“We can suppose that early (very early) people were dancing, chanting and pounding away with stones and sticks. And there music and dance! It is hard to imagine, however, that some form of literature did not happen along with these other arts.” (Janaro & Altshuler 2017)pg69
It is also hard to imagine any form of literature without a language. Now I don’t think these primitive humans went without a form of communication but, I wouldn’t say it was anything past basic communication. I don’t think they could express emotions with such basic language which I think is a necessity for any form of literature.
“Enkidu finally dies in the story, but Gilgamesh lives on, undefeated, and still a mortal problem for the immortal gods. Was the author saying that even though kindness is a necessary element in the human personality it is less likely to outlast aggressiveness.”pg71 (Janaro & Altshuler 2017)
I think that during the time this was written around 2100 BC aggressiveness was viewed as strength. While kindness was viewed as being weak. I think that what the author was trying to say is while humans are both kind and aggressive the aggressive trait is the more favorable. I also think aggressiveness is viewed differently during this age not as warmongering but, the ability to adequately make war thus protecting your people.
“Does evil fascinate even as it terrifies?”pg84 (Janaro & Altshuler 2017)
The best example of evil fascinating people is the case of Ted Bundy. Sociopath turned mass murderer who captivated America with his charm. His story is terrifying yet, Americans are drawn to it because of the uniqueness of evil. Terrifying in the number of women he killed fascinating in the way he went seemed to live two lives. There have been countless shows that go in depth in the Ted Bundy murders which, further proves how fascinating such an evil man could be. I also think that what is so fascinating about evil is how much it terrifies us.
Citations:
Janaro, R. P., & Altshuler, T. C. (2017). The art of being human: the humanities as a technique for living (10th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
