Literary Essay Sample on The Epic of Gilgamesh and Tyranny and Democracy

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest literature works. The poem was composed in the ancient Mesopotamia. It speaks of two strong warriors, Gilgamesh and Enkidu, who lived as friends. The two friends were superior to other humans and often disobeyed the advice of the elders and the gods. The two committed many sins which lead to the death of Enkidu; thus, leaving Gilgamesh alone and desperate. Although the story was one of the most read stories, just like Homer`s story, it has vanished for more than two thousand years after the Persian invader destroyed most of the Mesopotamian cities.

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The epic of Gilgamesh seems outdated to me because of several reasons. Firstly, the story was found written on a tablet. Therefore, it is possible that the story was a mere myth than it was a real story. Secondly, most of the ancient literature works were in the form of poems and story is not different. In fact, like the ancient literature works of Homer the Epic of Gilgamesh was composed in the form of a poem. According to research, these works which were performed to an audience were either a part of the communitys myths and legends. In simple terms, it is conclusively okay to infer that the story cannot be tied to a particular point in history when they actually occurred or were written. In fact, to support these, the 19th-century philosophers debated about the fiction or practical nature of the poem. Some people argued that that the striking parallelism between the biblical account of Noah and Utnapishtim proves the story to be a realist account. However, to counter these, some researchers argued the fact that Noah died makes it a fictional story.

In my view, the Tyranny and Democracy story is a recent story. The Tyranny rule began in the Greek world where the king was referred to as a tyrant. These leaders originated from the aristocracy, and they took full control of the cities. On the other hand, the Athens were the first people to use democracy. The people would meet in the city squares to provide arguments about the future of the city and come up with solutions. Moreover, contrary to other parts of the world, the Athens did not have slaves, but rather, they paid the poorest in the society to do their chores.

The Tyranny and Democracy story gave an account of historical events that took place. Furthermore, if we analyze the current society critically, we will still find a trace of tyranny ruling. For example, President Gadhafi of Libya had to be removed from power by force. Also, many countries that were colonized acquired their democracy in the 20th century. Therefore, the Democratic and Tyrannical stories are more recent as compared to the Epic of Gilgamesh. According to the account, the Athens of the 5th century B.C.E. conducted contexts and dramas that were used to formulate the questions pertaining a ruler`s power and the relationship of the ordinary people and the Government. Similarly, the 21st-century governments often discuss and amend the issues regarding the Head of State`s power jurisdictions. The current citizens also demand to have a direct effect on the government to control the leader`s power. In conclusion, it is evident that the Tyranny and Democracy story is more recent than the Epic of Gilgamesh.