The Irrationality of Existence Essay -- Literature, Gilgamesh

One of the nearly fascinating traits of existence is the tendency to reflect and to create art on the basis of that reflection. In the days before writing, hollow paintings and the oral tradition of storytelling demonstrated ways that lot expressed their feelings taking the time later(prenominal) winning, even if only briefly, the struggle against the demands of subsistence to leave a yield behind, for posterity. Even the earliest recorded examples of literature, such as The Epic of Gilgamesh, poignantly express the struggles that humanity faced when dealing with such abstractions like mortality and grief. The most recent bestseller books published last week whitethorn have cooler cover art and use figurative language more intricately than that past poem. But the anger and grief that Gilgamesh felt after a snake ate the plant of immortality was such(prenominal) greater and powerful. It was the plant he found after a long and bloody journey. Because of one inattentive mome nt when he stopped to take a quick dip in a pool, he lost it to the snake. The absurdity of life comes into high eternal rest at this moment, and while the writings of Samuel Beckett, Joseph Heller and Sylvia Plath are just some of the many that express the same theme, none will be displayed more vividly than. Giovanni Boccaccios Decameron, Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, and Michael Seigneur de Montaignes Of Experience also mirror the irrationality of existence. These books put forward that what is important in life, and what gives life meaning is much more than what we are able to accumulate and acquire during our time on the planet it is how we respond to what hamlet would term the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (Shakespeare).The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio was write in the 1350s... ...es. Throughout European history, such movements as the Age of Reason and the Romantic Era stand for different schools of thought as the way to mark happiness and contentment in lif e. Boccaccio, Shelley, and Montaigne are just three of the many writers who have taken on this idea as a theme. Ironically, there may be as many answers to the question of finding the significance of life as the number of bulk trying to answer it. Works CitedBoccaccio, Giovanni, and George H. MacWilliam. The Decameron. Harmondsworth, Middlesex Penguin, 2003. Print. Montaigne, Michel De. Of Experience. Essays By Michel De Montaigne 633-88. Print.Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Web. Retrieved 4 December 2011 from http//www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/hamlet/Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Joseph Pearce. Frankenstein. San Francisco Ignatius, 2008. Print. The Irrationality of Existence Essay -- Literature, GilgameshOne of the most fascinating traits of humanity is the tendency to reflect and to create art on the basis of that reflection. In the days before writing, cave paintings and the oral tradition of storytelling demonstrated ways that people expressed their feelings taking the time after winning, even if only briefly, the struggle against the demands of subsistence to leave a product behind, for posterity. Even the earliest recorded examples of literature, such as The Epic of Gilgamesh, poignantly express the struggles that humanity faced when dealing with such abstractions like mortality and grief. The most recent bestseller books published last week may have cooler cover art and use figurative language more intricately than that ancient poem. But the anger and grief that Gilgamesh felt after a snake ate the plant of immortality was much greater and powerful. It was the plant he found after a long and bloody journey. Because of one careless moment when he stopped to take a quick dip in a pool, he lost it to the snake. The absurdity of life comes into high relief at this moment, and while the writings of Samuel Beckett, Joseph Heller and Sylvia Plath are just some of the many that express the same theme, none will be displayed more v ividly than. Giovanni Boccaccios Decameron, Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, and Michael Seigneur de Montaignes Of Experience also mirror the irrationality of existence. These books suggest that what is important in life, and what gives life meaning is much more than what we are able to accumulate and acquire during our time on the planet it is how we respond to what Hamlet would term the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune (Shakespeare).The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio was written in the 1350s... ...es. Throughout European history, such movements as the Age of Reason and the Romantic Era represented different schools of thought as the way to find happiness and contentment in life. Boccaccio, Shelley, and Montaigne are just three of the many writers who have taken on this idea as a theme. Ironically, there may be as many answers to the question of finding the significance of life as the number of people trying to answer it. Works CitedBoccaccio, Giovanni, and George H. MacWilliam . The Decameron. Harmondsworth, Middlesex Penguin, 2003. Print. Montaigne, Michel De. Of Experience. Essays By Michel De Montaigne 633-88. Print.Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Web. Retrieved 4 December 2011 from http//www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/hamlet/Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Joseph Pearce. Frankenstein. San Francisco Ignatius, 2008. Print.