The article chosen for this analysis was written by Zhu & Zheng (2020) and focuses on the connection between the Epic of Gilgamesh and the COVID-19 Pandemic. The article is divided into three sections; the first section summarizes Gilgamesh’s adventures and his journey to self-discovery (Zhu & Zheng, 2020). In the second part of the article, the authors attempt to view this work through the lens of constructivism, and discuss their main thesis. This thesis is based on the idea of Gilgamesh’s self-narrative being transformed by the traumatic events he experiences throughout the course of the story. For example, when his friend Enkidu falls ill and dies, Gilgamesh faces the reality of death for the first time (Zhu & Zheng, 2020). This, in turn, makes him think about his own death and vulnerability.
However, he does not accept these frustrating aspects of life at first. This happens only when he meets the wise Utnapishtim and faces another life-changing event (Zhu & Zheng, 2020). Similar to Gilgamesh, people and the whole communities around the world have changed their self-narratives and learned to accept traumatic experiences as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the third section of the article is devoted to the implications these conclusions can have in the future. For example, the authors state that it can help practitioners to understand the pervasive effect the pandemic has had on their patients’ lives and take this knowledge into account when developing treatment.
Personally, I have found this article’s thesis and main ideas engaging and convincing. First, I did see the connection between the changing self-narrative of Gilgamesh and the transformations that occurred in many people’s lives during the pandemic. Moreover, similar to Gilgamesh, communities around the globe have demonstrated different responses to this shocking and traumatic event. While some failed to take efficient measures to address the problem, others used fear and shock to introduce changes that allowed mitigating the risks posed by it.
Works Cited
Zhu, P., & Zheng, Y. (2020). Constructivist retelling of the epic of Gilgamesh: Implications for the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 34(3), 245-253.