Literature is a medium that offers insight and into the values, customs, and traditions of the different cultures that produce works all around the world. The works The Epic of Gilgamesh, Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, and Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis all illustrate what values their respective cultures held at the times of their creations. By observing and analysing each piece of literature with an open mind, we as readers are offered a window into the cultures of the works, which we can then use to gain insight and appreciation for different values, beliefs, and traditions.
One instance in The Epic of Gilgamesh that illustrates some of the values of the ancient Sumerian culture that produced it is the hero Gilgamesh’s conversation
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An aspect that Dante’s work shows us that mediaeval Italian culture valued is fair, equitable treatment of others, as well as their view on malicious acts such fraud and violence against others. This is shown in Canto 11 of Dante’s Inferno where it is stated, “All malice has injustice as its end, and end achieved by violence or by fraud, while both are sins that earn the hate of Heaven, since fraud belongs exclusively to man, God hates it more and, therefore, far below, the fraudulent are placed and suffer the most” (1087). This passage shows mediaeval Italian cultures view that fraud and injury against one’s neighbour is one of the most heinous crimes an individual can commit. These values held by Italian culture are equated to the Golden Rule that one should treat others as they would wish to be treated. An individual would never want another to inflict injury upon them, and, likewise, neither would they wish to have fraud committed against them. Dante’s assertion that fraud and violence are the most detestable sins that humans can commit illustrates ancient medieval Italian culture’s strong endorsement in moral maxim of the Golden Rule, and the idea is worth admiration regardless of one’s religious beliefs. Another work that provides insight into the values held by a certain culture is Kafka’s
In analyzing this gradient of morality, it is useful first to examine a work from early literature whose strong purity of morality is unwavering; for the purposes of this discussion, Dante’s Inferno provides this model. It is fairly straightforward to discover Dante’s dualistic construction of morality in his winding caverns of Hell; each stern, finite circle of Hell is associated with a clear sin that is both definable and directly punishable. As Dante moves downwards in this moral machination, he notes that
Dante Alighieri’s Inferno and Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince are both works which rose out of the religiously-minded culture of Italy; but other than that, the two, in terms of message, seem to be as different as night and day, for each is distinct from the other in the how it presents the nature of morality to its readers. To Dante, morality is set-in-stone, something that is absolute in nature and directly correlated with the maintenance of public order; Machiavelli, on the other hand, presents morality as being flexible in nature, a mere institution that is, ultimately, in the eyes of the beholder, as well as one that has no real weight in real world affairs, except for when it can be used to one’s benefit. But while on the surface these two moral guidelines seem so different from one another, they are, in essence, similar for one reason: both of them, despite sprouting from different time periods, highlight how morality is problematic. So, in short, despite the differences in how the two works treat the issue of morality, they both raise questions on the best—or wisest—way in which to live one’s life.
In recent discussions of Canto 8 of Dante’s Inferno, many scholars have argued about Dante the pilgrim’s controversial abuse of one of the wrathful sinners of the fifth circle, Filippo Argenti. The altercation between the two is viewed in numerous lights. From one perspective it is seen as unjustified (ira mala) because Dante is seen as guilty of the sin being punished for in this circle, but also because his response was wrongly motivated. Others state that Dante’s anger was righteous (ira bona) because there was proper reasoning behind it. Kleinhenz, one particular scholar, argues that Dante’s outburst at Filippo Argenti is a result of the praise Dante received after initially criticizing the sinner. In his book, Inferno 8: The Passage Across the Styx, he maintains that Virgil’s praise “is perhaps wrongly motivated and consequently, that Dante’s reaction to Fillipo Argenti in this canto is equally erroneous”. Kleinhenz alludes to this point in his interpretation of Luke 11:27, where a woman who is praising Jesus is correct in her exaltation of the Mother and Son, but her praise is inappropriate to the situation. By analyzing the parallels between Virgil’s praise and the biblical verse, Kleinhenz argues that both Virgil and Dante’s actions are inappropriate and therefore ira mala.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem dating from the Third Dynasty of Ur. From the ancient Mesopotamia, the poem is set where modern day Iraq is today. Composed of five Sumerian poems about Bilgamesh, which is Sumerian for Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is two parts God and one part Man who is a hero. Gilgamesh encounters many challenges and situations during The Epic of Gilgamesh that cause him to evolve into a better king. Consequential, Gilgamesh recommences his position in Urk and evolves as an improved king.
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, the characters and their lesson arise as the most memorable
The stories of the hunt for immortality gathered in the Epic of Gilgamesh depict the conflict felt in ancient Sumer. As urbanization swept Mesopotamia, the social status shifted from a nomadic hunting society to that of a static agricultural gathering society. In the midst of this ancient "renaissance", man found his relationship with the sacred uncertain and precarious. The Epic portrays the strife created between ontological nostalgia for a simpler time and the dawn of civilization breaking in the Near East. In this Epic, Gilgamesh is seen trying to achieve immortality through the methods of both the old and the new. His journeys through the sacred and the profane in many ways characterize the confusion arising from the unstable social climate. Therefore, the society, by writing the story of Gilgamesh, guarantees not only his immortality, but the immortality of the new order being established.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is generally regarded as the greatest literature about tales of a great king. The Epic of Gilgamesh served to show us a lot of things. The time period of BCE is very blurry, and this story attempts to describe many different things in not only Sumerian beliefs, but also Sumerian's culture as a whole. Like many stories from BCE the truth itself is questionable, even though a lot of the information is fact. The factual information that Gilgamesh teaches us about Sumerian Civilization is that had had many craftsman and artistic skills, and also a strong belief in Gods.
Gilgamesh, The Epic of. Vol. A. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner, et al. 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2012. 95-150. Print.
... to assimilate the concept, argue and this widens our horizons and we try to broom rationalistic and humanistic in nature. When we go on reading books like that we come to know various situations which we may not be experiencing now, but later we can utilize this to handle the situation in a matured way when we actually face it. In today’s fast- paced world, reading has taken aback as modern gadgets and gizmos have made their grand foray in our life. The importance of literature has been overshadowed by media influence. Books are replaced by digital gadgets. But the importance of reading should not be abandoned. Reading novels, magazines and literary work give us a broader prospective of viewing things, improves skills, instills knowledge and makes us aware of various different facets of life. It lays a foundation of an enriched life and adds ‘life’ to the living.
The Epic of Gilgamesh. Trans. Foster, Benjamin R. New York: W W Norton & Co Inc, 2001. Print.
In the epic of Gilgamesh, there are many complex characters. Every character involved in the story has their own personality and traits.
Kennedy, X. J., & Gioia, D. (2010). Literature an introduction to fiction, poetry, drama and
Literature plays an important role as a part of the cultural heritage. Thus, literature is the soul of our civilization, the center of our religion, and the machine we can travel back in the time of our old civilizations. In addition, literary works are able to take the readers beyond the limited experiences of readers’ lives. They show the lives of others. The literary works covey the social, political, and cultural backgrounds of the time when the stories or novels were written. The author of the book, “The Death of the Author,” Roland Barthes expresses that authors are always the agents of their times. According to the statement conducted by Roland, to get the fully understanding of the text, he recommends
"Epic of Gilgamesh." Academy for Ancient Texts. Ancient Texts Library. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. .
Literature has had a major impact on society, and, also our history. Literature has reformed and shaped civilizations, changed political systems, and has exposed injustices (3). Our literature has changed and developed as we have, keeping up with our society. “...literature is crucial for the advancement of society (3).” With literary works, we can convince others to view things a certain way, share our opinions, and more. Literature is greatly intertwined with our society and everyday lives, and they would not be the same without it. Literature plays an irreplaceable role in our