As I was reviewing my posts, I’ve noticed many errors. In the majority of my posts I’ve been summarizing the cantos more than analyzing it. I also noticed that in the beginning I was using the past tense, but in my recent posts I started using present tense. I also use the same artist in each post, I should start looking at different artists to get a better variety. I think by looking at different artists it can make me envision the events in different ways. I did notice that I’ve focused on themes like fear, midlife crisis, sinners creating their own Hell, and comparing sinners to animals. I definitely need to analyze more and use different sources. I should start referring back and forth to different cantos to understand the links between each. The most important thing I need to do is to show myself understanding the readings rather than summarizing. I need improvement.
Monthly Archives: March 2019
1st Reflection post
Looking back on my previous posts, I see that I tend to focus on one recurring motif in the cantos assigned or in one specific canto. I may point out a few specific scenes in the reading and build off the idea from that. Through the analysis, I see that I may recap the events in the canto(s) to support my point. However, I see that I struggle with that to be the main bulk of my post. In one canto, I used tone that discovered Dante used to set the scene. I like this idea and would continue to describe in more in future posts. Perhaps thought, I can also try to incorporate a picture in future posts. I see that I work well with focusing on one point that stuck out to me in the cantos. However, I can explain my points better by citing evidence such as parts of texts and quotes from the reading as support. I can clarify my writing more to have my ideas come across better. I would like to extend on some ideas made from another student as I believe that would also help me express what I found in the reading as I tend not to know where to start in a discussion. I noticed that I use Barolini’s commentary and other resources to complement my thoughts and I see that works well so I would continue to use that tool in writing my posts.
Overall, my posts describe certain parts of cantos and may focus on an emotion or tone that Dante uses. I can incorporate more supporting pieces in terms of quotes and pictures. I can also comment on another’s post to add on to the discussion to recall what’s important and opine on the matter.
Reflective Post 1
After rereading my posts, I noticed similarities and differences in my writing and responses. I included images for half of my posts. I think including artwork sometimes helped me understand the Cantos better and therefore respond better. My first two posts contained more summary than they contained analysis. With each consecutive post following the first two, I believe I progressed in my ability to make better connections, analysis, and find a theme within the Canto.
When looking through my work, I think my post entitled “Canto 11 – A Brief Break to Explain the Organization of Hell/The Presence of the Number 3 and The Importance of Nature” was done the most properly. To begin, I like how thorough and clear the title is as it sets up exactly what I focused on in the post. This was the first post I was able to notice a recurring technique of Dante the poet’s, in which he pauses to have Dante the pilgrim asks Virgil for clarity and the pilgrim’s confusions echo similar questions the reader probably has. I briefly gave a summary and dedicated the rest of my post to analysis. I think this is my first successful post because I did a thorough analysis and I primarily focused on a theme of the importance of nature and God for Dante the poet. I also think this post is good because of its clarity. I separated it into 4 concise paragraphs in which I analyzed instead of just summarizing. The post that followed my Canto 11 post is “Canto 15: An Unexpected Encounter between a Teacher and Student.” I also like this title. I think this post is also good it mimics the structure of the preceding post. I gave a pretty thorough analysis of the connections between God, sodomy, and violence. I also included how Canto 15 ties to Canto 11. My analysis was presented well when I wrote, “In the third ring, a fiery rain falls on the sinners, which represents an unnatural phenomenon, like sodomy. Whereas regular rain replenishes the Earth, a fiery rain does the opposite since sodomizers also do not replenish Earth with new life.” I think it displays my comprehension of Canto 15.
In my future posts, I should use more outside resources. I also think I can dedicate more time to proofreading to avoid grammar mistakes. I have used quotes in my posts but I think I can include more. Lastly, I would like to make more connections to previous cantos.
Protected: Reflection post 1
Reflective Post 1
After reading all my posts I noticed that a common thread among my posts is the discussion of the sinners and how their sins are related to their punishment in hell. I focus on how their punishments reflect their sins and vice versa. I think I’m so fixated on this topic because understanding the different sins and their equal punishments throughout hell, for Dante, is part of his journey and necessary in understanding Hell’s design and Hell’s intended purpose by God. This understanding is a very crucial take away from Dante’s journey and I like to talk myself through it by analyzing how Dante reacts to the sinners he encounters along the way. In blog post 2 I mention Dante’s encounter with Ciacco and say, “The reality for those not in heaven weighs heavier on Dante’s conscience because he has witnessed Ciacco’s pain.” Dante’s exposure to Ciacco’s suffering allows him to formulate his own opinion about Ciacco’s situation and in response Dante feels bad for him although Ciacco is a sinner and is receiving his just punishment. In my fifth blog post I explain a change in Dante’s view on sinners and their equal punishments when Dante encounters Pope Nicholas III. Dante does not pity Pope Nicholas III and completely agrees with his designated punishment that carries out God’s justice. This change shows growth in Dante the pilgrim as he comes to better understand God’s design and purpose for Hell.
Some things I would like to better in my future posts would be to over all dive a little deeper into the topics I wish to discuss and use more support from notes both in the book and outside sources such as Barolini’s commentary. I think that sometimes I take the very surface meaning of events that occur in Inferno and miss key ideas that I would have noticed had I read a little more carefully and intuitively. Sometimes I find myself formulating my own ideas of what events mean and get so excited that I write my posts on my ideas alone without searching outside commentaries that could take my idea a little bit further as well as support my ideas. Finding solid support would not only validate and explain my ideas but would also help other students reading my posts better understand the ideas I’m trying to express if maybe the way I have worded something isn’t as clear as it could be. In that case they will have something to refer to, worded in a different way they may grasp better. I think I try to keep my posts simple but in doing so I leave things out and dig deeper in my explanations. I would also like to use images to guide my way through the upcoming cantos because when I read other students posts using images that represent each canto, it helps me pick up on ideas I had missed and over all gives me a better understand of what is going on. I think it would be an effective way for me to make sense of the text when I get lost. I would also like to respond to other posts in the future like I did for my second blog post. In my opinion, it is a great way to give one’s post a set idea and keep the post focused while building off the original post and dissecting it altogether. Lastly, I would like to organize my posts a little better by giving them more of structured feel. I want to focus on one idea and formulate a hypothesis that can be supported by outside commentary and images instead of just rambling on about an idea I came up with on my own aimlessly because I don’t think that’s very effective. I am definitely guilty of doing this, but I would like to change this in my future posts.
First Reflection Post
After reading through my previous posts I’ve noticed that I tend to bring bits of information I learned in previous classes into my observations about The Inferno. Having already taken a class on Dante I do have some relevant knowledge to draw upon, as seen in posts 1, 3, and 5. For post 2 I drew upon a class I took on Greco-Roman mythology where we discussed the gorgons in depth. Post 4 is alone in that it does not directly draw upon a class I had taken before this semester. Instead, I referenced a book that I have been reading alongside The Inferno which is fairly similar to referencing previously learned information.
I’ve also observed that I tend to have more to say if I focus in on just one terzina and explore the background and meaning of those three lines in depth. Having a small moment to focus on makes it much harder for me to devolve into generalities that I can’t find textual support for. There are so many layers to La Commedia that a small portion of text has many different facets to be observed and commented upon.
In the future, I would like to focus on connecting my comments and observations on the current weeks reading with what we have read in the past. While I don’t necessarily want to stop focusing on the smaller details I would like to take my observations a step further and try to connect them to the larger text.
Reflection Post One
Being that taking this class was the first I was hearing of Dante’s Divine Comedy, I have had no prior knowledge to the Inferno. It has been quite confusing for me and difficult to translate the symbolism and the metaphors depicted by the Author Dante, and the Characters, Dante and Virgil as they travel through the rings into the underworld.
The blogs that I have posted I believe reflect on this confusion that I have experienced and I think that the reflection posts forced me to re-read my own words and try to figure out why I was so confused. In my first blog post, I had more of an understanding of what was happening within the first few cantos. It was simply Dante and Virgil begining their journey into hell, trying to decide if Dante was awake or alive (or dead?) Which I now think that he might either be dreaming or actually already.
I think the ongoing theme of symbolism surrounding sin in the cantos is what sticks out to me most. The constant mention of sin and the different circles that they fall in could be on purpose by Dante which I am thinking could put the worst sins to the least severe in order. I think I will explore that as I re-read the Cantos leading up to the midterm and final papers.
Finally, to further my understanding of the cantos, like one of my classmates had done I think it would be a good practice to imagine my own truths and beliefs as a different image to relate more and have a more exciting experience reading and dissecting this work of poetry. .
Reflection post 1
I haven’t read any of Dante’s inferno prior to taking this course. However, I have some general idea as to Dante’s style of writing since I did read La Vita Nuova which translates to “the new life”. Inferno in my opinion is Dante’s historical fiction which is based off his personal experiences where he can express his admiration with Virgil.
I have blogged a few posts on my interpretation of some cantos. In the first post, I summarized the first canto which I have realized that I should’ve elaborated more. I interpreted this canto as Dante having lost his way and he needs the guidance of his mentor (Virgil) to guide him through the dark forest. I think that this is Dante telling the reader where he gets his inspiration from for all his works although he isn’t actually dead. In this post, I put an image of the beasts that are in this canto. I think this image was useful in a sense that it helps us visualize what is actually happening.
Although I had trouble understanding what was actually happening in the cantos, I decided to create my own images to help myself understand Dante’s journey through the circles of hell. My favorite canto that I have drawn out was canto 19. This canto begins with Simon Magus who is being punished for selling spiritual and divine favors. This of course is considered a sin to Dante which is called Simoney. I drew the souls having their bodies in a hole with their legs sticking out completely on fire which is their punishment. One of the souls especially stood out who turned out to be a former pope sold God’s grace to his followers named Pope Nicholas the 3rd. this canto showed me that Dante doesn’t feel any pity or compassion for those who sin against God.
Lastly, I mentioned canto 25, the 7th pouch of the 8th circle. Again, Dante is glad that Vanni Fucci was being tortured by snakes because he also had sinned against god. In this canto, the thieves are the ones who are being punished. This is why a centaur by the name of cacus was being tortured for stealing from Hercules. This introduces the reader to the theme of transformation where spirits/people are transformed into serpents. We can see that in this canto Dante has a greater acceptance of God’s punishment towards these souls.
Reflection Post 1
After reading all my posts about the Inferno, I noticed numerous similarities and distinctions throughout them. My first four blog posts were more like summaries rather than reflective posts. They all included images with a short description of them but, I mostly summarized what the canto was about. However, my blog posts five and six had more connections, comparisons, similarities and changes in style. These two posts didn’t include images but made various connections between all the cantos we have read so far.
In my blog post 2 about gluttony, cerberus, and ciacco, my style was repetitive and colloquial. I included an image and a terzina but simply summarized what Canto 13 was about. I tried to include some imagery in my post but did it very poorly; I did the same thing with my first blog post. My first post included a picture of Virgil and Beatrice in paradise which I have not read at all but I thought it was related to Canto 2. I introduced who Beatrice was and how important she was to Dante. Moreover, in my first two blog posts I had countless grammar mistakes such as punctuation and fragmentation. In my fourth blog post, I was trying to use imagery to best describe Geryon but it sounds like a huge summary. For example, “ Dante was struck with horror when Virgil requested a ride from the monster. As he climbed on Geryon he saw countless sinners suffering from above and was scared the entire time”. Instead of summarizing what Canto 17 was about I should have made more comparisons and similarities with Geryon and the other beasts introduced in the Inferno. Also, I should try to include more outside resources rather than just quoting from the Inferno to support my posts. Lastly, my lack of present tense is evident throughout my posts but gets better toward my most recent post.
My most recent blog posts five and six are my most clear and concise posts so far. My fifth blog post I compared how Dante has treated the sinners and how Virgil has treated Dante from this throughout the Inferno. I made good comparisons and similarities between Cantos 5, 8, 13, 15, 19, and 20. For instance, “ Like in Canto 19, Virgil is very pleased with Dante’s attitude towards these sinners because it is showing him not to sympathize with them anymore. He joyously hugs and kisses him in Canto 8 and happily carries him like a baby across the bridge in Canto 19”. Additionally, in my most recent blog post I wrote about how Virgil babies and reassures Dante like a mother throughout the Inferno. I made countless clear and concise similarities among Cantos 2, 8, 19, 23, and 24. I used many quotes to support my theme about Virgil and Dante; also, my writing style is not as repetitive as before.
Refective Post 1
I noticed, upon rereading my older blog posts, that I am transfixed on the medieval context the text is set in. From notions of medieval dream sequences to the medieval notion of illness transmitting via smell and notions of queerness in the Middle Ages and how these themes play out in The Divine Comedy. I wanted to, and to some extent still do, center my understanding of the text as a porduct of the Middle Ages and apply literary theory to enhance my understanding of the text.
I noticed that my ideas after my first blog, especially my most recent, deploy some use of the theory in my background along side analysis of the sections of the text in question. This is because my topics have become more specialized to accomidate the use of theory and history from my training that is outside of the text. I am doing this inorder to find a topic or a range of subtopics within one topic to write my final paper on. I am considering developing my ideas on queerness and seeing sodomy in Dante’s visions of hell.
From reading, I also noticed how I can imporve in fleshing out my ideas more and expanding beyond a paragraph and possibly using some more in text evidence to allow for a lenghtier and indepth discussion of the text. This is something I will be working more towards in the future, espeically having a system of how to tackle my thought proccess in these blog posts. I could also imporve by using an image once in a while to imporve my arguement aswell as enrich it by using a more multi-media approach.
