In 9 English (World Literature), we spent the first quarter in preparing for the Renaissance by going to beginnings--in fact, to the very beginnings.
We went to the oldest written story on Earth: Gilgamesh, the epic poem from the Sumerian-Babylonian city of Uruk, in today's Iraq.
We took detours into other ancient myths and religions--especially the Hebrew Tanakh (known to Christians as The Old Testament), and the Greek creation myth, The Theogony, by Hesiod.
Most students agreed that Gilgamesh was clearly the most well-written of the three ancient myth traditions. And this aging teacher himself was quite amazed at its power and wisdom. (This might have something to do with the new translation by Stephen Mitchell that we read, which is available in the KIS library.)
OUR PODCASTS TODAY ARE TWO STUDENT READINGS FROM THIS 5,000 YEAR-OLD STORY, which sounds young indeed--or timeless--when read by these students. In the scene they recite, Gilgamesh speaks to the Sumerian-Babylonian "Noah," Utnapishtim--sole survivor of the Flood sent by the Gods, and only human ever to be made immortal. Utnapishtim's advice--and his language--is a wonder.
Listen to Jessica Y's interpretation here:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment