Category Archives: Reflective post 1

First reflective post (due on March 20)

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 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.

reflective post 1

Upon reviewing my blog posts, I have noticed that I have been mainly following the theme of remembrance through the Inferno.  With the exception of my third post, which focuses on the Old Man of Crete and Dante’s use of classical mythology, all my other posts have either directly addressed the way the act of remembrance is used in the text or alludes to it by examining the representation of sinners in comparison to their living appearance.  In my most recent post, I still follow this theme, but take it in a somewhat different direction by addressing it in relation to Dante and the Pilgrim as opposed to the sinners as I had been doing in my other posts.

As I follow this theme through the cantos, my ideas in my posts have become more complex as the theme itself expands in the text.  In my first post I commented on how some sinners are allowed to be remembered and others are not and that this act of remembrance is an act of pity and alleviates suffering.  At that early stage in the Inferno this was all clearly defined as Virgil told the Pilgrim (and the readers) which sinners could and could not be remembered and why.  However, later on this becomes more complicated as the sins become worse.  What we knew changes–being remembered can be an act of punishment, some sinners can be remembered but not by physical appearance which alters their previous identity, and in my last post I reflected on Virgil’s explanation to the Pilgrim that there are different types of remembrance (fame and infamy) for different people.  This last one ties together all the confusing and conflicting things the Pilgrim feels and describes surrounding the memory of the sinners he encounters.

I found that while I quote a lot from the Inferno, I do not often quote from outside sources like many other students do.  I did use an outside source in my post on the Old Man of Crete and I noticed that it bolsters my ideas in that post more than just quoting from Inferno does in my other posts.  I will try to incorporate more outside sources in my future posts.  I also have not used any artwork or images in my posts like I have seen many other students do.  I am not necessarily a visual learner in this way and so I did not think to try it, however I would like to try doing one of my future posts this way to see if my understanding of text can benefit from it.

Reflective post (1)

I read parts of Divine Comedy back in high school, many years ago. Since I read it in my native language I understood the words but, in truth, nothing more than that. It definitely didn’t move my mind or heart. In other words it didn’t affect me in any way, because even though I understood the language I failed to understand the rich content. It is hard to explain why it happened, but for sure it was caused by many factors like cultural background, age, lack of ability to imagine certain things, limited understanding of various concepts.

A few years forward I am reading Dante’s masterpiece again. This time around I read it in a foreign language but with more mature and more analytical mind.

I have written a few posts based on cantos I read. In these posts I elaborate on concepts, ideas or images that I found interesting or intriguing. Choosing the subject for my posts and exploring it more while reading additional notes or materials available helped me comprehend the content even better.

My first post is a form of introduction of two main characters – Dante the pilgrim and his master Virgil, the circumstances the former unexpectedly found himself in and the journey that he is about to take. My second post doesn’t focus only on the main character but also introduces two secondary characters – Ciacco and Filippo Argenti – two sinners suffering in hell. This post also describes the political situation of Florence to which Dante (Dante – the author this time) was directly connected. In my third post I mainly concentrate on Dante’s (pilgrim) feelings, emotions and state of mind while the journey continues through hell continues. This analysis of someone’s behavior requires certain analytical skills and drawing conclusions from descriptions found in the book. The fourth post pays particular attention to sinners who represent the worst form of violence (the violence against nature) – the sodomites. It describes their wrongdoing and immorality, which result in eternal and horrific punishment. In addition it presents Dante’s view on the sin of sodomy and its very negative social and spiritual consequences. The fifth post contains description of the punishment for the Panders and the Seducers but also presents clearly Dante’s condemnation of corruption in Catholic Church. In my sixth and last post I analyze the relationship between Dante and Virgil, which in fact is much deeper than the relationship between a pilgrim and his guide.

After rereading my posts and reflecting upon them I can easily draw to a conclusion that I came a long way since reading Divine Comedy back in high school

First of all, my posts are not limited to a simple description of what happens in particular cantos. I am somehow able to analyze symbols, settings, images, behaviors of characters or even writing style to determine what message is being conveyed.

Besides, I utilize images available online to make my post and its content easier to visualize.

In addition, I try to use citations from the source to provide evidence to what I am trying to convey.

On the other hand, I have to admit that my posts lack coherency and logical organization due to the fact that I choose the most appealing image or topic of my interest in a particular canto without paying attention to what I previously wrote about. But there is in fact one element present in every single post that gives them a sense of unity. It is either Dante the pilgrim with his emotions, feelings and reactions or Dante the author with his opinions, beliefs, viewpoints and judgments.

I truly realize that there are a lot of elements I need to work on while writing my posts (coherence, more research on a chosen topic using available resources, logic organization) but, all in all, doing so helps me progress in understanding the complex content of Divine Comedy.

 

 

 

Reflective Post One

I noticed after reading my blog posts that I find it difficult to pick out the central idea of each canto and being able to write about it without mentioning other specifics. I like to focus on two ideas rather than one big idea. I also have trouble picking a title for my posts because it’s not something that I normally do for other writings (which is odd to think about because pieces of writing should always include titles). I realized in my writings that I also like to analyze quotes but that’s because I’ve been taught to do this in high school and I feel it always works for me because I understand/ can interpret the text better after analyzing ideas, quotes, characters and so forth. One thing I would like to add/ improve on is including pieces of art/imagery in my posts because I have not done this in my posts, and many students do this, but I don’t. I think visuals will also help me understand the plot and central idea of each canto. I would also like to start commenting on other student’s blog post because I feel it’s an effective way of learning because it’s a type of dialogue that is occurring between two students but through writing (it’s a response and reflect type of learning). After re-reading my posts one recurrent thing I do is incorporate the plot, transitioning to what is happening in the canto transiting to quotes and analyzing the quotes but I feel this has been working for me and will continue to do this. I believe my ideas are clear and thoroughly explained which is important for both reader (other students) and writer (myself). I try to make my ideas as clear as possible compared to other students because when I read something too difficult and complex to understand it makes it harder for me to understand what the writer’s point of view is. I believe writing as simple and as clear as possible is rather difficult than easy but sometimes writing in a simpler way is better. Therefore, I try to make my sentences as clear and concise so that the idea I have in my mind transcribed into my blog posts is not only clear for the students in the class but as well as others reading my post who are not in the classroom with us. Another recurrent theme is that I like to compare and contrast cantos and tie previous cantos to the newly written cantos but doing this allows me to remember the content in a better way because as we keep reading more, I slowly forget bits and pieces, and everything is important.

 

One part I would like to comment on is from my post blog post six. I wrote “Dante is dependent upon his master not only for physical help, but also for spiritual guidance and moral support. Similar to previous cantos, Dante gains reassurance from Virgil because Virgil’s actions and words can make Dante feel serene because Dante feels the same security in Virgil as when he first met him. Instantaneously when Virgil’s anger vanishes so does Dante’s anxiety. Once Virgil gains his composure, he reveals he is capable of measuring an amount of control over his emotions. This contrasts with the way in which most of the sinners in Hell are prey to their emotions and physical desires such as anger, lust, greed, and so forth. Although Virgil is in one circle of Hell, he is only there because he is not a Christian; he is a pagan. Virgil, however, uses his willpower to master his emotions. Throughout the poem, the ability to master emotions is seen to be a uniquely human characteristic that identifies with human ability.” The reason I like this analysis is because I tied together what we learned in canto 1 about Virgil and how he is a pagan to currently what is happening in canto 24; gathering pieces from previous cantos I was able to relate it to the new content as well as including Dante’s emotion(s), because after all it’s HIS journey.

 

One thing I would like to clarify/edit is my ideas in blog post four. I write “Dante is growing over the course of his journey, learning from Virgil. Furthermore, Jacopo wants Dante to seek immortality through fame and wants Dante to live on in fame when he dies. Dante however doesn’t want this for himself but instead he seeks to reach a truer form of immortality which is salvation in heaven…” I want to clarify how Dante the pilgrim is growing over the course of his journey. However, Dante (himself, the writer) wants to reach a truer form of immortality which is salvation in Heaven. I believe as Dante the writer continues to write about Dante the pilgrim and the pilgrims journey, the more Dante (the writer) is learning  about himself and his morals through his ‘character’ form – writing helps one express ideas/ reflect on their own well-being and I think Dante (the writer) is doing this through Dante (the pilgrim).

 

Another part I would like to comment on/reflect on is when I write “Ciacco feels by having his name mentioned will allow himself to alleviate his agony. The important line in this canto written by Dante states, “And my guide said to me: “He’ll rise no more until the blast of the angelic trumpet upon the coming of the hostile Judge.” The reason this line is significant is because Virgil is referring to the last judgement; in which Christ comes down to earth to judge all human souls in which he decides who goes to purgatory (saved souls) and those who go to Hell (the damned souls). However, because the last judgement still hasn’t arrived Ciacco is punished for his gluttony because of his imprudent gratification of drinking and eating excessively, however, the contrapasso is the opposite of this.” I think this part is clearly explained because I was able to speak about thecharacter, reflect on the character by adding a quote from the text, showing the reader my interpretation directly using the text, hence adding clarification. I then explain why the line is significant and WHY the character is punished and why the specific lines chosen are important and relatable to the character. Therefore, for my next blog posts I would like to continue to write like this where my ideas are clearly written and evidently pulled from The Divine Comedy.

 

Blog post due on Monday, March 18 and announcements

This is your first reflection post. Follow the instruction on the Assignment page of our website/Blogging.

On March 20, you have to come prepared to class, that is having studied the assigned cantos (even though you haven written a blog post on those cantos). We’ll make up for the missed  post with an in-class reading questionnaire.

Late submissions won’t be accepted starting from today.