Dantes Inferno Essay Example for Free

Dantes Inferno Essay On the evening of Good Friday in the year 1300, Dante is travelling through a forest, when he gets lost. In the morning, he finds a mountain and tries to climb it, but is stopped by a lion, a wolf, and a leopard. The spirit of the poet Virgil appears and offers to take him to the top of the mountain to Heaven when his love, Beatrice, is, but the way first leads through Hell. Virgil and Dante enter through the gates of Hell and see a crowd of people along the banks of the river. Virgil tells Dante these are the souls who neither sinned nor worshipped God, and are therefore rejected by both Heaven and Hell. Charon takes them across the river. The Second Circle is guarded by Minos and is the first of four rings in which souls are punished. In the Second Circle, the souls of the lustful are blown about by never-ending winds. In the Third Circle, the souls of the gluttons are soaked by heavy rain and clawed by the three-headed dog, Cerberus. Continuing downwards, they meet the entrance to the Fourth Circle, which holds the greedy. These souls must charge at each other with boulders repeatedly. Virgil and Dante next proceed to f the city of Dis. Dis is a city within the larger region of Hell, however the demon guards refuse to open the gates. A messenger arrives from Heaven to force the gates open for Dante and Virgil. The Sixth Circle of Hell holds the Heretics, and in this circle that Dante encounters Farinata, a rival political leader. A deep valley leads into the First Ring of the Seventh Circle of Hell, where there are three inner rings. The first is where those who were violent toward others spend eternity in a river of boiling blood. The second ring is for those who were violent toward themselves, and the third ring is for those who were violent toward God. The monster Geryon transports Virgil and Dante across a great abyss to the Eighth Circle of Hell, known as Malebolge, Here, there are also many layers. The first is for the panderers and seducers, who receive lashings from whips. The second is where the flatterers must lie in a river of human feces. The simoniacs in the third layer hang upside down in baptismal fonts while their feet burn with fire. The fourth layer is for the astrologists and diviners, who are forced to walk with their heads on backward. In the fifth layer, those who have accepted bribes are torn apart by demons. In the sixth layer, the hypocrites must walk in circles for eternity while wearing robes of lead. In the seventh layer, thieves sit in a pit of vipers and turn to vipers when bitten, and then regain their human form when they bite  another thief. In the eighth layer, Dante speaks to Ulysses who will spend forever with those guilty of Spiritual Theft. In the ninth layer, those of scandal walk in a circle with wounds that open and close repeatedly. In the tenth and final layer, falsifiers suffer from plagues and diseases of all kinds. Through the Giants’ Well, Virgil and Dante proceed to the Ninth Circle of Hell, which leads to a great frozen lake named Cocytus. Virgil and Dante are picked up and placed in the lowest region of Hell by the giant Antaeus. Like the previous Circles, the Ninth Circle of Hell also contains numerous different inner Rings. In the First Ring, those who betrayed their kin stand frozen to their necks in the lake. In the Second Ring, those who betrayed their country stand frozen to their heads. However, those who betrayed their guest are destined to spend eternity lying on their back in the frozen lake in the Third Ring. In the Fourth and final ring of the Ninth Circle of Hell, an eternity in complete icy submersion is given to those who betrayed their friends. In the center of this circle is the three-headed Lucifer. His body comes from the center of the Earth where he fell when God sent him down from Heaven. In each of Lucifer’s mouths are Judas, Cassius, and Brutus. Virgil instructs Dante to climb down Lucifer, and travel out of Hell and back onto Earth. They return to Earth on Easter morning. Analysis In the first canto, Dante uses the dark forest to express the flaws he saw in the world around him at the time Inferno was written. Also, when Dante encounters the leopard, the lion, and the she-wolf. The leopard represents fraud, the lion represents pride, and the she-wolf represents incontinence. Dante is most affected by the presence of the she-wolf because, while incontinence is the least severe category of sin, it is the one to which he is most susceptible. Christian symbolism is extremely prevalent throughout Inferno, and it is first introduced in the second canto. Hell is not just described as the underworld, but a place where sinners are punished for eternity. In the inscription on the gates into Hell, each part of the Trinity is represented. The â€Å"potency divine† represents God the Father, the â€Å"wisdom supreme† is Christ, and the â€Å"primal love† is the Holy Spirit. Along these same lines, the use of the Trinity is also used in the last canto, when we are  introduced to the three-headed Lucifer. The three heads could represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as well. In the fourth canto, Dante explains that Limbo is for those who have not been baptized, thus addressing one of the great moral problems of Christianity. Baptism is considered necessary to go to Heaven, but it does not seem fair that people who do not know of Christianity should suffer for something they have no control over. Dante takes care of this problem by keeping those who are not Christian in Hell, but giving them a much less painful fate by giving them eternity in Limbo. The timeframe of Dante’s Inferno is extremely relevant in terms of Christianity. Dante begins his journey through Hell on Good Friday and emerges and returns to Earth on Easter day. This means that he was â€Å"dead† for the time period following the crucifixion of Christ, and he has risen with him. To look further into the other religions represented in Inferno, the tower in the city of Dis that Dante refers to is a mosque, to further emphasize that anyone who does not believe in Christianity is a nonbeliever and should be in Hell. It is also interesting to look at the role Dante plays throughout Inferno. Throughout, it is clear that Beatrice has kept a careful eye on Dante’s progress and is prepared to intervene when necessary to ensure that he gets to her. In the first canto, when Dante is lost, Beatrice sends Virgil to guide him, and when Virgil and Dante are not admitted into Dis, Beatrice sent a messenger to let them in. Without Beatrice, Dante would be lost. She is the only reason he has a chance at making it to Heaven. Dante faints and weeps numerous times, further indicating his weakness and his reliance on Beatrice and Virgil. He expresses fear of the wild beasts in the first canto and of many of the other demons in the other circles. These weaknesses emphasize how little he does for himself. He follows the path that is laid out for him by Beatrice and Virgil, and does nothing more than that. In many contexts, Dante is held as a hero, but he is really just relying on others.

Dreams :: essays papers

Dreams FOUND: An intelligent young woman on the verge of graduating seeks an opportunity to further her education. Coming from a small family, this extremely driven and focused woman needs your help in pursuing her dreams. She would like nothing more than to have a chance to better herself and her future. Going to the college of her choice poses a problem to her family however. The lofty expense of tuition may deter her aspirations of earning a degree and a potential career as a physical therapist. With the generous help your association presents as scholarship money, she will be able to reach and excel past her goals. Goals are not a foreign idea to this talented young leader. Since the age of four she has been actively participating in many recreational and competitive soccer clubs. Together with her teammates, scoring and working towards a common goal has been the main purpose throughout her years of play. This game of skill and physical force has taught the young woman about herself and has taught her lessons that can be learned through life. Once a shy timid girl, she has gained an assertive attitude along with the courage to conquer anything that stands in the way of her dreams because of her partaking in soccer. Ambition, respect, motivation, intuition, and the simple idea that hard work combined with cooperation can lead to big rewards has all been expressed to this young woman because of the game, and she takes this off the field into her everyday life. The definition of hard work can only be compared to the course load that she has decided to undertake her senior year. While many of her friends already have started slacking off by taking all art classes, she has not been influenced by their decisions. Enrolled in honors classes such as English IV and Pre Calculus, doubling up on her science classes; Physics and Chemistry, while also partaking in after school activities and honor societies, it has proven to extend this woman to the furthest point of her potential. Everyday she endures a new task and undertakes it with the utmost responsibility and precision. The effort which she puts into her everyday tasks reflects what she has learned in these past months from balancing a heavy school load and numerous extracurricular activities.

Inanna vs. Oedipus Rex Essay

She wondered: ‘How long will it be until I have a shinning throne to sit upon? ‘How long will it be until I have a shinning bed to lie upon? † The huluppu-tree is a metaphor of Inanna herself. The tree’s growth symbolizes Inanna’s growth in her own life. When she mentions that she wants to make a thrown and bed for herself, she is foreshadowing her destiny of becoming a queen. This was her first test in becoming a leader. A leader needs to know how to be responsible for something or someone. They need to show that they care and can put forth tremendous effort toward what is important. In many instances through out the story, Inanna showed responsibility and maturity, but this was her first sight of it. After a couple years of waiting for the bark to split so that she can build her thrown and bed, â€Å"A serpent who could not be charmed made its nest in the roots of the huluppu-tree. The Anzu-bird set his young in the branches of the tree. And the dark maid Lilith built her home in the trunk. â€Å"(Pg. 6;Lines 1-4) The three things that built their home in the tree was the next test that he needed to overcome so that she can start her life in becoming a woman. When these struggles started in her life, she knew that she couldn’t do it alone, so she asked for help. She first asked her brother Utu, The Sun God. He would not help her. So she then asked her other brother, Gilgamesh who agreed to help. He put on his armor and grabbed his bronze ax and entered Inanna’s holy garden. He struck the serpent and then the Anzubirds flew away. Finally the Lilth smashed her home and fled. Gilgamash then carved a throne and bed for Inanna using the tree trunk. This portrays a strong leadership quality in Inanna, which is openness. A leader needs to be able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not conform to the usual way of thinking. They need to be able to know that sometimes they might not be right, and have to listen to someone else. Inanna knew she couldn’t do it on her own, and she needed help. Asking for help was a learning step for her in maturing her leadership qualities. Oedipus showed different leadership qualities as Inanna, which were determination and integrity. When the plague hit the town the second time, Oedipus as determined to end it. Just as he did when he first entered the town and solved the riddle. He sent many men out to find who killed the king and promised the town that he would find this man and end the plague. Ironically, who he was looking for was himself. He was the murderer of the king and the husband of his mother. When his guilt, no longer see those they should never seen, nor see, unseeing, those he had longed to see, henceforth seeing nothing but night To this wild tune he pierced his eyeballs time and tie again, till bloody tears ran down his beard. † – (Pg. 1 ;Lines 7-12) Oedipus was a very strong leader. He put an exceptional amount of effort and responsibility towards the people of the city. He was determined to end the plague for his people of Thebes. When he found out that he was the man he was looking for, he punished himself. Instead of killing himself, he pierced his eyes out so he has to live the rest of his life knowing that all of his answers were right in front of him, but he couldn’t see it. This is why he was a great leader. He had the most power in the whole city and could have easily accused someone else. Yet he punishes himself Just as would if it was another man. This shows a great amount of integrity. He never veered from his inner values, even when it was expeditious to do so. I think that Inanna has better leadership skills than Oedipus because she is more experienced. Oedipus has natural leadership qualities. Inanna was tested throughout her life, which made her a stronger leader. The one part of her life that made her a better leader than Oedipus was when she decented herself to the underworld. â€Å"My Lady abandoned heaven and earth to decened to the underworld. Inanna abandoned heaven and earth to decened to the underworld. She abandoned her office of holy priestess to decened to the underworld. † – (pg. 52;Lines 4-6) This shows great leadership qualities. She was striving so much to be great, she never experienced the difficulties of life. So she descended herself so that she can experience the other side of life. This was the biggest step into making her the leader that she was. Oedipus is nothing like Inanna in the sense of leadership. Through out the story of Inanna, she works to achieve royality, experience both sides of life and doesn’t help nyone but herself on the way..

4th Commandment - 2319 Words

RESEARCH PAPER Zyra Mikhaila M. Barro BSBA- FM 2 Re Ed 4 Mr. Arnel Tindugan A Call to Respect Human Life Fourth Commandment: â€Å"Honor your father and your mother† In the Commandment of the Lord, he instructed us to honor our father and mother. This isn’t a choice we make or something we do when we feel like it. It is a direct command from God. I. Why do we need to honor our parents? * We Honor our Parents because it honors God. Even if we don’t feel like honoring our parents, keeping in mind that it pleases God, can help us give the motivation we need to keep doing it. Isn’t it great that as we show simple gestures of love and respect to our parents by helping them around the house, paying them a compliment or telling them how†¦show more content†¦The import of honoring father and mother is based on the divine origin of the parental role: The divine fatherhood is the source of human fatherhood. (Ephesians 3:14) This is the foundation of the honor owed to parents. †¦ It is required by Gods commandment. (Exodus 20:12) Respect for parents (filial piety) derives from gratitude toward those who, by the gift of life, their love and their work, have brought their children into the world and enabled them to grow in stature, wisdom, and grace. The Catholic Church teaches that adult children have a duty to honor their parents by providing â€Å"material and moral support in old age and in times of illness, loneliness, or distress. â€Å"This honor should be based on the son or daughter’s gratitude for the life, love and effort given by the parents and motivated by the desire to pay them back in some measure.† The principle of the commandment is extended to the duty to honor others in direct authority, such as teachers, employers, and especially persons in addition to parents who may have contributed to one’s coming to and living a life of faith in Jesus. The teachings of the Catholic Church explain that the commandment to honor father and mother also forms a basis for charity to others when each person is seen, ultimately, as â€Å"a son or daughter of the One who wants to be called ‘our Father.’ In this way our relationships with ourShow MoreRelatedBiblical Allusions: Golding ´s Lord of the Flies884 Words   |  4 Pageswith these fake gods comes along sacrifices, such as the head was for the beast as Jack stated, â€Å"This head is for the beast. It’s a gift† (137). Additionally, the lord of the flies is also known as Beelzebub, an Egyptian god that was linked with the 4th plague, as one of the ten plagues God sent over Egypt through Moses. To furth er suggest a biblical allusion, Beelzebub is deemed a demon within The Bible and is one of the many vividly described embodiments of evil within the book: â€Å"At least Simon gaveRead MoreThe Differences Between Judaism And Christianity2316 Words   |  10 Pagescreation. 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