Blog Post 7: What's your Question? We got ANSWERS.

Should Dante really have sympathy or pity for those he meets on his journey through hell?  

Which groups of sinners, really hit at Dante's heart with the punishment they go through? 

Why do you think satan's punishment, was what it is? Is it ironic enough to match those punishments of the other sinners?  

Why do you think that, throughout the story, there was hints of possible betrayal by Virgil yet at the end, it didn’t happen? 

Should Dante really have gone to hell with Virgil? What do you think would have happened if he had gone by himself?

BLOG POST 6: FREE YOUR MIND-The Rest will Follow

In Cantos XXI, This is where Dante is entering the Fifth Pouch of the Eighth Circle of Hell. This is where he spends a lot of time explaining in detail about the “Astounding Darkness”. It's basically just a great big pit filled with boiling tar. He’s trying to figure out what it is where his mentor Virgil goes yelling at him to watch out cause a demon comes racing up the rocks on the side of the pit but it just grabbed a new soul tossing him into the blackness ignoring Dante. The sinner comes up struggling for breathe to where the “ Malabranche” (Evil Claws) goes thrusting the sinner back deep into the tar using the prongs. A bunch of stuff happens and basically Virgil and Dante gets demon escorts to continue on with the journey. Dante looks for people to talk to in the tar. In Cantos XXII, conversation with a soul named Navarrese explains how he severed in the household of King Thibault therefore sent to fifth pouch since he accepted bribes. They end up making an exit since the demons went flying after a soul that intended to escape. In Cantos XXIII, Virgil and Dante end up being chased after a mad pack of demons where Virgil pretty much grabs Dante, they go into the Sixth Pouch where they meet a group of souls that are along the circle. They are wearing clothes that are lined with lead to make them extremely heavy. Dante is yet again recognized by another soul who begs him to have a discussion. Dante gets to see one soul that is a crucified sinner that served as a high priest under Pontius Pilate. They discovered that, they had been lied to about the route. fixed it. In Cantos XXIV, They are in the Seventh Pouch, this is where Virgil and Dante face more dangerous things like traveling over the rocks, a long climb, descending a wall, watching serpents biting and setting sinners on fire. The soul is Tuscan, Vanni, Fucci. In Cantos XXV and than Cantos XXVI, it went from Virgil and Dante seeing snakes transform into the soul, to the soul transforming into snake and continuing. It goes to recognizing the thieves, talks to Ulysses and learns about his death. They meet another in Cantos XXVII whose name is Guido Da Montefeltro and dealt with religious and political issues damning him to hell. Advice is offered, Contradictions happen, the devil took Da Montefeltro to Minos.

Blog Post 5: Keep it One-"hunnit" - Don't be no FRAUD!

Those who have met and asked to be remembered by Dante have done so, in my belief because they have this twisted little bits of hope that maybe he might rescue them on his way back. They already feel important and worth it, an example of that is when he openly recalls Ser Brunetto because "[ he] taught me how man makes himself eternal; and while I live, my gratitude for that will always be apparent in my words". (Alighieri 137) They see him as this person who would be the one capable since he's gone through all circles of hell but also to remember them for if he doesn't since they are reminders of what happens. If he gets stuck in hell, than they would be the souls telling him what to do.  An example would be where they recognize him and speak to him giving their names. (Alighieri 143) In the circle of fraud, a creature appears and it is that with the body of a snake/ serpent and furry paws. Its body "adorned with twinning knots and circles".(Alighieri 151)Is this the ideal creature to represent fraud? For the snake part and the knots I would say yes, the act of committing fraud tends to deal with circles of lies and sly acts with cold hearted intentions so for that yes. The hairy paws is a bit of a stretch though. Cantos XVIII was a very descriptive passage on when he got into the first point of the eighth circle where he sees the naked sinners suffering from being whipped by the demons (Alighieri 163) where he feels deep sorrow for them  and was impacted greatly by the sight since he hadn't seen that level of torture before. In Cantos XX, the sinners are punished by having their heads turned backwards, this is because they tried to foretell the future which is seen as only possible and allowed to be done by god. That they are punished because the future is only known by god.

Melissa Towery

Mr.Vazquez

AP English 4

Sept. 14, 2016

The crime of the uncommitted is that, the people who did not pick either good or evil but instead continued their life on without making moral decisions would be denied by both Hell and Heaven because of their lack of moral choices. Instead they would be sent to the Ante- Inferno which is in hell but not truly a part of it. There they would be forced to chase a blank banner while horseflies and wasps would sting them over and over again sparing none of the naked flesh, leaving them crying and wailing while worms would gather up the fallen blood and tears. Neutral angels were also given this torture due to not siding with either God or Satan in the war in Heaven. The penalty for this crime is creative at most but doesn’t seem completely relevant to the crime, the blank banner and chasing after it seems fitting due to their lack of decisions and wandering through life without making them however the insects are not relevant to the actual crime but some form of inflicted pain is needed so therefore is added into the penalty.

Within Cantos IV, the indications that Dante is lost and unknowing of where he is really going, is shown in his confusion when waking where he felt he had been in a “heavy sleep within [his] head” which he ended up trying to discern his location by “[staring steadily to learn what place it was surrounding [him]”. He hadn’t known that he was on the other side of the river. The obedient following of his mentor is also a big give away that he honestly doesn't know much of what is going on. From the chapters read, its clear that the character is very passive and submissive, willing to just go along with what he is told, only asking questions on things that are happening to others around him but not on the travel of his own journey.

The usage of mud for the punishment of the gluttons is that of having to lie on the ground while sewage rains down on them uncomfortable while senses are assaulted since when alive they had filled their life with whatever they hoarded away for themselves to pleasure those senses, while for the actively wrathful, they were crouched and covered in the mud while striking and biting at each other which the mud symbolized the dirty filled with hate people that they were while alive, the biting and fighting showing how violent and aggressive their anger was. The passively wrathful were the ones who were forced to gurgle and choke on the black mud at the bottom of the Styx because of their muttering and sulking when they were alive. These punishments were a lot more fitting to the crimes than the ones for those who were uncommitted.

General knowledge leads to the belief that Dante’s version of hell is way more detailed than that of Christian text and has a lot more creatures known in Greek Mythology, also with Pagan symbols and beliefs thrown in the mix, which in that time period was due to wanting increased followers since it was all about converting as many people as possible. That and controlling the masses. The depth of detail continues the more one reads and research furthers the lack of this day and age relations of what the Christian belief is defined as in 2016. Jesus wasn’t around in Dante’s time period, Plutus is a Greek god yet he is within the fourth circle of hell where “Virgil quiets the creature with a word”. Minos is also from ancient mythology and Cerberus from Greek stories of the afterlife, the three headed dog owned by hades who is a gate keeper and guard. All of this shows mixed religious and mythological traditions that Dante believes in. Overall the contemporary view of Christian believe is a lot more cut and dry with the simple, sin and get sent to hell while being good gets a one way ticket to heaven all mighty.

Blog Post 3: HELL-o? It's Me.

Melissa Towery

Mr.Vazquez

AP English 4

Sept. 14, 2016

The crime of the uncommitted is that, the people who did not pick either good or evil but instead continued their life on without making moral decisions would be denied by both Hell and Heaven because of their lack of moral choices. Instead they would be sent to the Ante- Inferno which is in hell but not truly a part of it. There they would be forced to chase a blank banner while horseflies and wasps would sting them over and over again sparing none of the naked flesh, leaving them crying and wailing while worms would gather up the fallen blood and tears. Neutral angels were also given this torture due to not siding with either God or Satan in the war in Heaven. The penalty for this crime is creative at most but doesn’t seem completely relevant to the crime, the blank banner and chasing after it seems fitting due to their lack of decisions and wandering through life without making them however the insects are not relevant to the actual crime but some form of inflicted pain is needed so therefore is added into the penalty.

Within Cantos IV, the indications that Dante is lost and unknowing of where he is really going, is shown in his confusion when waking where he felt he had been in a “heavy sleep within [his] head” which he ended up trying to discern his location by “[staring steadily to learn what place it was surrounding [him]”. He hadn’t known that he was on the other side of the river. The obedient following of his mentor is also a big give away that he honestly doesn't know much of what is going on. From the chapters read, its clear that the character is very passive and submissive, willing to just go along with what he is told, only asking questions on things that are happening to others around him but not on the travel of his own journey.

The usage of mud for the punishment of the gluttons is that of having to lie on the ground while sewage rains down on them uncomfortable while senses are assaulted since when alive they had filled their life with whatever they hoarded away for themselves to pleasure those senses, while for the actively wrathful, they were crouched and covered in the mud while striking and biting at each other which the mud symbolized the dirty filled with hate people that they were while alive, the biting and fighting showing how violent and aggressive their anger was. The passively wrathful were the ones who were forced to gurgle and choke on the black mud at the bottom of the Styx because of their muttering and sulking when they were alive. These punishments were a lot more fitting to the crimes than the ones for those who were uncommitted.

General knowledge leads to the belief that Dante’s version of hell is way more detailed than that of Christian text and has a lot more creatures known in Greek Mythology, also with Pagan symbols and beliefs thrown in the mix, which in that time period was due to wanting increased followers since it was all about converting as many people as possible. That and controlling the masses. The depth of detail continues the more one reads and research furthers the lack of this day and age relations of what the Christian belief is defined as in 2016. Jesus wasn’t around in Dante’s time period, Plutus is a Greek god yet he is within the fourth circle of hell where “Virgil quiets the creature with a word”. Minos is also from ancient mythology and Cerberus from Greek stories of the afterlife, the three headed dog owned by hades who is a gate keeper and guard. All of this shows mixed religious and mythological traditions that Dante believes in. Overall the contemporary view of Christian believe is a lot more cut and dry with the simple, sin and get sent to hell while being good gets a one way ticket to heaven all mighty.

Writing about Literature

While reading and taking notes on the pages in the textbook, I realized I was familiar with a lot of it however I had never really incorporated it into my writing. When it came  to writing, it was always about just sitting down and letting thoughts flow from my brain to be typed by my fingers. I never really worried about sentence structure or targeting the audience. I would try to meet requirements that were set for me but I'm aware also of how I lack consciousness over grammar and sentence structure. I had learned the basics but I also had forgot the basics. Therefore looking at all of what is wanted from me, is stressful and nerve racking. It develops a slow burning temptation to quit and not set myself up for failure and the desire to stay within my comfort zone but ignoring that in pursuit of self-improvement. Over the years I've been given numerous compliments on how descriptive I am in what I write, anyone who was oblivious to the rules of writing would enjoy the few stories I've wrote while people that are very grammar oriented would shred the paper to pieces with frustration muttering of how illiterate I am. My previous english teachers worked hard to get me to actually plan out a paper and to follow the steps of developing a rough draft coaxing out the proper paper that it could be. I was taught strategies but it was always about description and making the story come alive within the readers mind. Mr. Smith showed me quotation and proper citation but reviewing the various ways of citing would be the intelligent thing to do.