This pages is dedicated to helping students taking an English class that uses the Elements of Literature Sixth Course textbook. Usually, these students are high school seniors.
Poetry Guides
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English Restoration & Bloodless Revolution
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John Donne “Song” Translation
Do these impossible tasks:
Catch a falling star.
Get a human looking plant pregnant.
Time travel.
Find out who split the devil’s hoof.
Teach me to hear mythological mermaids.
Teach me to never get jealous.
Find wind that helps honest people.
Find strange things especially things that are invisible.
Look for them for 27 years until you’re old with white hair.
Then come back to me and you’ll be able to verify that no true (faithful)
woman exists, especially not one that is fair (beautiful).
If you find a faithful woman, let me know.
It will have been worth the journey to find one.
Actually, never mind. I would not go to see her.
Even if she lived next door, I would not go to see her.
Even though she was faithful when you met her,
and she was still faithful when you wrote a letter to me about her.
By the time I go to see her, she will
be false (unfaithful) and have had sex with two or three men.
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Gilgamesh Summary
King Gilgamesh tells his best friend Enkidu not to worry about death since all men die anyways. Gilgamesh says he will go ahead of Enkidu on their quest to fight the monster Humbaba who lives in a forest of cedar trees. He says to get weapons ready quickly because he is impatient.
Then Gilgamesh and Enkidu go to the Uruk marketplace where the elders are talking about the Humbaba. Gilgamesh tells the elders that he will kill Humbaba, even though the gods want Humbaba to continue living and serving them. He looks forward to the fight because he does not want to become soft like the young men who have not been in any recent fights.
The elders fondly remember the excitement of the wars of their youth. Even though the hunt for Humbaba is dangerous, they encourage Gilgamesh and call Enkidu a coward. Gilgamesh tells Enkidu that the votes for going now out number Enkidu’s vote against going. Despite the excitement, Gilgamesh notices a look of pain on Enid’s face. Enkidu is about to cry and says that the elders are only encouraging the quest because they have never had to do something so dangerous.
Once the weapons arrive, the elders bless the mission. The people say Enkidu should lead the way since he knows the forests. The people also hope the god Shamash will bring them victory.
Gilgamesh and Enkidu reach the gate at the edge of the forest. Humbaba’s watchman sees them and sounds the alarm. This scares Gilgamesh, but Enkidu bravely encourages him… until Enkidu touches the gate and his hand goes numb which totally freaks him out. Gilgamesh tells Enkidu to get over it and leads the way. However, Enkidu is so scared that he cannot even speak.
They are amazed by the green mountain where Humbaba lives and excited to go on the path where no man has gone before. They refer to the area as “Hell,” “Paradise,” and “The Dark.” Night comes, so they find shelter.
The two men have a hard time sleeping. Enkido feel alone. To emphasize how bad the feeling is, the narrator rambles on about how people who do not feel alone comfort each other. Enkido sees visions of monsters. These monsters are fiercer than any creature he has seen before. This is significant because, before he lost his virginity to a prostitute, Enkido was able to speaks with animals and pretty much lived with them in the forests. Then Enkidu screams for the monsters to leave him alone, but he cannot hear his own voice. Enkidu literally becomes paralyzed with fear.
Next, Gilgamesh wakes up and tells Enkidu about his dream about them being trapped by a rock slide. In the dream, only Gilgamesh is saved. Enkidu interprets this dream and tells Gilgamesh it means he will be victorious. However, Enkidu realizes it also means death for himself. Oblivious to Enkidu’s fears, Gilgamesh goes back to sleep.
Again, Gilgamesh awakes. He feels like the gods had passed over him, making him numb. He tells Enkidu about another dream he had. In this dream, the heavens are on fire and death rains down in a lightening storm. Then the lightening stops, and the rain turns to ashes. Enkidu says this means Gilgamesh will be victorious.
At sunrise, Gilgamesh starts chopping down cedar trees. Humbaba hears this and runs down the path. This scares Gilgamesh who calls to Shamash for help. The winds come and beat up the powerful Humbaba, which causes Gilgamesh and Enkidu to start to pity him. During this hesitation, Humababa attacks Enkidu, and Gilgamesh watches while paralyzed with fear. While on the verge of death, Enkidu lunges at Humbaba. Humbaba falls, and this snaps Gilgamesh out of his daze. Gilgamesh raises his ax over Humbaba’s head, as Humbaba pleas for his life. Humbaba offers to become Gilgamesh’s servant. Gilgamesh likes this idea, but Enkidu yells out not to trust Humbaba. Then Gilgamesh cus Humbaba’s neck and decapitates the monster.
That night, Gilgamesh checks on Enkidu’s injuries as they peacefully rest under the stars. Meanwhile, Humbaba’s head hangs in a tree.
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