In both the Epic of Gilgamesh and The Story of Job, we saw and read about intense suffering. But what does suffering mean? In my opinion, suffering means the reaction or aftermath of a terrible situation - death, loss, etc. It is what one experiences and goes through when they have been wronged and/or hurt. Suffering is seen and represented in many forms in today's world. For example, the suffering that occurs after a natural disaster. A person who is suffering from that has lost everything or something very precious to them, whether that be a family member, friend, loved one, etc. Suffering in this case can also be poverty, sickness, or anything that causes someone to live in a state of sadness and struggle. I feel as though we view suffering as extreme because of our understanding of the term. The dictionary describes suffering as the act to suffer, which means "to experience pain, illness, or injury; something unpleasant; and to become worse by being badly affected by something". There is a very physical connotation to this, meaning that suffering is visible and tangible. In both the Epic of Gilgamesh and The Story of Job, we see that suffering is not always physical. In both stories, suffering is spiritual and emotional, tied to the physical suffering.
The story of Job incorporates the idea of suffering, probably in the worst sense. God allows the Adversary to test Job's faith. Therefore, everything is taken away from Job - his children, and all his material/agricultural possessions. When he refuses to curse God, a sign of trust, God allows the Adversary to test him one more time by covering Job in open sores. Job suffers with pain, loss, and death to the extreme. Then, in the second story, the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh experiences the death of his friend, Enkidu. This is an example of emotional pain. Also, in Gilgamesh, the gods unleash a flood on the people of earth because of their noise. This is an example of suffering in that it is the destruction of humankind. These two stories are very good examples of my definition of suffering as well as the dictionary's. It shows that suffering is not always physical, but also emotional. It is not always something that is visible to the naked eye, but rather it can be something that a person experiences deep within themselves. You could be suffering from depression, or loss for lack of better examples, and no one would be the wiser. Or, you could have cancer and your suffering would be very visible. The only distinction between the two is the concept of sight. I think that Job and Gilgamesh deal with issues such as death and loss in real ways and are great examples of suffering in both senses (physical and emotional).
I like how you highlighted the differences between emotional and physical suffering, and how they are experienced in both stories. Don't you think however, that both kinds appear in both stories. They definitely both go through emotional suffering, and while Gilgamesh's physical suffering doesn't compare to that of Job, he does go through many intense physical ordeals that could be considered physical suffering.
ReplyDeleteNice post!
Abby,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your perspective about suffering in Gilgamesh and the Story of Job. I fully agree with your definitions of suffering. I guess that my question now would be "why does all of this matter?" We talk about suffering, but we can learn from these stories about how to bring resilience and strength into our own lives. My impressions from these stories is that resilience is necessary to overcoming hardship. Each and everyone of us experiences it. While I won't go into detail about what I think we should learn, I think that taking a broader perspective is important.
In many ways the reason they are suffering is because they have power. Suffering in general can also be in the form of losing material goods. But this brings up the question of if grief can be from material goods, or only when losing a living being. The suffering both experience can also be a good way to show the differences in responses to loss, not only in reaction but in then things lost themselves.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAbby,
ReplyDeleteI like how you started off your post with what you believe suffering is and connecting it to our world. It was an insightful introduction. I also agree with Taylor, as I like how you mentioned and discussed both mental and physical suffering, and how you highlighted the differences of the two. I believe the suffering in both these stories is all about overcoming hardship and learning how to never give up and to have faith in yourself.