Gilgamesh Tablets I,II.III

I have to admit, Gilgamesh (the little I've read) is a very peculiar book. It begins with gods, maybe the creation of a war-like man, son of a god. It is like the creation of Adam, made out of clay. This man is powerful as Ninurta, the god of war. This takes place in some kind of city called Uruk, with its king being Gilgamesh. The hairy bodied wild man, who is Enkidu is freeing  all the gazelles from the trap pits of the grassland, so their is nothing to hunt, by the hunters who live near by. The hunter who saw him the first time, told his father, who told him to leave to Uruk to see Gilgamesh. "Go to Uruk, and there present yourself to Gilgamesh the king, who is the strongest of all, the perfect, the terror. The wise shepherd protector of the people."(pg. 6) And so the hunter went, and he brought back with him a harlot and a temple prostitute, to lie with her, and so he would not be with the wild creatures. He lied with her for seven days. She told him to go with her to Uruk, to Gilgamesh. Enkidu said yes, but he felt that his wild was different now, he was changing, as I see it. Becasue when he alone, he loved the wild, but after having eaten from the tree of humans, the tree of vice, I think he starts to loose that, and so separates from the wild. "His body that loved the range of the fields was now unable to follow;but in the mind of the wild man there was beginning a new understanding."(pg.9) They got to a Shepherd village where he drank beer and dressed in new clothes. He is starting to become each time more of a human. They got to Uruk, were Enkidu met Gilgamesh in a wdding were Gilgamesh could lay with the bride before the husband. This is very strange, this tells me that Gilgamesh is like the alfa male of Uruk, well he is the king but it seems that more than that. Enkidu still being an animal stepped in front of the doorway to the bride. They fought, Gilgamesh and Enkidu like beasts, like gods. "wild bulls, locked- horned and staggering staggered wrestling through the city streets. "(pg. 15) But then Enkidu couln't fight anymore, and so he said that Gilgamesh, was stronger, the terror. So they shook hands and kissed. They proceeded to enter the foret with armor to see who could cut down the cedar tree first. 

This is a very engrossing novel, story, or book, whatever it is. It talks about fable and gods. But again, like the past novel, I'm sure it has a deeper meaning than that, but it seems to me that it will be easier to reach, to find it, but maybe not to understand it. I'll just have to keep on "feeding" myself on this writing...

Takers And Leavers: Definitions

The definitions we put together in class for Takers and Leavers, are very complete since they include the analysis of every one of us, if we wanted them more complete, we would have to ask Quinn himself to give us a hand! The important thing is that we understand the Taker and Leaver concept and what each means. I would add to the Taker definition that the moment that they learned to have food for tomorrow, they were out of the gods hands. This is what marks them as Takers too. To leavers I would add, that they know there is not one right way to live. 

The rest of the piece is fine. 

The Denouement Ch. 13

I can't find the words to describe what I'm feeling, or how much time it took me to write the couple of them I could manage to type. Finally when he decides a plan to rescue Ishmael in the carnival( not really a plan he, is a very spontaneous man), when he arrives there, all he sees is the ground. The carnival had moved on. He asked his bribee, what had happened. This a devastating moment in the story. Ishmael was dead. He had died of pneumonia that night. "Are you telling me that he's. . . dead?" "Dead is what he is , pardner." (pg. 261). So at last our teacher perished. He asked were his body was taken, and the answer was, to the county, were they cremate the roadkills. This is no honorable way to end the physical part of a wise "man" like this. But that was it. He made his way back home, and framed the poster that he had picked up at the carnival (that was from Ishmael's ), and framed it, to see that there were two sides of the poster (would it be only of the poster...). "WITH MAN GONE WILL THERE BE HOPE FOR GORILLA?" "WITH GORILLA GONE WILL THERE BE HOPE FOR MAN?" (pg 262, 263) This to me is the most important phrase in the book. Before I finished the book, my idea of this words, was that the only way for the other species to survive (not only gorillas), man has to die, so it won't do any more harm, and the world can flourish again. And the other side; for man to survive every species has to die, so it can consume the whole world ( what is or will be left of it), and that way satisfy itself. And eventually also die for the lack of resources, and harsh conditions on Earth. But... Man could not live without animals, he would also perish, we need them to survive, but on the contrary they don' need us, they can live on their own, and actually live better than with us around. So it is a tough statement... 

But now that I've just finished the novel (but had enough time to digest it), I can interpret those words in another way (without omitting the previous analysis). The knot, the relationship that Ishmael and the man created, could have been a reason for this poster, and it was meant for the man to find it (even thought the poster was there before the man and his relationship,but maybe it was meant to happen this way, and Ishmael knew this, and so the poster can exist in the hands of this man, this way). So the question this poster asks in my point of view (my second point of view) is that if the man disappears from Ishmael's life, will the gorilla be able to cope with this? (maybe he couldn't cope because when he finished teaching the man everything he knew, they had to separate since there was nothing else to say, and so Ishmael couldn't manage not being with his friend, with whom he was  untroubled, and liked teaching him.) Or if the gorilla is gone will this man be able bear with this?(we don't know since the story ends with these quotations, but he seemed all right). But this is something we will never know, even though we wished we could, and so is left this magnificent story full of knowledge, in utter suspense, as any great novel is left, for someone to continue, or just for the sake of it. 

The Last Lap. Chapter 12

To buy Ishmael,to take him into care wouldn't be an easy task. But the protagonist is out for it, dealing the animal with the carnival owner. For now he is to expensive....

When they got into subject again:

"how did man become man"(pg 236) This is one of the most deep-rooted questions in the hole novel because it takes us back to nothing. We started of as being a bacteria and worked our way up as Australopithecus, when we were hunters and gatherers; Leavers. We accomplished this by living in the hands of the gods. But when we saw that we could have more food, so we didn't have to suffer tomorrow, we immediately shoved off of the gods hands. We immediately became Takers: Homo Sapiens Sapiens. But thanks to living on the gods hands we were able to evolve and were able to say: "we've had enough of living in the hands of gods" (pg 238). So according to the Taker story, when we appeared, creation stopped. but what I really think about this is that creation can never stop, not because we are here, it means we stop evolving. But the damage we are making to Earth, is sooner or later, not stop creation only, but Humanity. "The premise of the Taker story is that the world belongs to man. The premise of the Leaver story is that man belongs to the world." (pg. 239). I agree totally on the Leaver story, because we all came from the same place, and this is how things came to be this way. So why necessarily the world has to belong to men? Do we own a deed or something that demands property? We don't. So I am on The Leaver side, because we, on the other side do belong to the world, either you want it or not. "We were never meant to be the only players on this stage" (pg 242). Why do we keep on damaging the planet, and not going by the peace-keeping law? We are not the only ones here. Why do we have to exterminate other species only so we can have "the right way of living"? I am in total disagree with our culture. 

approaching the end of the novel, He repeats the first line of the novel "Must earnestly desire to save the world" (pg 248) He asks Ishmael how to achieve this; how to save the world. "The story of Genesis must be reversed. First Cain, must stop murdering Abel. This is essential if you're to survive. The Leavers are the endangered species most critical to the world- not because they're humans but because they alone can show the destroyers of the world that there is no one right way to live. And then of course, you must spit out the fruit of the forbidden tree. You must absolutely and forever relinquish the idea that you know who should live and who should die n this planet." "Yes , I see all that , but that's a program for mankind, that's not a program for me. What do I do" "What you do is to teach a hundred what I've taught you , and inspire each of them to teach a hundred." (pg 248). And this is why we are reading this novel. Quinn was our own Ishmael teaching us, so we can teach too. " What you are saying is that someone has to stand up and become to the world of today, what Saint Paul was to the Roman Empire." (pg 249). We are in desperate need of someone that is able to guide us towards salvation of the human raze, and the world. This can be related to the movie Matrix Revolutions, when Neo (Reeves) is the chosen one to save the city of Zion containing all human raze in it. That is just what we need, or at least something similar to it. 

"You understand that I'm finished with you."(pg  253) This is how Ishmael's teachings resolute, and all that our protagonist could do was nod, but deep inside, the reader can tell, he is miserable, because he knows he has become close to this primate, and he doesn't want to leave him. But as far as I know he wont, I'm sure of it.

Takers or Leavers Chapter 11

Ishmael is not well. He has a different mood than the other days. But he is not to be blamed. The narrator is insisting on learning the story about the Leavers. But Ishmael is just not into telling it, since the narrator cant give a keen excuse to learn it, he just wants it. 

The true point is that he is questioning himself what made us follow the life of Takers from Leavers. I prefer the life I live in right now; but why? Because I'm used to it, and don't know anything else. The point of this whole chapter is to know which one is best and why. So Leavers can be better since they have no worries, they just enjoy the landscape without any guilt. They can't loose their job and starve to death since they have no jobs; its just free life. But as gatherers, they can't really know their destiny, their life's are based on if there is food or not. They don't grow any, (that is the difference: Takers are marked by agriculture; by looking ahead, Leavers just live life as it comes) so they have to hunt. And if there's no deer today, then its rabbit, but if there's no rabbit, then they have to find something else, but why settle? Why be a conformist? "Unless you control your food supply, you live at the mercy of the world. It doesn't matter that there's always been enough... You can't live at the whim of the gods"(pg.224). Takers instead have total control of their life, but at the same time are trapped in the civilization, that by the way is rushing down. But if you can grow more than you need, then the gods won't have power over you, and this is the whole point. "that is the whole goddamn point! When you have more food than you need, then the gods have no power over you!"(pg 227). This way, you will never row hungry, and so today, it is not you're turn to die. "What the gods provide is enough for your life as animals, I grant you that. But for your life as humans, you must provide."(pg 226). "So. We have a new pair of names for you . The takers are those who know good and evil, and the leavers are....? The leavers are those who live in the hands of the gods."(pg. 229). I finally come to understanding that today anyone can be a Taker or  a Leaver, its just a matter of how you prefer you're life to be, and if you're going to take over it, or if its going to take over you....

Michelle Obama's Speech

While we listen to Michelle Obama’s speech with a partner try to decide which punctuation mark should be used and where it should be put
Text of Michelle Obama's speech at the convention
By The Associated Press – 1 day ago
prepared remarks of Michelle Obama wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama for her address to the Democratic National Convention on Monday night in Denver as released by the Obama campaign:

OBAMA As you might imagine, for Barack running for president is nothing compared to that first game of basketball with my brother Craig.
I can't tell you how much it means to have Craig and my mom here tonight. Like Craig I can feel my dad looking down on us. Just as I've felt his presence in every grace-filled moment of my life.
At six-foot-six, I've often felt like Craig was looking down on me too - literally. But the truth, is both when we were kids and today, he wasn't looking down on me — he was watching over me,
and he's been there for me every step of the way since that clear February day 19 months ago, when — with little more than our faith in each other and a hunger for change — we joined my husband Barack Obama on the improbable journey that's brought us to this moment.
But each of us also comes here tonight by way of our own improbable journey.
I come here tonight as a sister, blessed with a brother who is my mentor, my protector and my lifelong friend.
I come here as a wife, who loves my husband and believes he will be an extraordinary president.
I come here as a Mom, whose girls are the heart of my heart and the center of my world — they're the first thing I think about when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I think about when I go to bed at night. Their future — and all our children's future — is my stake in this election.
And I come here as a daughter — raised on the south side of Chicago, by a father who was a blue collar city worker, and a mother who stayed at home with my brother and me. My mother's love has always been a sustaining force for our family, and one of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion, and her intelligence reflected in my own daughters.
My dad was our rock, although he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early thirties he was our provider, our champion, our hero. As he got sicker it got harder for him to walk, it took him longer to get dressed in the morning. But if he was in pain, he never let on he never stopped smiling and laughing — even while struggling to button his shirt, even while using two canes to get himself across the room to give my mom a kiss, he just woke up a little earlier and worked a little harder.
He and my mom poured everything they had into me and Craig. It was the greatest gift a child can receive, never doubting for a single minute that you're loved, and cherished, and have a place in this world. And thanks to their faith and hard work we both were able to go on to college. So I know firsthand from their lives — and mine — that the American dream endures.
And you know, what struck me when I first met Barack was that even though he had this funny name even though he'd grown up all the way across the continent in Hawaii. His family was so much like mine, he was raised by grandparents who were working class folks just like my parents and by a single mother who struggled to pay the bills just like we did, like my family they scrimped and saved so that he could have opportunities they never had themselves. And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values, that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say you're going to do. That you treat people with dignity and respect even if you don't know them and even if you don't agree with them.
And Barack and I, set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation because we want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements, is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.
And as our friendship grew and I learned more about Barack he introduced me to the work he'd done when he first moved to Chicago after college. Instead of heading to wall street ,Barack had gone to work in neighborhoods devastated when steel plants shut down ,and jobs dried up ,and he'd been invited back to speak to people from those neighborhoods about how to rebuild their community.
The people gathered together that day were ordinary folks, doing the best they could to build a good life, they were parents living paycheck to paycheck, grandparents trying to get by on a fixed income men frustrated that they couldn't support their families after their jobs disappeared, those folks weren't asking for a handout or a shortcut. They were ready to work — they wanted to contribute they believed — like you and I believe — that America should be a place where you can make it if you try.
Barack stood up that day and spoke words that have stayed with me ever since he talked about "The world as it is" and "The world as it should be." And he said that all too often we accept the distance between the two and settle for the world as it is — even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations. But he reminded us that we know what our world should look like we know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like, and he urged us to believe in ourselves — to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it should be. And isn't that the great American story?
It's the story of men and women gathered in churches and union halls, in town squares, and high school gyms — people who stood up and marched and risked everything they had — refusing to settle, determined to mold our future into the shape of our ideals.
It is because of their will and determination that this week, we celebrate two anniversaries. The 88th anniversary of women winning the right to vote, and the 45th anniversary of that hot summer day when Dr. King lifted our sights and our hearts with his dream for our nation.

The Sudden Change, Ishmael Chapter 10

This Chapter starts with the boring life of our protagonist, were he misses to go to Ishmael for some days now. He is trapped into work and appointments. After he goes back to the building, it is closed, and no clues to follow. I at first didn't see this coming, but now I can think of it as maybe Ishmael's way of telling him that if he was not 100% committed, there was no way Ishmael could continue teaching him. Thats why he's had so many students. But the protagonist is desperate to find him, he even puts and add on the newspaper"FRIENDS OF ISHMAEL: Another friend has lost contact. Please call and tell me where he is."(pg.193). Finally he finds Ishmael on an old and typical carnival, sitting on a dim corner. So the building got closed down, so Ishmael had to leave and rot on a carnival cage? Ishmael's voice and mood is different now, he is tired and maybe afflicted. But he (the protagonist) can't understand why. Neither do I. He has a hostile behaviour, not one known to us until now. He suggests to unite Ishmael with his passed students, and to maybe set up a place, so he can get out of this mental- tying prison. What is wrong with Ishmael? But it seems that Ishmael has no wishes what so ever to be helped out, he seems finished. Imagine this devastation for both of them. "Just go away and leave me alone"(pg 197) says Ishmael. So finally our protagonist just walks away. After some hours he manages himself a bribe to get into the carnival's premises and continues his lecture, as if nothing had happened with Ishmael...

It starts of with culture. Culture was born when the members of a certain group began to attain intelligence enough to pass on to the next generation, what was really important in their way of living. And therefore what we have today is the product of what was in the past, just a tradition. But ten thousand years ago, in the rise of our culture, our ancestors claimed that those ideas were not a real way of life(but how could they now, if it worked perfectly fine for the leavers?), and decided to live differently, that being the case now a days we ended up with a diversity of cultures and beliefs, that is the root to our problems because of our different beliefs and practices. For us there was no before, we are the cradle of civilization, hen we know for a fact we are not. So how could we survive without previous knowledge? Well that must be the only thing we preserved, information about production. If that worked well, why not transmit that same idea? Because we, in this generation don't really know what is best for us, we are now seeking welfare know, we want more, and better, ambition now conquers welfare. We forgot how to live. The people of our culture need a new Moses, Jesus, or Mahoma, we need new directions, in my point of view we have strayed of our main course in life: pass on culture and preserve humanity. "The Takers accumulate knowledge about what works well for things. The leavers accumulate knowledge of what works for people"(pg.206) But today, We takers dont have the wisdom to know what is best for people. We stomped on Leavers, and now are left with nothing. 

For me, this chapter was one of the most different ones, in the sense that it mixes what happens to the characters, with the teachings, so it makes it a situation in which the way of teaching is much different because of the mood.

Ishmael Entry

Ishmael. In some time it will say everything, but for now... It is not only a book made out of paper and ink, but this book, I prefer to say, is made out of wisdom and it is truly astute and perceptive. It is a novel that in its incredible whit, anyone, of any age or state of mind understands it and interprets it in a different way. 

The way I have been capable of understanding is by stopping myself in the reading and asking myself, or better asking the novel to teach me. 

Ishmael in my point of perception is a book reflecting ourselves as humans, as individuals, and as people that interact in society. On the first chapters of the book, (I'm still in an early stage of it) the fact that a gorilla can understand human talk, and after that be able to teach our very own history is fantastic. I think this is because in our modern day civilization we are so into ourselves and only ourselves, not caring about our neighbor, we are self destructing our society from the inside. We are the ones who are going to produce our own finale. So a force, a being that is different from us has to come in contact with this civilization and make us realize we are our very end. We cant comprehend that we are trapped in this civilization, and we can't get out because we just cant find the bars of our cage and we are to lazy to search for, as it says on the book on page 25: "they were unable to find the bars of the cage. If you cant discover what's keeping you in, the will to get out soon becomes confused and ineffectual". Maybe deep inside what Quinn knows and is trying to communicate is that truly our nature is that in order to survive, we have to destroy, and there is nothing we can do about it. "Eat or be eaten". So in his book, he creates a character that seeks pupils (not the other way around) so he can teach the truth about life, in this case what really makes you believe is the gorilla, because in any other way the pupil wouldn't take seriously the concept of "must have an earnest desire to save the world"(pg.4). The question that is posted at the beginning, puts you into  thinking a lot: "With man gone will there be hope for gorilla?"(pg2.62) The way I think abut is that if the humans seize to exist will the other species we have denied to survive, will then survive? Is the only way for the world to be saved is for us to vanish? But then what would be the point of saving it, if we would not be roaming its land... Or: "With gorilla gone will there be a hope for man?" (pg. 263) This is also a very good question. I think about it this way; The only way for humans to keep on existing, is for the other species (not only gorillas) to come to an end? But still, we would die, because without any animals life would be impossible. In conclusion, animals could live without us, but we couldn't without them; so at the end which is the weak species? Which one lacks the true wisdom this novel is teaching us? I hope one day every human can find himself out of the cage, and that way saving the whole Earth: Our only home...

1. The difference between a blog and a book is that the blog is found on the internet, it is reachable for all people with web connection, and may be created with no editorial or copyright permission. The blog is easier to make in the sense of time, and it is free for anyone to read it. You can comment directly about the reading on the blog, and the blog is not as long or as complete as a book in most cases. The book is more complete in the sense that it can use as much description and time as possible, when the blog if for quick readings, and more intense subjects. the book has been around for over 1,000 years, and it is a practical thing to read, and easy to reach. Nevertheless, a blog can be read anywhere in the world, while a book, you have to search for it, and you may not find it. You can edit blogs after published, while books after publishing cant be changed; so sometimes they cant adapt to the present day circumstances. A book is something more to read long term, and to enjoy it, and the blog is more for information for homeworks, or work. In my opinion I prefer books, they are good to read and much more deep. 

2. Blogs have changed recently in the way, that now they are used to talk to entire cyber communities, to express political ideas or your own movement ideas. Basically blogs adapt to whatever the day offers, or whatever is going on. For example blogs where used to teach people things they wanted to know, today we are using the blogger to answer our homework's questions and to communicate with our teacher. Blogs have proven to be very useful over the years. 

3. I might read  a blog because I'm looking for a certain piece of information or a story about something, so when I look this up in a search engine, maybe the most relevant results of what I want are these blogs. A blog is like a normal webpage were you find information you need. I would also read a blog if I'm interested on what other people in the world think about a worldwide subject, or maybe politics or economics. A blog gives you info, so why not read it?

4. Even when I think a blog is a good source of information, some blogs may have inaccurate information, or information that is false with the goal to harm a certain group or organization. After all anyone can create a blog, and write anything in it. So maybe there is a reason to doubt the objectivity of a blog. You wouldn't want to present or talk about false information, thats why I would look for other sources if they are, or look fora blog that looks honest and secure. 

5. If I kept my own blog, I would have to have something to talk about that I have extensive knowledge about. So I would probably name it something to do with the subject. I don't think I know about something so much to do a blog about it. Currently the blog I have has a good name, that has to do with what I'm focused on right now. 

Answers Ilan Pinski Farji