Ciacco

In canto six, Dante wakes up after fainting. He realizes that he has been put through to the next circle into hell. Dante and Virgil see the sinners lying on the ground except one. As Dante tries to understand who they are and what they are there for, one in particular, Ciacco.

“And I to him, “It is perhaps your anguish that snatches you out of my memory, so that it seems that I have never seen you” (43-45) Here, Dante does not recall knowing this person, for they have sinned. One of the punishments for sinners is that they are not remembered by the living. They are forgotten about. “But tell me who you are, you who are set in such a dismal place, such punishment if other pains are more, nones more disgusting” (46-48) “The name you citizens gave me was Ciacco; and for the damning sin of gluttony, as you can see, i languish in the rain.” (52-54) Ciacco has commited the sin of glutton, which is defined as habitual greed or over eating. According to uTexas, “Ciacco” also is a negative term for a “hog” or “pig.” It is important to recognize that when Dante asks Ciacco about his past, he is steered to believe that he was good intended. This canto six, and these passages represent that although we sin and people make mistakes, it is not far fetched to believe where good intentions lie.

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1 thought on “Ciacco”

  1. Stefania Porcelli (She/her)

    I expect you to blog about the readings for this week. Sometimes you can write about something that we haven’t discussed in class. However, you should avoid retelling the story.

    Maybe your only attempt to analyze is this:
    “It is important to recognize that when Dante asks Ciacco about his past, he is steered to believe that he was good intended.” However: why is this important and what does this exactly mean?

    Problematic points:
    – “One of the punishments for sinners is that they are not remembered by the living. They are forgotten about.” This is not true (or at least not in this circle and not generally).
    – “According to uTexas..” UTexas is a college that hosts the digital project “Danteworlds”. Maybe say: according to the commentary available on this page (with the link) or “on the website Danteworlds”.
    – “it is not far fetched to believe where good intentions lie”: unclear.

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