User:Mikaelaoa/sandbox

GILGAMESH

Gilgamesh was a king of Uruk, Mesopotamia.

The main character in the Epic of Gigamesh, which is an Akkadian poem, often said to be the very first great literature work. (Wiki)

The actual statue conveys the concept of power and strength from first glance.

When looking closer, we realize this is because of his size, which is much bigger than the average man. Gilgamesh also has very large hands which are almost disproportionate to his body. He is also holding a small lion, presumably a lion that has sharp claws and is relatively powerful. This further brings across the idea that Gilgamesh was indeed a very powerful man.

But why would the author want to convey this message to the audience? To put into context, we could imagine the statue was erected at the time when Gilgamesh was still a king. It could be for a few reasons; possibly to establish leadership over his lesser class subjects. Another could that he was made powerful in order to scare away any enemies. People across the land would have been talking about this powerful statue, so even it one had not seen it in person, they would know what kind of man Gilgamesh was (as conveyed by the author).

The Gilgamesh statue's ethos would have been admirable when it was erected; to create such a magnificent thing would have taken much time, effort and money. This makes the statue (and Gilagamesh) seem credible, and strengthens the 'power' image the author has created.

This statue would have, to a certain extent, instilled fear in enemies and possibly even subjects of a lesser class than Gilgamesh (pathos). After viewing this statue, one would certainly not like to meet Gilgamesh in battle! This could cause enemies to stay away from Gilgamesh and not act on any hostile feelings they may have (for any reason) toward him and/or his subjects and kingdom.

Kairos: I don't think that the statue of Gilgamesh has a massive impact on people of this time; as he is very out of context. Possibly if the statue was erected when Gilgamesh was still alive, and in the correct place, it would have had the most effect on viewers.

I also feel that the placing of the statue in Sydney University is not really suited to him; there are more striking places he could be that would have a bigger effect on viewers' emotions and give him more appeal.