Come to Love and to be Loved

The author of the poem gets to the reader through an example of what death brings to us. He answers the last QUESTion (Where are we going?) through a deep and meaningful tablet which is open to interpretation. I think what he is trying to show is that we’re here to give and receive love, company and friendship. I say this because he gives us the example of two companions, Enkidu and Gilgamesh, each of them try to do the impossible to satisfy each other, Gilgamesh goes to Utnapishtim to try to save Enkidu while Enkidu tries to go to the Nether world for Gilgamesh’s drum and drum-stick. “Enkidu heard what Gilgamesh was saying, and said, his servant, then, to Gilgamesh: ‘I will bring up the drumstick from bellow, I will bring the drum back from the Nether world.” -Pg. 83 Using nature as an obstacle for their relationship, Enkidu shows how he is ready to risk his body for Gilgamesh.

As Gilgamesh asks Enkidu about how was the people’s life in the Nether world, Enkidu answers what he saw about each of the people’s life quality. “How is it with the man who has seven sons? ‘As if he were a companion of the gods he sits upon a throne and listens to music.’ ” –Pg. 92 “The one who goes to the Nether world without leaving behind him any to mourn for him? ‘Garbage is what he eats in the Nether world. No dog would eat the food he has to eat.’ ” –Pg. 92 The whole point the author shows is that people who had a great relationship with the community had better lives there. In a way, they created a positive energy with others who were open to being helpful after they passed away. They left people whose hearts would never forget them, instead those who weren’t open to others were finally left behind. The author gets to the reader’s heart leaving a powerful and deep message that I will never forget.