Critical Paper #1: due Feb 29th by 5pm

Critical Paper #1: The Finger Pointing at the Moon

“All of this effort has been not to attain personal satisfaction for you or me. It was to vindicate the honour of the Ikshavhu race and to honour our ancestors’ codes and values.” (Narayan 148).

THE RESPONSE: Are heroes in these cultures supposed to celebrate our human virtues and failings…or are they supposed to function as metaphors for divine ideals and concepts? In other words, do we read the heroes literally, as people who literally did this and did that and inspire us by their example (even if they fail in doing so), or do we read them as a symbol that leads to an idea?

Remember the Buddhist idea of the finger pointing at the moon: the finger is not the moon, it’s just a way to direct our attention to the moon. In the same way, is a hero a HAND or a MOON? What are we supposed to be looking at? This question is complicated by history and culture (removed in time and place) and by the different authors themselves, who might not completely agree with one another. It is your task to decide how we can best appreciate these heroes and understand the importance of this ancient literature.

THE SOURCES: Use both The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Ramayana to help you answer this question. You must quote from each book and use examples to illustrate your ideas about the role of heroes in ancient Non-Western culture. You can also use our next two works, the film and Rashomon, but try not to focus on these, since we’ll have time to write about them later.

ALSO, I want you to use at least 2-3 outside sources that can help broaden your perspective and understanding on heroes, Non-Western literature, or the cultures/religions in question. Some sources you might consider are:

• Other works related to Gilgamesh and Sumerian literature (such as the ones printed in the back of our book of Gilgamesh)
• Works related to Hindu spirituality, such as The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads, or The Dhammapada (in our library, and the other Honors class is using them—ask them to help you!)
• Articles or books about Gilgamesh or The Ramayana which you can find through EBSCO or in our library
• Articles or books on heroes, myths, and legends (Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, etc. are great resources—in our library)
• Films that focus on Non-Western culture and heroes/myths: there are many films of The Ramayana, for example, which you can find on-line
• REQUIREMENTS: 5-6 pages, double spaced; cite sources consistently in one style (MLA, APA, etc.); Due Monday, February 29^th by 5pm