Gilgamesh vs. Sunjata

One thing I noticed when reading these two stories is that they are both epics, therefore they have many things in common. First of all just like in Gilgamesh, Sunjata himself goes on an epic journey and later returns back to his home. Sunjata definitely shows that he is way more mature that Gilgamesh, as far as a ruler goes, and he shows this maturity through his actions. One thing that was a little questionable to be was when Sunjata decided to cut his calf off just to help his companion Bala. Also there is some similarity in the two epics between the role that women play. In both of these stories, considering the time period women were both treated to follow the man, and live in the shadow of man. In the epic of Sunjata, Sunjata is a great king and many people look up to him, as well as his wife. Another similarity between the epic of Gilgamesh and the epic of Sunjata is the tole that nature plays. In the epic of Gilgamesh nature is seen as pure and powerful, and it is viewed the same way in Sunjata. For example, the tree is hard to split and it splits from the top to the bottom, showing the purity of nature and how powerful nature can be and how much it means to the culture.


Overall this was a very tough read for me considering the culture and the difficulty of pronouncing the names and terms. This is understanding because of the time period as well as the culture, and I found this as the most difficult to read and interpret to this date.

The Tale Of Genji

I find this specific story to be quite interesting from a man's perspective.  There can obviously be many opinions made about Genji, but i am here to tell you mine.  Personally, I think Genji has had too many partners, even though during his time polygamy was most popular.  He goes through women like a bag of popcorn at the movie theatres.  He take a quick look at them, and makes quick judgements on what type of person they are and if they are right for him.  I think this is very immature, because clearly you cannot look at someone and after a few moments decide they are not right for you, and that they have flaws that stick out.  Well guess what, unfortunately we are all human, and we all have flaws, and this is one of Genji's flaws.  He cannot make up his mind on a woman, and seemingly peels them apart like an orange before he even really gets to know them.
I personally think that Genji needs a role model, like Virgil in Dante's inferno to guide him through all this mess with women.  It is clear than Genji is immature, and too young for a stable long-lasting relationship.  He is extremely emotional, and gets upset over the smallest of things.  It makes me wonder how people even look up to this guy.  If Genji were around today he would have trouble living a role as a typical man in society, because in my opinion he is total opposite of guys today, and he needs to learn to grow up and settle on one woman.  Beggars can't be choosers.

Love in Present Times

The Dove's Necklace, written by Ibn Hazm, is an interesting story to read, and it caught my attention more than any of the other stories that we have read so far.  Even though the version in our text is translated, and not the original version of this poem, it still relates to what love is like, and how it is viewed today.

The Dove's Necklace reminds me of relationships today in so many ways, and is portrayed this way throughout the entire poem.  When it states "Love has certain signs which the intelligent man quickly detects and the shrewd man readily recognizes, of these first is the brooding gaze."  It continues along to discuss the signs of love.  This hold true to love today, when the first thing that is noticed is the gaze by the lover, and how much attention he pays toward her.  The second paragraph explains how when the loved one is speaking, how much attention the lover pays toward him or her.  So many times I have seen someone interested in another person, and they will laugh at all the jokes they tell even if they are not funny and they will also seem so interested in what the loved one has to say.  Later on in the poem he discusses that when lovers equally love each other, they will fight over the smallest things for no reason, and soon after they will be best friends again.  I know I have seen one of my friends fight and argue with his girlfriend on the phone one second, then a couple hours later he is as happy as can be, and everything is resolved between the two.  These characteristics hold true in my relationship as well.

Hazm, states that "the variety of love is divided into two classes: When a man falls head over heels in love with a mere form without knowing who they are, and a man that forms an attachment at first sight, with a woman that is known to him."  Focusing on the second class of love, which is usually seen more often, he makes a key point that I feel holds true even today.  When relationships progress quickly, they usually end sooner, and when they move slower, they usually last longer.  For example, people today who tell their partner that they love them after two weeks of dating usually don't stay together too long.  As for those who take their time,  and progress slowly (Waiting to say "I love you", waiting a while to have sex, and not being around each other all the time in the early stages) will usually be together longer.  There is always exceptions to this rule, as well as some bizarre cases of love, but for most this hold true.

The Pouches

I think the way the pouches are separated out is a great idea.  It shows all of the punishments, and judgements can be made based off how fair these punishments are.  The contra passo is extremely arguable based on the sin done by the sinner.  For example, the Hypocrites are punished in the inferno by wearing capes and masks and having to wear massive amounts of lead that weighs them down.  I think this punishment makes sense because someone who is a hypocrite most likely second guesses themselves leaving them with a leftover weight on their shoulder.  In The 8th circle, fourth pouch, the Divinist's or those who look into the future are punished by having to walk in a straight line forever with their heads turned around facing behind them.  I also think this punishment makes sense because instead of looking into the future and focusing on now, they are forced to look behind them, or whats in the past.  Doing this while increase the chance that they wont attempt to do this again.  The punishment may make sense, but I dont think it is fair because there is no need to punishment someone who is simply trying to predict the future.  In my opinion this isnt a sin, and therefore shoud not be punished for.

Overall I like the way that punishments and sins were divided up.  It shows that even though this was a long time ago, Dante did a pretty good job at organizing the sins, and covering a wide range of them as well.  I am impressed with the way he portrayed this with great imagery, which is why this story has been passed through many generations, and still lives on today