Gilgameshs Quest for Immortality free essay sample

In the epic poem Gilgamesh, the main theme is Gilgamesh’s quest to defeat the demon that is in the back of every human’s mind at all times: death. His quest to defeat mankind’s penultimate battle proves futile in the end, yet could Gilgamesh be considered to be immortal in a different sense? Immortality can exist on two planes: both a physical and metaphorical world. Gilgamesh did fail is his quest to live tangibly forever, and therefore seeks everlasting life in an allegorical sense. If he could create something, an idea or an action that will be remembered forever, such as killing Humbaba, he too can live forever via this accomplishment. So, in a sense, Gilgamesh did actually succeed in his quest for eternal life. We will write a custom essay sample on Gilgameshs Quest for Immortality or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Gilgamesh has everything he could possibly ask for: riches, fame, power, yet he still wants more. He wants to live forever. Since he is used to being instantaneously gratified of everything he wants, he expects the same to occur in his quest for eternal life. After the death of Enkidu, his desire to live forever grows even stronger. Having a sheltered, privileged life, the death of Gilgamesh’s closed friend, essentially his other half, was most likely his first experience with death, and it terrified him. In Book IX, he asks, â€Å"Must I die too? Must I be as lifeless as Enkidu? How can I bear this sorrow that gnaws at my belly, this fear of death that drives me onward? † This does indeed drive him onward and leads him straight to the gods. Gilgamesh is not pleased with what the gods have to tell him, though. After his long journey and the retelling of his story, Shiduri tells him â€Å"You will never find the eternal life that you seek. When the gods created makind, they also created death, and they held back eternal life for themselves alone. Humans are born, the live, then they die, this is the order the gods have decreed. † Yet, instead of accepting his fate (which is the common fate of all mankind), he becomes enraged, demanding knowledge of how to find Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh is told the key to eternal life—an herb. However, once he picks this herb, a snake eats it and Gilgamesh has exhausted all his chances at immortality. The story abruptly ends there. We do not know to what extent Gilgamesh accepts his fate, if he does at all. But if one creates something that will live forever, won’t he too live forever? Shakespeare has been dead in a physical sense for almost 400 years, yet his work is as, if not more, prevalent today than it was then. So couldn’t one argue that Shakespeare is still alive in the context of his sonnets and plays? He is dead, yet he created something that will live forever. One can also live eternally by carrying out an action or initiative that affects people for many years to come. Again, for an example, Martin Luther King Jr. is dead, however, he lives on through all the progress he made for civil rights. Obviously, Gilgamesh will not live on as an immortal forever. However, he manifests himself in an action that will live on forever—killing Humbaba. So, he lives eternally through the execution of this action. The fact that he could live on forever in the minds of men is alluded to several times in the text. When Gilgamesh and Enkidu leave on their quest to slay Humbaba, Gilgamesh says, â€Å"I will cut down the tree, I will kill Humbaba, the whole world will know how mightly I am. I will make a lasting name for myself, I will stamp my fame on men’s minds forever. † His name lives on throughout the centuries, so he does along with it. These allusions are made only early in the text, by both Gilgamesh and Enkidu. In addition to the previous quote, Gilgamesh says in Book V, â€Å"If we help each other and fight side by side, we will make a lasting name for ourselves, we will stamp our fame on men’s minds forever. † The early discussion of living forever through actions rather than in the flesh could show that Gilgamesh or Enkidu might have some awareness of their fate. If either one of them could exist physically forever, what would be the point of killing Humbaba? They’d have all eternity to put their stamp on the human race, so why bother trying to leave their mark through an action that is dangerous and capable of inducing anger in the gods? Gilgamesh was written over 4600 years ago. It’s arguably the oldest written text, older even than the bible. 4600 years is a long time, essentially an eternity relative to the average human’s timeline. And we are still reading Gilgamesh today. So, he has succeeded in his quest for immortality. We all know his name, what he did. He is alive in both our minds and the pages of this book.

Uncle Toms Cabin essays

Uncle Tom's Cabin essays Book Report on Uncle Toms Cabin The book Uncle Toms Cabin, published in 1852 by multiple publishers and put into more then twenty languages was written by abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe was born in 1811 in Litchfield, Connecticut into a family of clergymen and therefore was highly religious. Her mother died early in her life so her oldest sister Catharine reared her. The family moved to Ohio when Harriet was twenty-one because her father received a presidency at a theological university. Harriets sister Catherine started two schools; one was a primary school in Litchfield, the other a womens university in Ohio. Harriet attended the primary school and taught at the university in missionary studies. Her father would frequently speak out against slavery in public and she may have caught some of his abolitionist ideas, forming her own system of beliefs on slavery. While living in Ohio she took a short journey to Kentucky where she met Calvin Stowe, a minister and professor who also felt slavery was wrong. After a brief courtship they were married. Stowe thought herself lucky because Calvin encouraged her writing because Harriet sometimes earned money to supplement his income. Little did Calvin know but not only would Harriets Uncle Toms Cabin supplement their income, but become the majority of it for years to come. After the success of her book she became a celebrity and was invited to parties, given audiences with monarchs in other countries, and even a private meeting with President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. During their meeting on Uncle Toms Cabin, Lincoln was rumored to have said, "So this is the little lady who started this big war!" While far from being the actual cause of the war she certainly fanned the flames of the anti-slavery movement and drove many Christians to see the evil in slavery. Later books she wrote did not do quite as we...

Death Penalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Death Penalty - Essay Example Examining the use of the death penalty, historical attributes and the different viewpoints shows that there are controversies that allow the penalty to continue to be practiced within society. The concept of the death penalty is one which continues to remain questionable, specifically because of the moral implications which are associated with this. Despite the debates, the penalty continues to be practiced within this time frame. The problem which is now arising is based on the intent of murder as well as the question of whether a life should be taken from an individual. The several debates show that there isn’t a way to justify the death penalty and the reason to kill an individual because of the crimes committed. The questions that arise from the debates as well as the problems which are continuing to arise with the circumstances within the death penalty are some of the many reasons that the death penalty is one which can’t be attributed or practiced in society. The death penalty first began in the United States in the 17th and 18th centuries when colonialism was still functioning as the main structure in society. The most common reasons for the death penalty ranged from treason to murder, burglary, counterfeiting or arson. The American colonies justified this because of the smaller communities which were trying to build and the several problems which arose when the communities were hindered by the difficulties which arose. The punishment system was also not in place, making the death penalty a reasonable option to stop the crimes in the community and to ensure that there were controls on those who committed crimes within the region. It was also known that the political and religious traditions were developing in a more conservative manner, which led to little debate over the death penalty and the approaches which many took when looking at the purpose used for this type of punishment. It wasn’t until the development of the United States at later time frames and in relation to the growth of prison systems that the alterations were made within the system (Banner, 2003). The death penalty is currently practiced by 34 states and is prohibited by 16 states. Out of these states, there were 1260 executions which were performed between the years of 1976 to 2011. It is noted that there are racial differences with those who are tried with the decision to face the death penalty with 56% being white, 7% Hispanic, 35% black and 2% other. It was also noted that there were frequent patterns between the race and the death penalty with the race of the victim and the race of the defendant making a difference in the number of executions which were performed by each state. Other demographics which are associated with this are inclusive of juveniles, which include 22 youth that have faced the death penalty, as well as several which have faced the death penalty while being diagnosed with mental illness. It has also been found that an av erage of 130 individuals was released from prison since 1973. They were tried for the death penalty and were later found as innocent (Death Penalty Info, 2011). The complexity with the death penalty first comes from the other facts that are based on the penalty and its effectiveness. The penalty was first used as a control for prisoners and as a way to stop individuals from causing complexities

Discuss how the treaties might relate to custom, as well as the Assignment

Discuss how the treaties might relate to custom, as well as the alleged existence of hierarchy among the sources of internationa - Assignment Example International law consists of the rules and principles of general application dealing with the conduct of States and of international organizations in their international relations with one another and with private individuals, minority groups and transnational companies. Since there is no international legislation or parliamentary body that had the mandate of coming up with international law, the generally accepted source of the rule of law has been customary international law. It arises from the concept that these laws arise from what is considered as common practice when countries are dealing with each other. Consequently international law can only be established if there is consent by states and is enforced by means of individual or collective action of individual or collective action of other states. ... Practice alone is not adequate as was the case in the ruling of Case of the SS Lotus (1927).Secondly in has to be ‘opinio juris’ that is a belief in it being a legal obligation in the states. As the International Court of Justice put it â€Å"Not only must the acts concerned be a settled practice but they must also be such, or be carried out in such a way as to be evidence of a belief that this practice is rendered obligatory by the existence of a rule requiring it... The states concerned must feel that they are conforming to what amounts to a legal obligation2. Let’s take for example the duty for countries to give protection to ambassadors from other countries while they are on diplomatic missions within that country. This is an ancient custom which has been accepted as normal practice and a legal obligation expected of the host country. In case an ambassador is attacked in a country it would be considered as a violation of a customary international law. 3New st ates are automatically bound by the existing customary international laws. For a state to not to be bound by a rule of international customary law it must object to it during formation or become a persistent objector to it. Failure to register such an objection may lead to the state being assumed to have accepted the customary rule of law. International Convections International treaties are contracts signed between states that are legally binding to all states that are party to the treaty. The reason for which states that sign a treaty are bond to it is because there is a rule of customary international law – pacta sunt servanda- which requires all states to honour and adhere to the treaties they have signed. A state

Economical Development of Chine Literature review

Economical Development of Chine - Literature review Example From the 1979 to 2005, the GDP of China has grown at an average of 9.6% annually (Morrison, 2006, p.3). At this pace at the end of the year 2010 China has became the second largest economy of the world after the United States. Before the year, the economy of Japan was the second largest economy. During the financial crisis, the export business of Japan has decreased but in the other hand the manufacturing industry of China has grown. The pace of economic growth of China has made the analysts to forecast that China will replace the United States as the largest economy of the world (BBC, 2011). The economic prosperity of a country can measure by the per capita personal income of the people of the country, the employment growth of the country, the population growth of the country, the average educational qualification of the people of the country (Muskegon Area Sustainability Coalition, 2012). For developing a country, it is necessary to develop all the parameters, which has mentioned e arlier by the researcher. Therefore, for developing all these parameters the banks and the government have to take necessary steps like to form some policies, which would help to increase the income of the fellow citizens. China has taken such steps for improving the financial condition of the people and the country. In the decade of 1960 and 1970s, the banks acted as the cahier of the Chinese government. There was no equity market that time in China. In the decade of 1980s, two major reforms changed the structure of the Chinese economy. The commercial banking function of the country has separated from the central banking function. The mono-banking system of the country also broke by the government. There are three tiers in the banking system. The first tier of the banking system comprises of the policy banks of China, which includes the Agricultural Development Bank, Import and Export bank and the state development banks. The objective of these banks is to provide the needed financ e to the government for various projects. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, Construction Bank of China and Bank of China are among the second tier banks of China. During the reform period, the second tier banks have provided a large amount of loan to the government and the people also. The third tier banks of China include Huaxia bank, Shenzhen Development Bank, Pudong Development Bank, which are the regional banks of China, and the main financer of the state owned enterprises. There are also the financial institutions like the urban credit cooperatives and the rural credit cooperatives. The third tier banks and the non-banking financial institutions of China are more profit-oriented organizations. The loan rate of these organizations is more flexible and they are not there to lend to the government like the first and second tier banks. The first and second tier banks i.e. the policy banks and the four main banks (which are of the second tier) owne d by the central government completely, where, the third tier banks are owned by the states, or the large state owned enterprises or they owned by multiple shareholders. From the year 2001, the Chinese government has agreed to list minority stakes of the commercial bank in the stock market and the stakes are there for the foreign investors. Though it has been reported that the development was not so successful; but

Total And Viable Counts Of Microorganisms Biology Essay

Total And Viable Counts Of Microorganisms Biology Essay The term microorganisms also called microbes refer to small tiny single celled organisms usually not visible to the naked eye. Microorganisms require magnification for proper visualization and resolution of their structure. These involve use of microscopes or magnifying lens with appropriate level of magnification (Tortora, Funke and Case 1995). Microorganisms are found in all living things all over the world i.e. plants and animals. They exist in a variety of habitats. They can live in air, on land or in water both fresh and salty. The three main classes of microorganisms are bacteria, fungi and viruses. Different microorganisms have different effects. Some are harmful while others are beneficial. Pathogenic and spoilage microbes cause diseases and food spoilage respectively thus referred to as harmful microorganisms. We also have others that are needed by living things to survive and they are termed as beneficial microbes (Tortora, Funke and Case 1995). Microbes are classified either by placing them in prokaryote or eukaryote group or by classifying them according to the temperature in their surrounding environment where they are classified as thermophilic microbes (thermophiles), mesophilic microbes (mesophiles) or psychrophilic microbes (psychrophiles). Thermophilic microbes are those microbes that grow well in high temperatures above the human body temperature. Mesophilic microbes are those that grow well in temperatures equal to that of human body while psychrophililic microbes are those that grow well in low temperatures below that of human body (Jaggi 1985). Like any other living organism, microbes reproduce for enhancement of their species. They reproduce by means of either sexual or asexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction occurs by mating of a male and a female while asexual reproduction is by cell division either by mitosis, meiosis or binary fission. 3. Counting of microorganisms. Micro-organisms can be counted. They need to be detected first before being counted. There are several techniques involved when counting microbes. One or more of the following techniques may be used when counting microbes. Direct counting techniques can be used. The oldest of these is microscopy which involves magnification of individual cells to become visible to the naked eye. Direct counting techniques do not rely on cell population growth. A more recent of the direct counting techniques involves use of immunofluorescence and epifluorescence adaptations of cell labeling used in conjunction with cytometry. In both technologies, the trigger for a count is derived from single cells (Diaper et al. 1992). We also have culture techniques that rely on growth of microbes to a level where they are visible. This is done under specific conditions of temperature, oxygen, time and nutrients among others. The last technique employed is that of reporter assays which asses the population of microbes through their metabolic activities. The population does not necessarily have to be growing. Examples of such techniques include conductance, colorimetry, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and turbidometry (Bowden 1977). Counting of microorganisms can be done by different methods. In most cases the sample to be counted is first diluted to avoid overwhelming the whole counting procedure. However in some cases, the sample may be too dilute to give the required minimum count to be able to estimate the microbial population of that sample. In such cases, concentration of the sample is carried out. Counting can be done by use of a slide and a cover slip. A drop of the diluted sample is put on the slide with a suitable agent for proper visualization of the sample. It is then covered wit a cover slip and put under a microscope and observed at a suitable magnification. The centre area can be dimensioned with etched grids. The number of microbes in the grids is multiplied by the dilution factor to get the number in the original sample (Black 1996). The Petri dish count is where the sample is diluted to a point where the colonies will be statistically significant to be counted but not so many to overgrow each other. This method takes time for the individual cells to grow into colonies. The colonies counted are multiplied by the dilution factor to get the number in the original sample. The results here are expressed in colony forming units per milliliter i.e. CFU/ML. The time taken for the cells to grow into individual colonies is called the incubation period. Counting of microbes is important as it enables us estimate the microbial population in a variety of products (Breeuwer et al. 1994). 4. Total count. Total count is also termed as standard plate count or colony count. It gives the total number of microbes both viable and non-viable. All cells are counted. These include bacteria, yeasts and moulds. It is usually done by pour plate method. Total count generally requires employment of a microscope. For instance, when determining total microbial count in water by pour plate, a known volume of water is mixed with molten yeast-malt extract agar and given time to solidify. This is done on several plates. One set of plates are incubated at 37Â °C for about 24 hours and the other set of plates are incubated at 20-22Â °C for 3 days. You will find that most bacteria capable of growth in water do so well at 22Â °C than at higher temperatures. While the microbes that grow well at 37Â °C will not grow very well in water. This means that the two types of microorganisms need to be counted differently since they differ in their growth pattern. In this case, carrying out of total count on water is beneficial in several ways (Paulse, Jackson and Khan 2007). It helps to evaluate the efficiency of certain water treatment processes like coagulation, flocculation and disinfection. It also gives an indication of the level of cleanliness of the water distribution system. It can also be used it d etermine the suitability of water supply to firms where food and drinks are prepared on large scale. Total count is achieved either by use of direct or indirect counts. One method of direct count is the use of a haemocytometer. A haemocytometer is a specialized microscope slide important in cell counting. The central part of this slide has etched grids with precisely spaced lines to enable accurate counting. In order to get an accurate count in this method, the cell number should range between 40 to 70 cells in a one mm square. If this requirement is not met, necessary adjustments by either dilution or concentration are done as necessary (Rapposch, Zangerl and Ginzinger 2000). In indirect counts, one method is by use of a colorimeter. As the microorganisms grow with time, they make the agar more and more turbid. This turbidity can be measured by use of a colorimeter where optical density is measured. The greater the optical density the greater the number of microbes (Breeuwer et al. 1995). There is also a measure of dry weight. This method involves centrifugation followed by weighing to get the dry weight. The limitation of this method is that cells are destroyed The other indirect count method involves the use of a coulter counter. A coulter counter is a probe which measures variation in conductivity of a solution as a bacteria passes through a narrow gap (Daley 1979). The advantage of direct and indirect counts is that the process can be automated but the disadvantage is that they can not differentiate dead cells from living ones. 5. Viable count. Viable cont involves counting of colonies produced by only viable cells under favorable growth conditions. This can be accomplished by techniques like pour plating, spread plating and most probable number with an assumption that each and every viable cell gives rise to a pure colony. (Black 1996). In pour plating, the liquid media and the diluted sample are poured together in Petri dishes while still in liquid form and left to solidify. After solidifying, the Petri dishes are incubated at appropriate temperature for the required period of time during which the growth is realized. The plates are then removed and distinct colonies counted and expressed in colony forming units per ml. In spread plating, the media is prepared separately and poured in Petri dishes while still in liquid form. It is then left to solidify. After solidifying, a small known volume from the diluted sample is put to each Petri dish and with the help of a sterilized spreading rod, the sample is evenly spread over the media. The plates are then incubated at an appropriate temperature for a given period during which growth is realized. The plates are then taken for counting of colonies using magnifying lens (Black 1996). Colonies grown in Petri dishes by various methods excluding streaking method may be used to estimate the count of viable microbes since plate counts assume that every colony is founded by a single cell and that the cell must have been alive to grow and form that colony. Problems with plate counts are several. They require a long time of incubation to be able to visualize the colonies. Clumping of cells can lead to undercounting of viable cells. Cases of too many or too few colonies on a plate to accurately estimate viable count are common. Serial dilution is often required to prevent cases of overcrowding of cells. Too few cells require concentration by either centrifugation or filtration. In a case where too few colonies are present then the original culture must be concentrated before determining the plate count. Filtration is a method used to concentrate microorganisms by sieving microbes out of the medium. Centrifugation is also a separation method based on the density. This helps separate the microbes from the medium since both have different densities (Pettipher, Mansell, McKinnon and Cousins 1980). . In serial dilution, increments are made in 1000, 100, or 10. The number of dilutions to be done depends on the concentration of the original solution and the required concentration. The volume of the solution needed is also vital. If small quantities of solutions are needed then greater numbers of dilutions are necessary. Serial dilution allows small aliquots to be diluted instead of unnecessary big volumes of materials. When carrying out serial dilution, a small amount of original sample is removed to another container and its volume adjusted to original volume using a suitable buffer or distilled water e.g. if 1ml of the original solution is taken and 10Â µL removed and put in 990Â µL of media or water then we will have made a 1:100 dilution. If the original solution contained 5 x 106 cells/mL then we now have a concentration of 5 x 104cells/mL because we have divided the concentration by 100 (Pettipher, Mansell, McKinnon and Cousins 1980). Another method of determining approximate viable count is by use of most probable number. This method involves diluting the growth cultures and then growing the dilution cultures in broth tubes. This method is useful where it is beneficial to use broth other than solid media especially for highly motile organisms which are poor in forming colonies. The most probable number method is mostly used when the organism in question is not able to grow on solid agar or in situations where the microorganisms are too few to give reliable measure of population size by the standard plate count method (Black 1996). The advantage of viable count is that the method can be made very sensitive and that one can be able to count subsets of population. However the disadvantage is that sometimes the colony forming units may underestimate the number of cells because of clumping or chains of cells. It is also time consuming as the counts require at least few hours or overnight for incubation (Bowden 1977). Viable count of microbes is mostly applicable in food processing industries mostly dairy and meat processing plants where microbiology is most applicable. It helps in estimation of shelf life of processed food products as well as evaluation of sanitary conditions under which the products were manufactured. The efficiency of certain treatment processes like pasteurization, sterilization and cold storage done during production is also evaluated by viable microbial count. 6. Conclusion. Total and viable counts of microorganisms are important practices in microbiology applicable in fields of medicine, food among others. The main difference between the two is that total count determines the count of all cells both dead and alive while viable count estimate the number of viable or live cells only capable of growing into distinct colonies.

The Temptation of St. Pigsy, final paper :: essays research papers

Cacophonous Interpretations of the Buddhism is one of the prominent and influential religions and philosophies of the world. A basic tenet of Buddhism is that worldly desires and possessions cause all suffering. To absolve one’s self of necessities beyond basic human survival is one of the many plateaus that Buddhists strive to achieve. Furthermore, Buddhists free themselves from temptation via seclusion from society and attempt to allow nature to support them. They believe that Nirvana, the ascension to heaven, can be achieved by freeing oneself of earthly desires. A young prince named Siddartha, who grew up rich and happy, founded the religion. One day during his travels, he saw three things that immensely impressed him, to the point of changing his whole life: a cadaver, a baby being born and a beggar. Through this experience he concluded that human suffering is caused by the desire to possess; that the sacredness of human life was tarnished by material wants, and by possessions that could so easily be taken away from their owner. The beggar was poor because the rich did not provide him with the basic necessities or because he spent his time doing things that prevented him from supporting himself. The cadaver’s death could have been prevented depending on the cause of death in many different ways, and the infant, being brought into the world, was to have a life of poverty due to the fact that his mother and father gave in to the natural, worldly desire of sexual intercourse. Throughout history, many works of literature have been written about these notions. Saint Pigsey, the main character in Wu Ch’eng-en’s â€Å"The Temptation of Saint Pigsy,† is a demonstration of the difficulties encountered on the road to the achievement of Buddhist Salvation. Pigsy is a disciple of the Buddhist master Tripitaka. Tripitaka, Pigsy and two other disciples, Monkey and Sandy, were on their way to the West. Pigsy still has worldly desires: he is carrying a large baggage which contains possessions which he deems necessary for his comfort, but bitterly complaining because of its weight, and seeks to stop at a comfortable estate to sleep. Any person who is new to a religion experiences temptations to break its rules. This was one of those times for Pigsy and he insisted that the group stop there. Monkey and the others come along but proclaim that nature is their home and that the house is a symbol of human desire.