying and persevering when he had no other choice but to give up. The Epic of Gilgamesh was a story about a leader named Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh ruled the city of Uruk and along the way, he learned how to become a better leader. During this time, the gods createRead MoreGilgamesh : The Epic Of Gilgamesh1400 Words   |  6 Pages The Epic of Gilgamesh Introduction The Epic of Gilgamesh is the story about Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk and Enkidu, their friendship, how Enkidu dies, how Gilgamesh mourns the death of his friend and finally he understands enlightened truth . Most of this story is narrated from Gilgamesh’s point of view. The story is set in Mesopotamia and the portrayal of Gilgamesh is ironical. He is described as a king of immense vigor and strength who is not benevolent with his subjectsRead MoreThe Epic Of Gilgamesh And Gilgamesh Essay2053 Words   |  9 PagesWhile the women in the Epic of Gilgamesh may not be the primary focus of the epic, which instead recounts more of Gilgamesh’s own trials and travails, they still play quite vital roles in their interactions with both Enkidu and Gilgamesh. Women such as Shamhat, Ninsun, and Ishtar in The Epic of Gilgamesh are often portrayed with a particular emphasis on their intrinsic connections to civilization—and in the case of Shamhat and Ninsun, in terms of their m otherly characteristics as well—which serves

The Great Impact On The Beginnings Of Christianity

By alluding to the letters of Paul and to Christianity in general, Dickens conveys his view that getting rid of social classes creates a more harmonious society. The apostle Paul had the greatest impact on the beginnings of Christianity. He is one of the most renowned characters of the Bible thanks to his remarkable story of rebirth. Saul, his original name, was a Jewish Pharisee, a teacher of the law. Pharisees, as shown by Jesus’ encounters with them, did not believe in Christ as the Son of God, and were strictly orthodox. After Jesus’ disciples spread out and started spreading the Good News, Saul began persecuting Christians and became one of the biggest persecutors, becoming bolder thanks to the approval of the Jewish leaders, even approving the killing of Stephen, a righteous man. Saul becomes Paul in the most miraculous way, Christ spoke to him and Ananias, a disciple of Jesus (not one of the original twelve), is sent to show him the truth and help him understand Christ. Paul was the first person that was not one of the disciples of Christ to have a testimony of transformation, forever recorded by the Bible, in the history of Christianity. Not only that, half of the New Testament was written by Paul, whether on his transformation travels, or letters that he wrote to people and churches all over Eurasia. After his rebirth, Paul traveled through much of Eastern Europe and Western Asia spreading the Good News. His letters emphasized the teachings of Jesus and the basis ofShow MoreRelatedConstantine the Great1359 Words   |  6 PagesConstantine the Great Constantine the Great, first Christian Emperor, originator of Constantinople, creator of the Byzantine Empire, military conqueror, and honored saint, has been labeled by many the most instrumental emperor of the Roman Empire. Constantine played a crucial role in the development of Europe during the Middle Ages, and founded Christianity as the formal religion of the Roman Empire. His dynamic yet effective predominance laid the infrastructure of European development. FromRead MoreEssay on The Spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire1117 Words   |  5 PagesFactors Which Led to the Spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire Christianity was not born in a vacumn. There were many social, geographical, historical and religious issues prevailing at the time of Christ and all of which were favorable to the spread of Christianity. Geograpicly, Christianity came into being in the Meditation world, the largest of the various centers of civilization at that time. Israel stands almost central to the five continents, dividingRead MoreDivided Christianity: What Went Wrong 1468 Words   |  6 PagesI. INTRODUCTION The nineteenth century was a time of great revolution both in the fields of agriculture, communication, transportation, technology, market and in the industrial sectors. 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An Investigation Into the Effects of Temperature on Enzyme Action Free Essays

An investigation into the effects of temperature on enzyme action An enzyme is a biological catalyst that speeds up the rate of reaction in certain biological functions. They play a vital role in many aspects of human physiology and are necessary for the functioning of a number of systems, for example in the digestive system to help to break down food. All enzymes have a unique active site that can fit on to a particular molecular arrangement on a target substrate; a substance e. We will write a custom essay sample on An Investigation Into the Effects of Temperature on Enzyme Action or any similar topic only for you Order Now g. carbohydrate, protein, or fat, that the enzyme is designed to breakdown.There are a number of different enzymes in the human body; each type produced specifically to perform a certain role. Enzymes are not themselves destroyed in the reaction to break down a substrate but their effectiveness is reduced under certain adverse environmental conditions. The two most important ones are temperature and PH level; also concentration of enzyme is also a determining factor. Enzyme action is biochemical in nature and, in line with many chemical reactions; it speeds up with an increase in temperature. This would continue until a certain critical temperature is reached where it’s working efficiency drops suddenly.This is due to a deforming or ‘de-naturing’ of the active site leaving the enzyme unable to bond with its substrate. In humans this can have life threatening consequences if the body temperature rises above 40 degrees Celsius. As enzymes normally function in their own particular part of the anatomy, they operate most efficiently in a medium with a specific acid/alkali (PH) balance. If this balance is either too high or too low it’s functioning is reduced and in extreme circumstances this can lead to de-naturing also. An investigation was carried out in order to study the functioning of a particular enzyme ‘Trypsin’.This is produced in the pancreas and is found in the pancreatic juice; it is used to break down proteins. As it is believed that all enzymes function most efficiently at some optimum (ideal) temperature this investigation looked at the ability of trypsin to function effectively over a range of discreet temperature settings. These included measurements from 20 degrees c, to 60 degrees c, in ten degree intervals and included a measurement at 0 degrees c, for comparison. The substrate used was protein from skimmed milk. Method A one per-cent solution of trypsin in sodium hydrogen carbonate was used to eliver a uniform dose in a favourable P. H. environment. A skimmed milk powder preparation of 5% in 95% purified water was used to mitigate undue discrepancy in the results. All equipment, that came into contact with the study mediums, was sterile e. g. test tubes, syringes etc. A cross was marked with a marker pen, on the side of one test tube at the bottom and then 2ml of trypsin solution was then placed in a second. The two test tubes were then placed in one of a number of water baths, set at varying temperatures, for five minutes, in order to raise them (or lower) to a target temperature.The time was measured with a digital stop clock. After five minutes both samples were removed and the trypsin was poured into the tube containing the milk. The stop clock was re-started and ran until the trypsin had broken down enough of the milk protein to make the marker pen cross clearly visible across the width of the test tube. This process was repeated, by five experiment groups, until each group had a measurement at each required temperature. The results were then recorded on a data table. All due health safety precautions were followed including the wearing of lab coats and goggles.Care was taken when handling the samples at the upper temperature ranges e. g. ; 60 Celsius. As trypsin itself is an irritant care was taken with this and hands were washed thoroughly. Nobody drank the milk. One or two checks and tests were put in place in order to validate the data trends. A colorimeter was used as a more scientifically consistent measure of milk clarity: (one sample was taken from each temperature setting) and mean readings were calculated from the table results to hopefully reduce the effect of moderate outliers.Conclusion As expected the results did indeed show an increase in trypsin activity as the temperature was raised above zero towards forty degrees Celsius. The only surprising result was that the data trends showed that this increase was sustained until a maximum was reached at 50 degrees c, when it was expected that the maximum would be at 40 degrees c, which is closest to its working temperature of around 37 degrees c. There are a couple of possible explanations for this apparent anomaly. Firstly: Among the readings for the 40 degrees c, and 50 degrees c, samples there are a number of irregularities; including two low readings at 50 degrees c. It must be pointed out at this time that a shorter time recording indicates an increase in trypsin activity, so the table and graph are ones of inverse correlation; as the graph or data go down, the value (enzyme activity) goes up. Secondly: The samples were only placed in the water bath for five minutes and as soon as any samples were removed the temperature would have begun to gravitate towards room temperature.It stands to reason that the rate of change in samples that were furthest from room temperature, to start, would have been the greatest. Consequently, the sample that should have been 50 degrees c, to start, might have been considerably lower at the time of reaction. It is hard to believe that all of the trypsin would have been de-natured in one instant, so any that was not would have reacted rapidly causing a fast reac tion time for the 50 degrees c, sample.Returning to the first point: As the trypsin reacted during the experiment, the marker pen cross would have appeared gradually as the milk sample cleared. This would have left a large margin for error because the point at which to stop the timer would have been, very much, a matter of opinion. This has probably lead to a number of inconsistencies in the results. The effects on the data range seem to have been varied, for example: At 0 degrees Celsius, the difference between the highest and lowest recordings was 6%, at 60 degrees it was 241%.One check, previously mentioned, was the measurement of a data set using a colorimeter. This device measures the amount of light passing through a sample. The results from the back-up experiment confirmed the expected trends; namely as the temperature increased the trypsin activity increased up to an optimum of 40 degrees c, after which the enzyme activity tailed off rapidly. How the experiment could have been improved: Overall, the experiment was well conducted and good practice was followed. However, having one person with experience in analyzing samples deciding exactly when to stop the timers, would have reduced the occurrence of any outliers in the data. Also, it is not difficult to imagine setting up equipment that would work along the lines of the colorimeter, measuring light levels through a sample, only set to stop a timer the moment a particular uniform reading was reached. The samples could then be placed in this equipment the moment the trypsin was added, hopefully resulting in an accurate and uniformly consistent set of data being extracted. How to cite An Investigation Into the Effects of Temperature on Enzyme Action, Papers