BHAGAVAD-GITA – THE SECOND TEACHING The After Life…

In this Teaching Sanjaya continues the story on how Arjuna 'sat dejected, filled with pity' because he couldn't make up his mind weather to go on with this, what Lord Krishna calls, 'battle of sacred duty'. Now Lord Krishna, Arjuna's charioteer, is trying to convince him to stop thinking about it and go on with the battle. He tells Arjuna that an 'embodied self', a soul, never dies, it just sheds its old body when it is time and lives a new life in a new body. This is also an old belief, mostly present in Indian cultures, called reincarnation. It is said that a soul, after a persons death, comes back to the world in another body, it is re-born not necessarily in a human form but in any, animal, human, or natural body. Krishna puts a lot of emphasis on this point, he repeats it and says that the war would do no harm because all the souls come back anyway, and I think that this might mean that the story is somehow linked to these ancient cultures.

Lord Krishna also says that to understand this, Arjuna must be totally separated from his emotions and that he must be totally in control and have a lot of discipline, 'withdrawal of the senses… is complete, discernment is firm'. I can see both good and bad aspects in this philosophy. If man was to disconnect from his emotions, not feel rage, greed, or desire, then clearly the world would be a much more correct and organized place. With no man only looking out for himself, a lot of the problems we have today would not exist, and we would have much more clarity and agreements to sole the other problems which would exist. However, if man as to forget all of his emotions, the world would be a horribly cold place and everybody would be just… neutral. Nobody would feel love, warmth, friendship, happiness, or even sadness. Think how boring your life would be with absolutely no excitement or change! Sure, we would have a more organized world, but is that really worth giving up what makes us human?

We still don't know what Arjuna will decide, if to fight or to back down, but I think he will really consider what Krishna said. He used great persuasive techniques, or rhetoric, like appealing to his emotions and his beliefs, using logic to explain to him what happens in the after life, and making him think about his reputation, 'you will be despised by those who held you in esteem'. It is amazing to see that even if it hadn't been identified at the time, although I am not sure of that, it was still being used.

BHAGAVAD-GITA -- THE FIRST TEACHING Indecisive much?

I have no idea what this book, the Bhagavad-Gita, is about but from this first chapter I think is it going to be a bit like Gilgamesh, very philosofical. The writing and the title are old fashioned, so I can conclude that it was written long ago. It also talks about what I think are gods, Dhritarashtra and Pandu, and it repeats some verses.

This chapter talks about the moment that 'Dhritarashtra's sons' and 'the sons of Pandu' are gathered together and are about to begin a great war. They don't say what the war is about but I think it may have something to do with religion, based on how they are separated. Just before the war begins, Arjuna, Pandora's sons' leader, starts to wonder if war is really worth all the lives lost, all the troubles gone through, and that the only reward is kinsmansjip and power. I think this is very noble of him because not many peolple, men especially, find it easy to realize when they might be making a mistake or to give up power and wealth like he did. I think he decides not to fight in the war, and he says that 'if Dhritarashtra's armed sons kill [him] in battle when [he is] unarmed and offer[s] no resistance, it will be [his] reward.' I see in him a very good heart, which maybe isn't showed much throughout the stories.

The Epic of Gilgamesh- All Twelve Tablets

Having finally finished Gilgamesh, I have some thoughts I would like to share.
First of all is the ongoing and unanswered question: What is the purpose of the Epic? I still don't know the answer for sure but something that we discussed in class today may have an answer. We found that it was Gilgamesh who told his story himself. There were clues of this in the beginning, '[The story of him] who went to the end of the earth, and over, who returned, and wrote the story on a tablet of stone.'-Tablet I. We see that all the story was narrated in Gilgamesh's point of view and that he wrote everything as he felt it, the fear in the Cedar Forest, the brotherly love he felt for Enkidu, and the great sadness he had after his death. This just makes me again doubt if Gilgamesh was good or bad, if he was a coward or if he realized how much others did to help him.
The conclusion I have come up with is that Gilgamesh is a little bit of both, he is civilization since the beginning and he is nature after Enkidu passes away. He somehow becomes both of them after Enkidu dies, we can see this when 'Gilgamesh [wore] the skins of beasts and wander[ed] hairy-bodied grieving in the wilderness' and in the last Tablet when it is Gilgamesh who seems to know everything and Enkidu who seems to be clueless.
Gilgamesh is everything, he is human in every stage of himself.

Gilgamesh- Tablet XII

This Tablet is one of the strangest of all. It does not make me think of a final ending nor does it make me question what comes next. It is very confusing because it's not clear if it is Gilgamesh who is dead or Enkidu who has revived. I don't see what the importance of 'the Drum and the Drumstick that [Gilgamesh] had that fell through a hole into the Nether World', it obviously symbolizes something else but I couldn't understand what that was just from the text. In fact, nothing from this Tablet means anything or makes sense to me, except maybe the fact that the only god who helped and listened to Gilgamesh was Ea, who had also helped Utnapishtim save himself from the flood.
What I noted on was that now it was Gilgamesh who was wise and gave advice to Enkidu, and it was Enkidu who ignored it. Enkidu is again the one who ends up paying for his actions, only that now he did deserve it, and we can see how Gilgamesh still has help from Enkidu and the god Ea. This makes me reinforce my belief that Gilgamesh represents civilization, and you can see those aspects in him and in it.




This quote and image somehow makes me think of a possible meaning for 'the Drum and the Drumstick that [Gilgamesh] had that fell through a hole into the Nether World'. They might represent all the problems we have, how in just one minute, everything might come crashing down, and what we can do about it as a whole society.








We are each dependent on each other, and working together we can solve almost anything.

Gilgamesh- Tablet XI

This Tablet is kind of a conclusion or wrapping up of this part of the Epic. It tells us about three different stories all as one, the story of Gilgamesh reaching the god's garden in search of Utnapishtim, the story of how Utnapishtim came to live with the gods, and the story of Gilgamesh and the boatman returning to Uruk with the magic plant. I think it was to much to read in only one handful, although at the same time it was the length and the amount that made me see it as a half-ending.

I didn't really like this Tablet, although it was entertaining to see the different lives and points of views. It didn't make sence and everything happened so fast and unreal, like the way that the boatman immediately decides to take Gilgamesh on a journey that might result in his death, or the way that after having just met him, Utnapishtim tells him 'a secret of the gods' and gives him an extremly rare plant that holds the secret to escaping death, that it was very confusing.

When Utnapishtim was telling his story I found it totally similar to the story of Noah's Ark. This makes me wonder again about at what time this Epic was written, and for what purpose, if religion, political, or simply story-wise.

Gilgamesh- Tablets IX and X

Tablet IX:
OMG!! That is my first thought after reading this Tablet. I just can't believe that after all that weeping and mourning after Enkidu's death, and after saying that they should both be the ones to die or both be the ones to live, Gilgamesh would actually realize what he was saying and get worried enough to go where 'no mortal has ever journeyed through', as the Scorpion Master Being says, to avoid death. Well, now that I think about it, I can believe it. I have never really liked Gilgamesh's character or what he represents, and this selfishness, even towards someone he loved so much and even against his own word, seems really of character for him. It is a very human aspect, and I think that Gilgamesh is meant to represent our society, the bad qualities and the good ones too.
One thing that surprised me, though, is that he was able to go through with this journey all alone, which must have been really hard for him to do. I think this contradicts me when I said that Gilgamesh was a coward and couldn't do anything without Enkidu. Sorry, Gilgamesh!

Tablet X:
In this Tablet I notice once again the repetition. It repeats various passages from other Tablets and from the same one too, but I see that the repeating happens so much that it kind of makes it easier to read and to understand without getting lost. I am really getting used t othis style of writing.
I still can't make up my mind of how Gilgamesh really feels towards the death of Enkidu 'the companion'. We can in this Tablet see how at times he seems only worried about himself and about what will happen to him, will he die and have the same fate as Enkidu? However, we are also shown how sad and deeply wounded he is over Enkidu's death, for 'seven days and nights [he] sat beside the body, weeping for Enkidu'. I think this trip he is making to the ends of the land in search of Utnapishtim, the only one who could tell him how to avoid death, could also symbolize that he wants to move forward and not let the memory of his brother die. Enkidu is probably spiritually with him all through the journey, because I really don't think he could have made it all by himself. Gilgamesh has been helped by many people too, like the mountain twins, the tavern keeper, the boat man, and I think the old man will help him too. I knew there was some catch to it!

Gilgamesh- Tablets VII and VIII

Tablet VII:
Here we find out how the gods feel that the things Enkidu and Gilgamesh have done, such as killing Huwawa, cutting down the tallest cedar in the Forest, and killing the Bull of Heaven, is a disrespect to them and decide one of them must die. I find that is is really unjust how only one of them is punished directly when they did all of those things together and encouraged by Gilgamesh, although because of Enkidu's death and suffering, Gilgamesh seems to be really hurt and lonely and feels guilty. They decided Enkidu should be the one to die because the god Enlil said that Gilgamesh, who was the gifted one, should not be punished. I think this might represent how nature clashes with civilization. Here we have the perfect example of how when the wilderness is civilized and is forced to live like we say, it doesn't matter to us that we are totally changing their way of life and everything they have always known and even turning them against their Mother Nature, as we see is what happened in the Cedar Forest and with the gazelles, That the consequences may be severe for us as well as for them.
Towards the end of the tablet we see that Enkidu kind of blames Gilgamesh, the harlot, and everyone who took him away from nature and the creatures for what is happening to him now. He feels that everything would have been perfect if he had never come to the city, and by what I can tell from his dream, he feels abandoned by Gilgamesh as he is being the only one punished. I also think that is really unfair, but I think that he has fulfilled his purpose of being 'the companion' and must now die to continue towards the future.

This video shows how the image we have of civilization today is slowly killing our world, the cultures, and the people in it.

Tablet VIII:
In this Tablet we are showed how much Gilgamesh misses and mourns for Enkidu, he orders everything Enkidu ever knew to weep for him and he builds a statue of Enkidu so that he can rest in peace as a god. This shows me that Gilgamesh is not that much of a coward or a baby as I used to think, he recognizes everything Enkidu did and that he couldn't have done all that without him, and he starts realizing what he will do without him. I really like that we are shown a more sensible side of Gilgamesh, and that kind of greaving that is only common for anybody after losing a loved one.

Gilgamesh- Tablet VI

In this Tablet I noticed a change in the author's writing style, I don't know if it is because it is, or atleast seems, shorter or if it is because he actually changed. The repetition on phrases thing he had going on there isn't that present in the Tablet, and it had a quicker and more interesting way of narrating what happened.
It talked about Gilgamesh being a coward, again, and letting Enkidu fight the Bull of Heaven alone at first. I think it was kind of stupid how mad the goddess Ishtar got with Gilgamesh just because he didn't want to sleep with her, which I think was a perfectly logical decision given that he knows the tragic stories of Ishtar's past lovers.
I learned one thing that I didn't know before that is that the setting of the Epic is in Africa, near 'the Euphrates [River]'.

Gilgamesh- Tablets IV and V

Tablets IV and V seemed very... perspective changing for me. Throughout all the story we have been sold an image of Gilgamesh as the almighty, the unstoppable, the bravest of all but here we see his true face. People always say that it is in the hard times that you see how people really are, and here we saw how Gilgamesh acted during the trip to the Cedar Forest; he acted like a complete coward, geting scared and wanting to go back everytime he had a dream or saw something he didn't like, this left the faithful Enkidu to be the Man in this time and have to calm Gilgamesh down and encourage him to keep going. Gilgamesh was also being a big baby, they always tell us it was Enkidu who built the wells, Enkidu who found the shelter, Enkidu who got the food, and even when Enkidu was scared he didn't show it, didn't let the fear beat him like Gilgamesh did. We are sold this image of Gilgamesh as a semi-god when what he really is is a coward who basically depends on help from other people to succeed, during the journey he recieves help from Enkidu, Ramat-Ninsun, and the gods; I am pretty sure he would have also let himself be tricked, or even killed, by Huwawa if Enkidu hadn't been there to guide him.
The repeating of phrases is also really strong in these Tablets, and also very unappealing.

Gilgamesh- Tablets II and III

After reading Tablets II and III of The Epic of Gilgamesh what I noticed the most was how even though nobody knows each other in the story, everyone act sas if they were life-long friends and they trust each other completely, as we can see when everybody tells Gilgamesh that 'Enkidu the companion will not forsake [him]'. I also imagine that even though he is their ruler and their king, everybody seems to be afraid of Gilgamesh, except Enkidu, which is probably a part of why Gilgamesh trusts him so much; they are so scared of him that they complained to the gods about his power, and asked for help to control him. In a writing related way, I've seen how they repeat many phrases over and over, sometimes in the same 'paragraph'. This might be for emphasis on his points, or it might just be the way they used to write back then, but I find this interesting although sometimes it can get annoying and confusing.
Another point I feel really strongly about is civilization. I put it in Italics because it doesn't really mean anything as a word, it is just and idea and a point of view. To us, to our society, the natives who have lived on land that we invaded and through wars and violence forcefully took from them, the ones who, during collonial times and even today, we captured and enslaved, we treated horribly, we took everything from them and left them with foreign sicknesses and death, those are the savages that need to be civilized. We see an example of this in these Tablets, when Enkidu lays with the prostitute (Shamhat) and is then expulsed from the wild, which is the only thing he has known. He has little choice left than to go with Shamhat to the city, he eats and drinks what they give him bacause it 'is the food and drink men eat and drink', he is clothed and thaught to live a different way than he ever has just because it is not normal for him to 'seek the company of beasts'. I think that sucks.

Asian Rambling and Other Kinds of It

A. The title of this blog is Asian Rambling.

B. The blogger uses the blog to write about his personal life, his perspective on things, and he also mentions his work as a photographer.

C. The title perfectly describes the content of the blog. A great way to describe what the blogger writes is rambling; he talks about anything he is thinking and comments in a non-structured way.

D. He writes on the blog as if it was his personal journal, he lets us in on his opinions and tells us his ideas as easily as if he was writing to himself.

E. Another blog that is about the same things is Wannabe Weblog. I personally like that one better, as it has a kind of voice that reaches out to us; it is funny and familiar.

F. In my opinion, this blog is neither very good nor very bad, it falls into 'normal' category with a lot of other blogs. The reason that this blog doesn't stand out is that it is very formal, at least too formal for a blog. The writer doesn't express himself in a way that makes us understand him as a person or feel very comfortable while reading. I think that if he would change the way he communicates with us to make it more friendly, this blog could raise to be much more noticed.

Finding Out More About Blogs

A. In 1997 Jorn Barger, the creator of a web site about James Joyce, artificial intelligence, and Judaism as racism called Robot Wisdom, invented the word "Weblog." In 1999 Peter Merholz, the creator of a Weblog called Peterme, divided the word into "We blog", forming a word that can be either noun or verb. The noun is a Blog and the verb is To blog.

B. The author thought it was a horrible idea to write a book about blogs because of the vast difference there is between them. For a start, blogs are messy, they talk about anything, show alot of opinions, don't go into detail and just assume you know what they are about. Books are much more organized, they follow an outline, have a clear story and a scense of purpose. Writing a book about blogs would be like piling up one idea after another, withoout elaborating or describing them in an orderly and book-like way.

C. Today you can find blogs about any subject, written by anyone, anywhere you can get acces to Internet (which is basically everywhere). Before there would only be a reserved amount of blogs on certain topics, because of the vast improvements in technology and Internet access or because of more conservative views and forms of expresions as before.

D. Some people enjoy better reading a blog instead of an article, a newspaper, or a book because in blogs you get the literature you expected plus the writers opinions, their likes or dislikes, and their ideas in a way that is free to write and fun to read.

D. Blogs are a very modern and quick bridge to information. However, as we know that there are millions of blogs abaout everything, it is certain that some of them will be reliable and some won't. One problem is that most of all the blogs in the world will be biased in some way, it is basically what we're looking for when we read a blog. Other problems are that we can never bensure of what we read and we can never take imformation from a blog seriously unless we check it before.

E. I think if I started my own blog, not related to school, I would call it 'According to Moi'.

F. Tao Te Ching, my version - http://jorielle-tao.blogspot.com/

A Midsummer Night's Dream - http://bardinthebarracks.wordpress.com/

Grad Student Madness - http://gradstudentmadness.blogspot.com/

I'm New at This

In this blog I will write all my thoughts and opinions about reading, things I have read, and things related to them. This page was created as a place where I can post my 9th grade Pre-AP English assignments and so that is what I shall do. I will also express my opinions in an attempt to answer life's great misteries. I hope it works out!