Comparison and Contrast of Beliefs in Literature - Essay Example

Full Comparison and Contrast of Beliefs in Literature Life has many challenges and men from the ancient world to these modern times expressed their convictions about the facts of life. For some, they come in the form of stories while others express their thoughts in persuasive manners. No matter how one conveys his thoughts, an individual’s beliefs and reasoning are portrayed in the words and images created through the forms used. One could be how people perceive God, how many gods they believe in and the effects of their beliefs in their lives as shown in the essay of Thomas Malthus on the principle of population and The Epic of Gilgamesh. The former believes in one God, reflecting the monotheistic nature of Christianity while the latter pictures the polytheistic nature of the Mesopotamian religion. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a portrayal of the belief in many gods who have been actively participating in the life of one of the human characters who later was made a god, Utanapishtim. It mentions a similar experience of the main character, Gilgamesh where the gods did their part in making the tasks given, more difficult for him and making him unsuccessful in his attempt to attain the same success of Utanapishtim in becoming a god. Malthus’ essay on the other hand spoke about one God who also actively participates in what human beings do however, in contrast to Utanapishtim’s unhelping manner to Gilgamesh in his endeavors, the God the essayist speaks of is a helping God. Coming from human existence, the god Utanapishtim seemed to have humane characteristics remaining in him because he acted deceitfully towards Gilgamesh by giving task he was sure would not be attained by the man. The God of Malthus on the other hand extends help to men in their trials. The essay stands in defense to the essayist’s belief that there is a God who is after the good of men and not their destruction even though he is able to control the circumstances in a person’s life. The hardships God allows in the lives of people, he says, are meant to process him to becoming a better person and not for him to be consumed by his murmurings and complaints as he faces life’s trials. Conversely, Utanapishtim seemed to be a selfish god who looked forward to how he could use man for his benefit, as he sent Gilgamesh to the bottom of the sea to take hold of the boxthorn-like plant which could make him regain his youth, meaning to steal the plant from him in the future. This places a dividing lie between the gods presented in the literary pieces being examined in this paper. In the epic, Gilgamesh seemed to have the desire of becoming a god like Utanapishtim that is why he sought to converse with him and seek his advice. Based from the eleventh tablet alone, one cannot see a desire of Gilgamesh to escape the difficulties in life rather he underwent extremely challenging tasks in order to attain the godly state he desired. Contrary to this, the essayist claims that it is the endeavor to avoid pain that moves a person to actively work on his circumstances and try to change them as he is able. Furthermore, he mentions that the pursuit for happiness is less activating than the avoidance of difficulties, that one will only act upon a desire for pleasure after it is thought through, in a long period of time. In line with the above mentioned idea, the essayist also shares his belief that “to avoid evil and to pursue good are the great duty and business of man”. Evil begets punishment and good is served with rewards and this is what the writer is trying to express in his essay, that man should then avoid evil to avoid punishment. Pain is a form of punishment and so, to avoid pain, an individual should stay away from what is evil rather should pursue what is good. Punishment on the other hand to Gilgamesh, seemed unjustly served to him because he was not given his desire of becoming one of the gods just because he was not able to stay awake for the duration of six days and seven nights. The matter was a trivial one, and it was not even a bad thing for Gilgamesh to sleep during the time he was supposed to stay awake. In addition, he was successful in getting the plant he was ordered to get from the bottom of the sea, but lost his reward because a serpent took it. However, this presents the ironies and facts of life, where although some people do their best to live according to what is right; they are treated unfairly by those around them which sometimes lead a person to wonder if the gods are against him. The unsuccessful endeavor of Gilgamesh made him cry and ask for help yet again from the gods, probably making the reader understand the message of his life; that such an experience is allowed not to make him down but to bring him to a level of closer dependence on his god. This is comparable to the idea of the essayist where he says the “sorrows of life are necessary to soften and humanize the heart”. Being human, Gilgamesh wanted to become equal with the gods so that he undertook difficult tasks that are impossible for human beings to do. At some point, this could be an encouragement that man can do what he imagines he can, no matter how hard it is; f only he acts upon it. However, in parallel with the Malthus’ idea, the events that caused him sorrows made him realize his need of his god. In the epic, the success of the main character’s adventures was dependent on how the gods acted upon his actions as was mentioned earlier and Gilgamesh portrayed his humanity when he complained about his situation. This in turn pictures the belief mentioned by the essayist, that “the Supreme Being could have affected man’s purpose in any other way than that he has chosen”, making his efforts go to waste. However, as the essayist earlier argued, every sorrow brought in an endeavor is not for the Supreme Being to break a person but it is for his making that he is given an opportunity to overcome. “Evil exists in the world not to create despair but activity”, is a line from the essay of Malthus that expresses his belief, stirring up encouragement in the hearts of his readers, expressing a universal truth that no one can escape. When one looks around, it is indeed evil that makes men act on their circumstances to better them, get rid of the abuser and arise from poverty. Such things might be negative and be initially perceived as dismaying however, on second thoughts and upon consideration of the ideas shared by Malthus, a person is once again encouraged to get up and do something. For Gilgamesh, after numbering his many efforts to do his best in attaining success, he still ended by giving commands to his companion, Urshanabi. This reflects the hope stirred in him after realizing his situation is not yet a final end, rather a new beginning for a new pursuit, an attitude and belief which is also very evident in the essayist’s words. Reference Author’s last name, first name. Dialogues Believe and Reason Level 1. Acton, MA: Copley Custom Textbooks, 2008. Print. Read More