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the miracle worker themeswilliam gibson

themes and meanings

(comprehensive guide to drama)

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there are two central themes in  the miracle worker: that the human spirit can triumph over even the most daunting of disabilities and that a dedicated teacher can transform the lives of those with whom he or she comes into contact. these inspirational themes have long been personified in the widely known true-life relationship between helen keller and annie sullivan, but  the miracle worker  also dramatizes collateral issues that extend beyond the particular case. underlying helen’s process of learning basic principles of what annie terms “obedience” (decorum, etiquette, and hygiene), there are more universal lessons of self-governance—the inculcation of self-restraint instead of willfulness, the development of self-discipline instead of self-indulgence. only when these lessons have been mastered can helen begin to acquire language—which, annie says, “is to the mind more than light is to the eye.”

gilgamesh is a hero by birth as the epic explains it. in the epic the birth is explained in the way which tells us that gilgamesh’s creation was made perfect by the contribution of various god and that signifies the goal in his life, which was to become a hero and save mankind. an example from the text says. "the glorious sun shamash bestowed upon him glory; adad the terrible god of storms bestowed upon him courage. the great gods perfected his magnificence beyond all others, terrible like the great wild bull. two thirds god they made him; one third man they made him." a man born with superhuman qualities and partly god is destined to be a hero.

the heroic deeds carried by him later in his life also prove the heroic character of gilgamesh. for example hi battle with the ultimate beast humbaba is a proof of his bravery and characteristic heroism. gilgamesh was warned about the beast as the text says about humbaba “whose roar is a flood, whose mouth is fire, whose breath is death". but with the superhuman strength gilgamesh did the job