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.
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.
Eternal Recurrence and Serpents
After reading Canto 24, I’ve wondered about the theory of Eternal Recurrence and the nature of the seven pouch. For those who are unfamiliar with this theory, it’s a thought experiment about whether every detail life is meant to endlessly repeat itself; a loop. Famously, there is a symbol that goes hand in hand with this theory, Ouroboros; a snake eating itself. Friedrich Nietzsche used this as a formula for human greatness. With that in mind, the Sinners are punished by giant serpents binding them. So, we can associate these serpents with the symbol Ouroboros. As these serpents bind sinners, they are caught on fire and turned into ashes. Then these ashes are reborn into human form again. The punishment repeats itself. Just like the theory of eternal recurrence stated, these sinners are dealing with the same pain over and over again. According to Friedrich Nietzsche, how can these sinners achieve human greatness. In Canto 24, Virgil states that a person has control of their thoughts and impulses, “raise thee up, o’ercome the anguish/ With spirit that o’ercometh every battle,/ If with its heavy body it sink not”(Alighieri 52-54). Perhaps to reach enlightenment, Sinners must be aware of the temptations to which they are always recurring and present, and learn to control these impulses. Although, now that I contemplate about the sinner’s circumstance, they are in hell; therefore they must forever feel torment. At least in this case, the looping element from the Eternal Recurrence would apply here.
