Comparing The Book 'Creation And The Cosmos'
Creation and the Cosmos:
1.) Compare the similarities and the dissimilarities between the attributes given to two of the following: Unis, Aten, Marduk, and Zeus. What insights can we gain from the congruencies and divergences in these descriptions?
Both Zeus and Marduk are the supreme gods in their cultures. In Babylonian times, Marduk was the ruler and in Olympian times, Zeus was. They were called counselor and mighty by their worshippers.
Marduk “creates the netherworld” (Norton 34). The book states that he made the netherworld and divided the gods. Some of them went to Heaven, and the others to the Netherworld. The Netherworld is a space for humans to stay after they die. He is referred to as Lugaldimmerankia, which means “king of heaven and earth” (“Marduk” 1). “When he speaks, we will all do obeisance, at his command the gods shall pay heed” (Norton 37). This quote from the book shows that Marduk is the mightiest and that …show more content…
everyone listens to him. Even the other gods will obey him. Although Zeus did not create all humanity like Marduk did, he did create women as a way to punish humanity. Kings are born in the line of Zeus. Zeus was more of an evil god. He created Pandora’s Box. Everyone was warned to never accept a gift from him “for fear that some evil might befall mortals” (Norton 45). He made men grieve. He made multiple races of humanity and destroyed them all. Many times through the text, Zeus is called Aegis-bearing. This means he had a special shield. Both Marduk and Zeus were known as mighty gods and counselors.
They were the top in command. But, Zeus seems to have been more evil than Marduk.
2. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 150-300 words:
• Discuss The Great Hymn to the Aten as an early type of monotheism. What is the nature of and importance of the relationship between the god and his human counterparts, the king (Amenhotep IV) and queen (Nefertiti)? How and why did this monotheism emerge?
The Great Hymn to the Aten is a hymn that praises and worships Aten. King Amenhotep IV and his wife, Nefertiti, loved Aten so much that they made all their people worship him. According to the text, the king “changed his name to Akhenaten, which means “He who is effective to Aten”” (Norton 29). His whole life revolved around this one god. Since there is only one god he speaks of, this is monotheism.
The humans directly pray to the god. Since they worship the sun, they are sad when it is nighttime. They thank Aten for making earth, food, and everything else they
have.
In line 65, it says Aten is the “Sole God” (Norton 31). They believe he made everything, including children. Line 45 states, “Who makes seed grow in women, who creates people from sperm” (Norton 31). I believe that the worshippers thought they could only conceive in the daytime, while Aten was present. Their whole world revolved around this god. The last few lines of the hymn are praising the King and Queen and say that they will live forever. They view their relationship with the god as the most important one. They feel favored by him for being rulers of his people. • Ancient Egyptian Love Poetry:
3. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 75-150 words:
• Though the importance of the sight of the beloved is a repeated trope in Egyptian love poetry, there tends to be relatively few descriptions or imagery of the beloved (descriptions and imagery tend to relate to the speaker's own feelings of love and desire). Discuss specific examples in at least two different poems that reveal this fact, and analyze the effect of at least one particular image. In I Wish I Were Her Nubian Maid, the boy talks about a girl he is in love with, but she does not know it. In line 8, he says, “the hue of her body” (Norton 79), but he never describes what she looks like. This could be because she is so beautiful that he doesn’t have the words to describe her beauty. He is so captivated by her that he does not want to say what she looks like, but wants to describe what he wants to do with her.
Seven Whole Days is a poem about how a boy is depressed because he can’t see his girl. He does not need to talk about her beauty, because he also misses her personality. All he has to do is see her and talk to her. He doesn’t want to use this poem to describe how she looks, but how she makes him feel.
4. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 75-150 words:
• Analyze simile and/or metaphor in “My God, My Lotus…” and one other poem of your choosing. The boy in My God, My Lotus uses many similes and metaphors to describe how he feels around the girl. He says that when around her he “found the crocodile to be like a mouse” (Norton 78). This means that he feels stronger and isn’t scared by the wild animals. He can face to big crocodile if it means he gets to go to her. He also divulges that “the surface of the water like dry land to my feet” (Norton 78) when he runs to her. He is brave enough to run across that water. Many others call this feeling being able to ‘float on clouds’. Finally, he tells her, “my heart is as happy in its place as a fish in its pond” (Norton 78). He is complete when he is with her. This means she is the breath in his lung, the reason he keeps on living.
In I Wish I Were Her Nubian Maid, the boy says “I wish I were her signet ring, the keeper of her finger!” (Norton 79). He means he wishes he could always be with her. A keeper of a finger is now also known as a husband. He wants to marry her and put a ring on her finger.
Gilgamesh:
5. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 75-150 words:
• Examine Enkidu's curse of Shamhat when he is dying. Use the text to support an argument (your opinion, but grounded in the text) about whether or not Shamhat had truly wronged him and whether or not it was good he became civilized.
Shamhat helped Enkidu get a good human life and helped him meet his best friend. Shamash told him after he cursed Shamhat, “Why curse Shamhat…who fed you bread, fit for a god” (Norton 130). She helped him with the transition into the human world. Shamhat helped to civilize him. Shamash also reminds him, “gave you handsome Gilgamesh for a comrade...your friend and blood brother” (Norton 130). It is good that he became civilized because he and Gilgamesh helped each other. They kept each other grounded and gave them something to look forward to, being with their best friend.
6. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 150-300 words:
• Explore the role of female characters in The Epic of Gilgamesh. In what ways do they hold power, and in what ways are they subject to the power of men? What implications arise from how the text describes women?
Without one very important female character, Ninsun, the story wouldn’t have taken place. Ninsun is the mother of Gilgamesh and is a respected character. Many times throughout the story, Gilgamesh comes to her for advice. Because he goes to his mother and not father, he is showing that he believes she is wiser. The text says “Ninsun the wild cow, knowing and wise, who understands everything” (Norton 105). She tells Gilgamesh what to do and how things work.
Another wise female is Shamhat. She is a harlot, but at that time she wasn’t known as a ‘whore’. Since she had been with many different men, she was smart. She turned Enkidu into and human and helped him and Gilgamesh become friends. If she did not sleep with him, they would never have met each other. She said, “Why roam the steppe with wild beasts? Come, let me lead you to…the place of Gilgamesh” (Norton 104). Enkidu listened to what she said and met his best friend.
Even though there are many strong women in this story, not all women are given the same respect. Every woman who lives in King Gilgamesh’s city must sleep with him on her wedding night before she can sleep with her husband. He does this to make sure all his people know that he has control over them.
Hebrew Bible:
7. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 75-150 words:
• According to the notes in the Genesis excerpt (not the introduction), what is the Hebrew word for human? For dust? How does this fact relate to the interpretation of the translation, particularly in terms of gender?
According to Genesis, the word/name Adam means human. Because Adam in the story of Adam and Eve was a male, we assume now that Adam only applies to males and not females. But in the beginning, it meant both male and female. Adam stands for all humanity. The word dust also means humans. In Genesis, God created Adam out of dust. Even though I am a female, I am also and Adam and I am also dust.
8. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 150-300 words:
• Use the details in the intro and the Robert Alter video, along with your knowledge of The Epic of Gilgamesh, to explain how Jacob/Esau are similar to and different from Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Are Jacob/Esau foils? Analyze the characterization of Jacob and Esau and discuss some of the literary effects of their relationship.
Jacob and Esau are twin brothers that are very different. Their attributes are very much like Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Both Jacob and Gilgamesh are ‘indoor people’ and always listen to what their mother says. Esau and Enkidu are huntsman and stay outdoors most of the time. They are both also hairy men. The main differences between Gilgamesh and Enkidu and Jacob and Esau are that Gilgamesh becomes friends with Enkidu, but Jacob and Esau were always fighting.
Esau was the firstborn son, and because of the tradition at the time, he was going to receive the birthright. He was a hairy huntsman that brought meat for his family to eat. His father favored him over his brother.
Jacob was the second born and acted the opposite of his brother. He stayed indoors and tended to the family garden. When he was born, he came out holding onto Esau’s heel. This symbolizes that he is trying to take part of Esau, he will take away the birthright that belongs to him.
1.) Compare the similarities and the dissimilarities between the attributes given to two of the following: Unis, Aten, Marduk, and Zeus. What insights can we gain from the congruencies and divergences in these descriptions?
Both Zeus and Marduk are the supreme gods in their cultures. In Babylonian times, Marduk was the ruler and in Olympian times, Zeus was. They were called counselor and mighty by their worshippers.
Marduk “creates the netherworld” (Norton 34). The book states that he made the netherworld and divided the gods. Some of them went to Heaven, and the others to the Netherworld. The Netherworld is a space for humans to stay after they die. He is referred to as Lugaldimmerankia, which means “king of heaven and earth” (“Marduk” 1). “When he speaks, we will all do obeisance, at his command the gods shall pay heed” (Norton 37). This quote from the book shows that Marduk is the mightiest and that …show more content…
everyone listens to him. Even the other gods will obey him. Although Zeus did not create all humanity like Marduk did, he did create women as a way to punish humanity. Kings are born in the line of Zeus. Zeus was more of an evil god. He created Pandora’s Box. Everyone was warned to never accept a gift from him “for fear that some evil might befall mortals” (Norton 45). He made men grieve. He made multiple races of humanity and destroyed them all. Many times through the text, Zeus is called Aegis-bearing. This means he had a special shield. Both Marduk and Zeus were known as mighty gods and counselors.
They were the top in command. But, Zeus seems to have been more evil than Marduk.
2. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 150-300 words:
• Discuss The Great Hymn to the Aten as an early type of monotheism. What is the nature of and importance of the relationship between the god and his human counterparts, the king (Amenhotep IV) and queen (Nefertiti)? How and why did this monotheism emerge?
The Great Hymn to the Aten is a hymn that praises and worships Aten. King Amenhotep IV and his wife, Nefertiti, loved Aten so much that they made all their people worship him. According to the text, the king “changed his name to Akhenaten, which means “He who is effective to Aten”” (Norton 29). His whole life revolved around this one god. Since there is only one god he speaks of, this is monotheism.
The humans directly pray to the god. Since they worship the sun, they are sad when it is nighttime. They thank Aten for making earth, food, and everything else they
have.
In line 65, it says Aten is the “Sole God” (Norton 31). They believe he made everything, including children. Line 45 states, “Who makes seed grow in women, who creates people from sperm” (Norton 31). I believe that the worshippers thought they could only conceive in the daytime, while Aten was present. Their whole world revolved around this god. The last few lines of the hymn are praising the King and Queen and say that they will live forever. They view their relationship with the god as the most important one. They feel favored by him for being rulers of his people. • Ancient Egyptian Love Poetry:
3. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 75-150 words:
• Though the importance of the sight of the beloved is a repeated trope in Egyptian love poetry, there tends to be relatively few descriptions or imagery of the beloved (descriptions and imagery tend to relate to the speaker's own feelings of love and desire). Discuss specific examples in at least two different poems that reveal this fact, and analyze the effect of at least one particular image. In I Wish I Were Her Nubian Maid, the boy talks about a girl he is in love with, but she does not know it. In line 8, he says, “the hue of her body” (Norton 79), but he never describes what she looks like. This could be because she is so beautiful that he doesn’t have the words to describe her beauty. He is so captivated by her that he does not want to say what she looks like, but wants to describe what he wants to do with her.
Seven Whole Days is a poem about how a boy is depressed because he can’t see his girl. He does not need to talk about her beauty, because he also misses her personality. All he has to do is see her and talk to her. He doesn’t want to use this poem to describe how she looks, but how she makes him feel.
4. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 75-150 words:
• Analyze simile and/or metaphor in “My God, My Lotus…” and one other poem of your choosing. The boy in My God, My Lotus uses many similes and metaphors to describe how he feels around the girl. He says that when around her he “found the crocodile to be like a mouse” (Norton 78). This means that he feels stronger and isn’t scared by the wild animals. He can face to big crocodile if it means he gets to go to her. He also divulges that “the surface of the water like dry land to my feet” (Norton 78) when he runs to her. He is brave enough to run across that water. Many others call this feeling being able to ‘float on clouds’. Finally, he tells her, “my heart is as happy in its place as a fish in its pond” (Norton 78). He is complete when he is with her. This means she is the breath in his lung, the reason he keeps on living.
In I Wish I Were Her Nubian Maid, the boy says “I wish I were her signet ring, the keeper of her finger!” (Norton 79). He means he wishes he could always be with her. A keeper of a finger is now also known as a husband. He wants to marry her and put a ring on her finger.
Gilgamesh:
5. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 75-150 words:
• Examine Enkidu's curse of Shamhat when he is dying. Use the text to support an argument (your opinion, but grounded in the text) about whether or not Shamhat had truly wronged him and whether or not it was good he became civilized.
Shamhat helped Enkidu get a good human life and helped him meet his best friend. Shamash told him after he cursed Shamhat, “Why curse Shamhat…who fed you bread, fit for a god” (Norton 130). She helped him with the transition into the human world. Shamhat helped to civilize him. Shamash also reminds him, “gave you handsome Gilgamesh for a comrade...your friend and blood brother” (Norton 130). It is good that he became civilized because he and Gilgamesh helped each other. They kept each other grounded and gave them something to look forward to, being with their best friend.
6. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 150-300 words:
• Explore the role of female characters in The Epic of Gilgamesh. In what ways do they hold power, and in what ways are they subject to the power of men? What implications arise from how the text describes women?
Without one very important female character, Ninsun, the story wouldn’t have taken place. Ninsun is the mother of Gilgamesh and is a respected character. Many times throughout the story, Gilgamesh comes to her for advice. Because he goes to his mother and not father, he is showing that he believes she is wiser. The text says “Ninsun the wild cow, knowing and wise, who understands everything” (Norton 105). She tells Gilgamesh what to do and how things work.
Another wise female is Shamhat. She is a harlot, but at that time she wasn’t known as a ‘whore’. Since she had been with many different men, she was smart. She turned Enkidu into and human and helped him and Gilgamesh become friends. If she did not sleep with him, they would never have met each other. She said, “Why roam the steppe with wild beasts? Come, let me lead you to…the place of Gilgamesh” (Norton 104). Enkidu listened to what she said and met his best friend.
Even though there are many strong women in this story, not all women are given the same respect. Every woman who lives in King Gilgamesh’s city must sleep with him on her wedding night before she can sleep with her husband. He does this to make sure all his people know that he has control over them.
Hebrew Bible:
7. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 75-150 words:
• According to the notes in the Genesis excerpt (not the introduction), what is the Hebrew word for human? For dust? How does this fact relate to the interpretation of the translation, particularly in terms of gender?
According to Genesis, the word/name Adam means human. Because Adam in the story of Adam and Eve was a male, we assume now that Adam only applies to males and not females. But in the beginning, it meant both male and female. Adam stands for all humanity. The word dust also means humans. In Genesis, God created Adam out of dust. Even though I am a female, I am also and Adam and I am also dust.
8. Choose one of the questions below, and answer in 150-300 words:
• Use the details in the intro and the Robert Alter video, along with your knowledge of The Epic of Gilgamesh, to explain how Jacob/Esau are similar to and different from Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Are Jacob/Esau foils? Analyze the characterization of Jacob and Esau and discuss some of the literary effects of their relationship.
Jacob and Esau are twin brothers that are very different. Their attributes are very much like Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Both Jacob and Gilgamesh are ‘indoor people’ and always listen to what their mother says. Esau and Enkidu are huntsman and stay outdoors most of the time. They are both also hairy men. The main differences between Gilgamesh and Enkidu and Jacob and Esau are that Gilgamesh becomes friends with Enkidu, but Jacob and Esau were always fighting.
Esau was the firstborn son, and because of the tradition at the time, he was going to receive the birthright. He was a hairy huntsman that brought meat for his family to eat. His father favored him over his brother.
Jacob was the second born and acted the opposite of his brother. He stayed indoors and tended to the family garden. When he was born, he came out holding onto Esau’s heel. This symbolizes that he is trying to take part of Esau, he will take away the birthright that belongs to him.