Overview & Instructions For this week's discussion board, read the following brief article, which argues that the Epic of Gilgamesh remains relevant to readers' lives even today: * Lessons from a Demigod (Philip Freeman, Humanities – National

The Epic of Gilgamesh
Submission Requirements
* Initial Post: Minimum 250 words
* Classmate Response: Minimum 75 words
* Deadlines are as follows:
* Initial post due by Thursday, September 3rd at 11:59 p.m.
* Classmate response due by Sunday, September 6th at 11:59 p.m.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. For specifics on the criteria I will use when grading your submission, see the discussion board grading rubric.
Overview & Instructions
For this week's discussion board, read the following brief article, which argues that the Epic of Gilgamesh remains relevant to readers' lives even today:
* Lessons from a Demigod (Philip Freeman, Humanities – National Endowment for the Arts)
Optional: You might also skim through the version of the epic that I have included in this week's notes: The Epic of Gilgamesh (Translated by Maureen Gallery Kovacs; Electronic Edition by Wolf Carnahan, 1998)
Once you feel that you have a firm grasp of the epic's content and characters, particularly its titular character, Gilgamesh, the (semi?) mythical King of Uruk, consider the following:
In "Lessons from a Demigod," Philip Freeman tells his students "that almost every joy and sorrow they will face in life was revealed in Gilgamesh millennia before they were born. Reading Gilgamesh will not only teach them to
face the challenges that lie ahead, but also give them an appreciation for the idea that no matter how much our modern world might seem different from earlier times, the essence of the human experience remains the
same." He provides numerous examples from Gilgamesh throughout his article to support this, but I would like you to further reflect on Freeman's assertions. You can agree, disagree, develop a sort of middle of the line
argument, agree with some parts but dispute others, etc.
Essentially, the question I'm asking you to answer in this week's discussion is:
* Do you agree with Freeman's argument on the continued relevance of the Epic of Gilgamesh? Why/why not?
Regardless of the stance you take, be sure to support your discussion with evidence and specific examples. There's no need to use outside sources or Al for this assignment.
Don't forget to include both an initial post that fully addresses the prompt and at least one substantive classmate response.