Blog Post 2

Of all of themes in the Iliad and the Odyssey , I believe the main theme found in both is bravery. In the Iliad , Achilles shows bravery in his determination to return to the battlefield despite not having protection in armor. "How can i go to war, the Trojans have my gear. "(The Iliad, Book 18, Line 218) In the story from the Odyssey, Telemachus is unsure about whether or not his father is alive, but mainly believes his father will not return. He is persuaded into taking a journey to Pyros by an old friend of Odysseus, but really it was just Athena in disguise. She convinces him that the journey would be beneficial. Before the this adventure, he only speaks to his nurse about it, who convinces him that he shouldn't take risks like that. " His loving Nurse Eurykleia gave a cry, and tears sprang to her eyes as she wailed softly : ' Dear Child, whatever put this in your head? Why do you want to go so far in this world ? "(The Odyssey, Book 2, Lines 383-386) However, the theme of bravery shows, when Telemachus puts those fears aside, trusts in god and decides to pursue the journey anyways.

Sources I used:
Homer. “The Iliad [Book 18]”. The Bedford Anthology of World Literature, edited by Paul Davis and Gary Harrison and David M. Johnson and John F. Crawford, translated by Robert Fagles, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009, pp. 537-544.

Homer. ”The Odyssey [Book 2]”. The Bedford Anthology of World Literature, edited by Paul Davis and Gary Harrison and David M. Johnson and John F. Crawford, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009, pp. 185-209.

Blog Post 1

Throughout history, the origin and creation of man has been questioned and our purpose on earth has been questioned as well. Different cultures have different beliefs towards this idea, and these stories were originally passed along orally. Eventually a popular oral story, the Epic of Gilgamesh, was written on 22,000 clay tablets. With time, more and more written creation stories were created. Many people believe that this epic poem heavily influenced the hebrew creation stories. This isn't hard to believe , because of the similarities within the two. However, there are still numerous differences within the two.
The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Epic of Creation were etched in cuneiform style and both revolved around a polytheistic mindset. The idea of gods and goddesses were a theme within these stories.
For example, Gilgamesh was believed to be two-thirds God and one third human.
Whereas in the Epic of Creation, man was formed from a goddess. In Genesis, Man(Adam) was created from dust and eve was later created from the rib of Adam.
The story of Gilgamesh and the story in Genesis compares through the similarities found in Enkidu and Eve. In both stories, Eve and Enkidu were created to be a partner,  and ultimately be a better half to the other main characters.
In all three stories the number 7 plays an importance , which is interesting because of how that theme was carried on throughout years and put into these different stories. Another similarity is that all three stories were created to answer the fundamental question that lingers the minds of many, and that question is How we were made and to what purpose were we made.