The Epic Of Gilgamesh is the first known writing. Humans early civilization was Mesopotamia ("between the rivers"), a collection of city-states in and around the Tigris and Euphrates fertile river valley (modern Iraq). The very first Mesopotamian empire was Sumer (2200 B.C.E) and the first city Uruk. Gilgamesh is the greatest surviving epic poem (long narrative poem) of Mesopotamian literature. The author is unknown because the story was passed on orally for generations before it was "fixed" and then gathered up in fragmented forms. One of the characters is Enkidu, a man-beast who becomes civilized and gains reading, writing, critical thinking, culture, etc. In the process, though, he loses his friendship with the animals and his connection
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Examples of Enkidu disconnection with the animals start the moment the civilized hunter sees him. Descriptive evidence from the text, such as "He knew neither people nor inhabited land" and "He dressed as animals do" (I, 100-101) shows how greatly similar he was with the beast of nature. If the hunter had never spotted him, he would have remained in the wilderness freely and essentially happy. He is barbaric and survives, lives, even thrives with the animals. Almost obliviously and unwillingly he loses his friendship and oneness with the animals. When Shamhat corrupts him- harlot sent to civilize him, "He set off towards his beast, when they saw him, Enkidu, the gazelles shield off, the wild beast of the steppe shunned his person" (I, 188-190). That very moment he loses his friendship and oneness with the animals. Now, the animal life no longer wanted to be in his presence they smelled the human essence hugging Enkidu. As a result, he was no longer pure and part of the wild because she had "treated him, a human, to women's work" (I, 184). These present the argument that he cannot go back, once he crossed the boundary. His actions might have been innocent because he was not aware of human deceit. Ultimately, "his knees stood still… however, he had gained reason and expanded his understanding" (I, 194). That is what sets animals and humans apart, we stand and walk unlike beast sprinting and creeping in the forest. There is almost a sense of mourning felt that vibes in the fact he lost the ability to be like the wildlife. There-forth, Enkidu is at the point of no return and not part of the big animal family that brought him
Examples of Enkidu disconnection with the animals start the moment the civilized hunter sees him. Descriptive evidence from the text, such as "He knew neither people nor inhabited land" and "He dressed as animals do" (I, 100-101) shows how greatly similar he was with the beast of nature. If the hunter had never spotted him, he would have remained in the wilderness freely and essentially happy. He is barbaric and survives, lives, even thrives with the animals. Almost obliviously and unwillingly he loses his friendship and oneness with the animals. When Shamhat corrupts him- harlot sent to civilize him, "He set off towards his beast, when they saw him, Enkidu, the gazelles shield off, the wild beast of the steppe shunned his person" (I, 188-190). That very moment he loses his friendship and oneness with the animals. Now, the animal life no longer wanted to be in his presence they smelled the human essence hugging Enkidu. As a result, he was no longer pure and part of the wild because she had "treated him, a human, to women's work" (I, 184). These present the argument that he cannot go back, once he crossed the boundary. His actions might have been innocent because he was not aware of human deceit. Ultimately, "his knees stood still… however, he had gained reason and expanded his understanding" (I, 194). That is what sets animals and humans apart, we stand and walk unlike beast sprinting and creeping in the forest. There is almost a sense of mourning felt that vibes in the fact he lost the ability to be like the wildlife. There-forth, Enkidu is at the point of no return and not part of the big animal family that brought him