Gilgamesh's Accomplishments

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When I was a little girl in elementary school, I had to draw a picture of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I didn’t know whether I wanted to be the president of the United States or a ballerina at that time so I decided to draw my face. Bright and shining just radiating happiness. My mouth opened extremely wide in a very poorly drawn attempt at a million-dollar smile. As instructed I wrote what I wanted to be next to my drawing. With my left hand I was so careful and wrote in the template my teacher gave us at the bottom of the page “When I grow up I want to be happy.” Ecstatically and very proud of my art work I went to show my teacher. She took one look at my drawing and had a puzzled look on her face, like she couldn’t see what I wanted …show more content…
Gilgamesh and his people cared about fame and leaving a lasting impression. His plight reflects the human condition: life and then death. “The eternal life you are seeking you shall not find. When the gods created mankind, they established death for mankind, and withheld eternal life for themselves” (69-72). Gilgamesh was being told to abandon his quest that eternal life is not that for humans. And to instead enjoy life while he can, to make the most of what he has at any given moment. Through Gilgamesh’s quest to live forever I'm reminded of famous public figures: athletes, film stars, and musicians who have died decades ago, but are still popular in our society. They are still praised by those who remember their legacy, but the fact remains that they are dead. Gilgamesh made a name for himself that continued beyond his death, but he wasn't able to escape death itself. Personally I would say that Gilgamesh was a successful hero. Granted he did not return from his adventure with the treasure that he diligently sought for, eternal youth, but generations of people from around the world are still learning and sharing in his adventures and tales. In a way I believe that he has won his reward of eternal life in the sense that his memory and character along with his adventures are still circulating, and being retold again and again. He has gained the
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