---

Inferno Essay #7

“Nothing is accomplished without trust.”

 

This quote is very closely related to Cantos 31-34. Those found in the ninth circle of hell are guilty of treachery against those tied closely to them. In the first round of the ninth circle, those who were treacherous against their relatives are housed. These people were trusted by their relatives, but went behind their relatives’ backs and committed terrible acts against them. An example of those found in this round is Cain, who, in the bible, killed his brother Able. These people were trusted by their relatives but severely misused this trust and committed terrible acts against their relatives. This accomplished nothing.

 

In the next round of the ninth circle of hell, Dante and Virgil come upon those who have been treacherous against their country. In order for a country to work, there must be a lot of trust in different individuals throughout the country, such as the military and other government employees. An example of someone who has committed treachery against their country is Antenor, the Trojan man who went his against his country and gave information to the Greek forces during the Trojan War. Those who betray their country have committed such a terrible sin that they must spend their afterlives down in the depths of hell. A country cannot be successful with out the trust of its citizens and being able to trust its citizens.

 

Finally, in the fourth round of the ninth circle of hell, Dante and Virgil encounter the worst sinners in hell. These are those who have been treacherous against their masters. These people had the trust of someone above them, but betrayed this trust, usually in the pursuit of more power. An example of a sinner found here is Judas, who betrayed Jesus, knowing his actions would result in the death of his master. The masters completely trust those who work under them, and often rely on them completely. Undermining this trust is a terrible sin that needs to be punished to the fullest degree possible. Without being able to trust those under them, those in power cannot accomplish anything.

Inferno Essay #6

“Consider your origin; you were not born to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge.”

 

This quote sums up Dante and Virgil’s feelings towards many of the sinners presented in Cantos 26-30 very nicely, and is especially applicable to a couple of the sinners in particular. Odysseus, for example, fondly remembers his life when he says, “not fondness for my son, nor reverence for my aged father, nor Penelope’s claim to the joys of love, could drive out of my mind the lust to experience the far-flung world and the failings and felicities of mankind (Canto 26, lines 89-93).” Odysseus is considering his origin and fondly recalling what drove him to travel. His goal was to learn as much as he could about mankind throughout the world. After considering his origin, he realizes that what drove him was knowledge.

 

The line in the quote that says “you were not born to live like brutes” implies that those who lived like brutes would have to go to hell. This can be seen when the poets visit Count Guido da Montefeltro and he says, “Later, when I was dead, St. Francis came to claim my soul, but one of the Black Angels said: ‘Leave him. Do not wrong me. This one’s name went into my book the moment he resolved to give false counsel.’ (Canto 27, lines 109-113)” This quote shows that those who live like brutes by sinning will automatically land themselves in hell.

 

All people were born to follow virtue, and those who do not will be sentenced to an afterlife in hell. For example, Bertrand de Born tells how he failed to follow virtue. “It was I who set the young king on to mutiny, son against father, father against son as Achitophel set Absalom and David; and since I parted those who should be one in duty and in love, I bear my brain divided from its source within this trunk; and walk here where my evil turns to pain, an eye for an eye to all eternity: thus is the law of Hell observed in me (Canto 28, lines 134-143).” Bertrand admits to acting evilly and therefore not following a virtuous path, and realizes this is why he is sentenced to an eternity of pain. Those who do not follow virtue will have to live with the consequences of their actions.

Inferno Essay #5

“A great flame follows a little spark.”

 

This quote fits Cantos XXI-XXV very well. This quote could be taken to mean that a small situation can escalate very easily. In the fifth bolgia of the eighth circle of hell, Dante and Virgil encounter Grizzly and Hellken, two demons who are responsible for guarding and torturing the sinners. They make the small mistake of letting one prisoner go free without being tortured and then allow the situation to get out of control. “Grizzly, in a rage at the sinner’s flight, flew after Hellken, hoping the wraith would escape, so he might find an excuse to start a fight. And as soon as the grafter sank below the pitch, Grizzly turned his talons against Hellken, locked with him claw to claw above the ditch. But Hellken was sparrowhawk enough for two and clawed him well; and ripping one another, they plunged together into the hot stew (Canto 22, lines133-141).” This situation started off with just the one little spark of a sinner avoiding punishment, but it quickly turned into the great flame of an all-out brawl.

 

Another possible interpretation of this quote is that a little spark is needed to start a great flame. As Dante and Virgil are climbing out of bolgia six, Virgil says “Up on your feet! This is no time to tire! The man who lies asleep will never waken fame, and his desire (Canto 24, lines 46-48).” If a man is always lying asleep, he will never have that little spark needed to start the great flame of his desires in life.

 

When Dante and Virgil come upon the sinner Vanni Fucci in the seventh bolgia of the eighth circle of hell, they are again faced with a situation that escalates very easily. Virgil asks Fucci to tell his name and he complies. Out of revenge for being forced to tell his name, however, Fucci tells the poets an evil prophecy about Dante. Then Fucci gets angrier. “When he had finished, the thief-to his disgrace-raised his hands with both fists making figs, and cried: ‘Here, God! I throw them in your face!’ (Canto 25, lines 1-3)” This encounter, which started with the small flame of Vanni Fucci being asked his name, gets carried away until it becomes a great flame when Fucci is yelling angrily at God. “A great flame follows a little spark is very applicable throughout these Cantos in The Inferno.

Inferno Essay #4

"There is no grater sorrow than to be mindful of the happy time in misery."

 

This quote ties in directly to Cantos XVI-XX. The feelings presented in this quote can be seen through many of the characters being punished in hell in this section, such as the three Florentines Dante recognizes from the third round of the seventh circle of hell. While introducing himself to Dante, Jacopo Rusticucci, who is anything but laconic, describes Guido Guerra as "This peeled and naked soul who runs before me around this wheel, was higher than you think there in the world, in honor and degree. Guido Guerra was the name he bore, the good Gualdrada's grandson. In his life he won great fame in counsel and in war (Canto 16, lines 34-39)." Rusticucci is reminiscent of Guerra's life in Florentine. They are all, however, currently in misery as they are being punished in hell.

 

We can again see a sinner reminiscent of his past when Dante visits the first bolgia of the eighth circle of hell, which is a dichotomy of the sinners, and Venedico Caccianemico speaks with him. "I speak unwillingly, but something in your living voice, in which I hear the world again, stirs and compels me." Caccianemico wants nothing more right now than to have something from the living world come back to him. Just hearing someone from the living world speak "stirs and compels" him to share his story of his time in the world. Sadly, these memories are all he has because of his current state of misery.

 

When Dante and the sagacious Virgil reach the third bolgia of the eighth circle of hell, he speaks with Pope Nicholas III. Nicholas tells him "If to know who I am drives you so fearfully that you descend the bank to ask it, know that the Great Mantle was once hung upon me (Canto 19, lines 64-66)." Even Nicholas, who tries to rationalize his major sins as peccadilloes, speaks wistfully of his role in society when he was alive. All these characters reinforce that there is no grater sorrow than to be mindful of the happy time in misery.

Inferno Essay #3

“If the present world go astray, the cause is in you, in you it is to be sought.”

 

This quote relates in many ways to The Inferno, but especially to Cantos XI-XV. One possible interpretation of the quote is that it is saying that one individual person can cause the world to go astray. In round one of the seventh circle of hell, Dante comes upon those who have sinned against their neighbors, including the worst person found in this section of hell: Atilla. “It is there that Holy Justice spends its wrath…on Atilla, who was a scourge on earth (Canto 12, lines 133+135).” Atilla was able to have quite an effect on much of the world and managed to cause it to go astray.

 

This quote also puts pressure on the “you” character to help correct the problem of the world going astray. This pressure can be seen in The Inferno when Dante and Virgil visit the second round of the seventh circle, which houses those who have been violent against themselves and committed suicide. One resident of this area of hell says. “These inflamed so inflamed him that all my happy honors were changed to mourning. Then, unjustly blamed, my soul, in scorn, and thinking to be free of scorn in death, made me last, thought just, unjust to myself (Canto 13, lines 67-72).” This person, like the “you” character in the quote, feels the pressures of the world. The pressures are too much for this individual and he feels he has no option except to commit suicide.

 

The quote says, “If the present world go astray, the cause is in you.” This is why those who blame God for the problems of the world are placed all the way down in the third round of the seventh circle of hell. They can’t see that people, not God, are the cause of all the world’s problems, so they shouldn’t be blaming God for something that isn’t God’s fault. This blasphemy is explained when Virgil describes Capaneus. “Living, he scorned God, and among the dead he scorns him yet. He thinks he may detest God’s power too easily, but as I told him, his slobber is a fit badge for his breast (Canto 14, lines 66-69).” He blames God for his problems and doesn’t see that the cause is actually in him. The quote “If the present world go astray, the cause is in you, in you it is to be sought” relates to the entire Inferno, but especially Cantos XI-XV in many ways.

Inferno Essay #2

“O human race born to fly upward, wherefore at a little wind dost thou fall.”

 

Dante’s quote, “O human race born to fly upward, wherefore at a little wind dost thou fall,” relates to Cantos VI-X in many different ways. When Dante reaches the third circle of hell, he finds the gluttons. Their offenses are summed up when Ciacco says to Dante, “Your citizens nicknamed me Ciacco, The Hog: gluttony was my offense, and for it I lie here rotting like a swollen log. Nor am I lost in this alone; all these you see about you in this painful death have wallowed in the same indecencies. (Canto VI, line 49-54)” These people could have very easily avoided ending up in hell, but they were just too greedy and excessive. They started off their lives flying upward, but at the slight distraction, or little wind, of having everything they wanted and more than they needed, they fell down to hell.

 

As Dante reaches the fifth circle and comes to the River Styx, he encounters the sullen. Their eternal song is “Sullen were we in the air made sweet by the Sun; in the glory of his shining our hearts poured a bitter smoke. Sullen were we begun; sullen we lie forever in this ditch. (Canto VIII, lines 121-124)” All these people had to do to avoid hell was allow the light of Devine Illumination into their lives, but they elected not to and now must rest in the fifth circle of hell forever. They too started off flying upward, but the little wind in their case was the distraction of another religion, so they fell down to hell.

 

In order to open the gate to the lower portion of hell, Dante and Virgil must call upon the Heavenly Messenger for assistance. After he opens the gate for them, he goes over to the Rebellious Angels and says, “Outcasts of Heaven, you twice-loathsome crew, how does this insolence still live in you? Why do you set yourselves against the Throne whose Will none can deny, and which, times past, has added to your pain for each rebellion? Why do you butt against Fate’s ordinance? Your Cerberus, if you recall, still wears his throat and chin peeled for such arrogance. (Canto IX, lines 88-96)” These angels could have very easily been part of heaven, but they turned against it to be a part of hell. These souls had already reached heaven, but the little wind of temptation to join evil made them fall all the way down to hell.

Inferno Essay #1

"In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost."

This quote from Dante is very directly related to the first five Cantos of The Inferno, especially through the things the "I" character says. The clearest connection between the two is in the first canto when Dante writes "Midway in our life's journey, I went astray from the straight road and woke to find myself alone in a dark wood (Canto I, lines1-3)." If one were to peruse both the quotation from Dante and the selection from The Inferno, they would notice that both say the same thing, but are simply worded differently. Dante is using the "I" character to express himself in this section.

In the above quotation, Dante uses the phrasing "I came to myself," meaning he came upon some sort of enlightenment in his life. This same enlightenment can be seen when the "I" character says "But since it came to good, I will recount all that I found revealed there by God's grace (Canto I, lines 8-9)." "I" has found enlightenment that was elucidated to him by God, who he shows deference to, and he now plans to share with everyone.

Dante's phrasing "I came to myself," also implies that he was by himself and all alone. This feeling of being all alone can be seen through the "I" character when he says "The brown air drew down all the earth's creatures, calling them to rest from their day-roving, as I, one man alone, prepared myself to face the double war of the journey and the pity, which memory shall here set down, nor hesitate, nor err (Canto II, lines1-6)." Both the "I" character and Dante are facing a difficult struggle all alone, but both, while not ebullient about what they have to do, are ready to face this onerous task ahead of them. Overall, there are many connections between Dante's quote and the first five Cantos of The Inferno.

 

Important Events in the Life of Dante Alighieri

Youth-His mother died, his father remarried, he was orphaned, he developed a friendship with the poet Guido Cavalcanti, and he fell in love with Beatrice Portinari.

Middle Ages-He took part in a military battle, became an ambassador, and he married Gemma, who was the sister of one of his friends.

Older Years-He was accused of corruption in office, left and stayed with various friends, and died on the way back from a diplomatic mission to Venice.

Religion and Politics

We as a country need to recognize that political views are shaped by religious beliefs and it is impossible to keep politics and religion entirely separate. We cannot make laws that affect religion in any way, because that would be unconstitutional and trample on the right to freedom of religion. It is impossible, however, to keep religion from affecting laws because many peoples political views are formed by their religion, and in our democracy, everyone has a say in what goes on in the country, including those people whose religion affects their political views. The representatives we select to make decisions for us need to listen to all these views and follow the wishes of those they are representing. We will not, however, achieve a good balance between religion and politics until we have representatives who truely listen to the wishes of the people who elected them and don't just follow their own personal views. Unfortunately, I don't believe that all our representatives currently do this. Our country needs to achieve this balance and it will lead to a United States where the control truely belongs to all the people, whether or not their political views are shaped by religion.

Leadership

In a democracy, where the leaders represent and make decisions for the people, it is extremely important that we find the best and most competent people to be the leaders of our country. These people can be difficult to find, especially when those appointing leaders don’t look any further than their buddies (Miers and “Brownie,” for example).

There are ways to tell who would be an excellent leader. People should slowly work their way up through leadership positions. We would never elect a president who had no previous government experience, so presidents shouldn’t appoint people to high positions in the government who don’t have previous experience in the field. Also, those with concrete plans for what they would do if assigned to a certain position are probably going to make excellent leaders.

With the exception of people in the military, leaders today have very different roles from the roles of Agamemnon and Achilles. All leaders, however, should be trustworthy people who we know will do a good job before they are appointed.

Gender Roles

Although we keep gender role from occuring in our business world, we as a society still subconciously classify men and women in specific gender roles, which becomes especially noticable when we look at our heroes in literature and film, the majority of whom are men. Stereotypes aren't something we're born with, we have to develop them through our experiences in society. We pick up most stereotypes during our young childhood, when we spend almost all our time with our parents. Our parents grew up in a different era, when most women stayed at home with their children while their husbands went out and worked. For example, both my grandmothers stayed at home with their families while both my grandfathers had a career to make money for the family. This is the lifestyle that our parents knew. This carries over to when our parents had children and unintentionally passed on these gender roles. These roles are what we expect because they are what we have learned, and we don't want to read or watch stories that don't fit in with these roles. Therefore, I don't think that we will see any change in the stories people want to read or watch in the near future.

I do feel that there is hope for the elimination of these roles in the future, however. Most kids now grow up with both parents working, and gender roles don't exist nearly as much in the real world now, even if they live on in the movies. While we do grow up hearing these stereotypes, we don't see them, so we won't be nearly as likely to pass them on to the next generation. These stereotypes in movies and books will die out over time, as these gender roles stop being passed along.