Heroes & Monsters                                                             Ms. Carla Kurt

 

 

 

Tablet Summary Questions:  Answer these questions in your notebooks for discussion.  You must be prepared to respond with clear, detailed ideas and references to the poem.

 

Tablet I

 

1.     What kind of man and leader does this early culture seem to admire? Give examples of terms used.
 

2.     What are the disadvantages of such a leader?  Be specific.

3.     If Gilgamesh represents the pride of civilization, what might Enkidu represent? Give reasons for your answer.
 

4.     What role do literary images play in conveying the story's intent?  Give examples of images and what they communicate.
 

5.     Which of the eternal questions/conflicts seem at this point to be embedded in the story? Explain with examples.
 

6.     What do you find familiar in the story-that is, what can you relate to?  Be specific.
 

7.     What unusual features engage your attention?  Give examples of at least three things and explain their impact on the story and on you, the reader.
 

8.     What values seem to be important to the culture?  With what values can you identify?  Not identify?

9.     What is the basis of friendship?  What is its character?

 

 

Tablet II

 

1.     What does it mean to be human in the context of this story?

2.     What seems familiar in the behavior of the two friends-two young men?
 

3.     What universal conflicts seem to underlie this passage?

 

 

Tablet III

 

How does this tablet portray the classic struggle between a powerful and gifted young man and his "elders" (our sense of the term)?

 

 

Tablet IV

 

In Greek tragedy, the tragic hero was someone of noble birth who possesses noble characteristics, great leadership abilities, and yet has about him or her some flaw.  The character is responsible for his/her own flaws and choices, and it is the flaw that brings the hero to tragic end. Usually, the good tragic figure also       has about him or her the sense of personal sacrifice for a higher cause than one's self.  While this is not a Greek tragedy, what excesses of character bring Gilgamesh's grief upon him?  On the other hand, how does he represent all of us?

 

 

 

Overall Questions:  Answer these questions in short paragraph form after you complete the entire work.  Each response should be through and well supported.  These will be typed to hand in for a grade.

 

1.     How does this story relate to the "pattern" of hero stories and the stories of other hero figures you have observed?
 

2.     What archetypes are evident in this story?

3.     What is the relationship between Enkidu and Gilgamesh?  What qualities does each have that the other lacks?  How does Gilgamesh change after Enkidu arrives?

4.     How is Ishtar characterized in this epic? Is it similar or different to her characterization in Ishtar's Descent?  (http://www.piney.com/BabIsht.html)
 

5.     How are other female figures characterized in this epic? Is characterization a relevant concept when reading myth? Explain.
 

6.     What emotions and values are illustrated in this story? What does the treatment of these emotions and values indicate?

7.     Using specific examples quoted from the text, define what the Mesopotamians felt were the highest abilities available to human beings.

8.     Using specific examples from the text, define what the Mesopotamians felt were the limits of human abilities, the line or lines that humans could never cross.
 

9.     Does The Epic of Gilgamesh have a life lesson or is there a set of ideas and problems that provide a central focus for its meanings?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dialectical Journal: You should make frequent entries in your journal.  Please date your entries.  I will collect the journals after you complete reading The Epic of Gilgamesh and you will receive a grade based on the following rubric:

 

 

4 = A

3 = B

2 = C

1 = D/F

0 = F

outstanding evidence of mastery

strong evidence of mastery

adequate evidence of mastery

minimal evidence of mastery

not evident

 

 

Criteria

Identifies and assesses the how the events and characters described in Gilgamesh relate to the "pattern"   of hero stories and heroic archetypes.

 

Identifies and assesses the how the events and characters described in Gilgamesh relate to the "pattern"       of hero stories and heroic archetypes.

 

Advances a judgment that demonstrates a comprehensive grasp of the significant ideas of the work.

 

Supports key ideas and viewpoints through accurate and detailed references to the text.

 

Demonstrates awareness of the author's use of stylistic devices and the effects created.

 

Makes thorough, frequent and thoughtful journal entries.

 

 

 

 

How to Keep a Dialectical Journal

 

Simply use the form below.  Date your frequent entries. Although you should use the questions provided as guidelines, you should also include any additional information you find or observations you wish to make.

 

Name __________________________________________

 

 

Date

Quotation

Page #

Observation/Analysis