The Journey Through Nine Circles Of Hell - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1349 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/08/07 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Dante's Inferno Essay Did you like this example? The Inferno is the first part of Dantes epic poem, Divine Comedy, of the 14th century. The poet (Dante) starts a spiritual journey where he is guided by the soul of the Roman poet Virgil. Dante takes the journey through nine circles of hell where he observes the punishments that the sinners who had passed on earlier are going through. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Journey Through Nine Circles Of Hell" essay for you Create order In the first canto, Dante is lost in the dark woods and lost both his literal and spiritual sense, which makes him descend to Limbo. This is where Dante meets Virgil, his poetic idol. They both get into hell where they explore the nine circles and come across the historical, biblical, as well as mythological characters, the ones suffering and those offering the punishments. At the ninth circle, Dante meets Lucifer and raises his hefty body to make a return to earth. Dantes element of his journey makes exploration of the descent of a man into sin as he uses poetic justice, mythical and historical figures. He crafts the work to focus on the nature of sin and the nature of sin in society. This paper critically analyses the cantos, themes, key figures in the Inferno of Dante. Inferno is a representation of a microcosm of society. Every sort of individuals, including lovers, politicians, non-specialists, clergy, and scholars, among others, are all brought together for punishment and most human attributes. In spite of the blemished nature of hell, it is civilized by the fact that the people punished are diverse as they come from every region irrespective of their beliefs, gender, race or age (Dante 3.123). Although Dante did not come up with the idea of hell to be a place where sinful souls are punished after they die, he created the concept of imagination that has acquired notable attention in different works of the medieval, classical and even biblical eras. The Divine Comedy has been perceived to be among the supreme works of the Italian literature since its writing in the 14th century. Poetic justice has also been explored extensively in Dantes Inferno and has been effected through drama, conceiving necessary punishments for every sin committed by every person. From the non-existence to betrayal, Dante documents the sinners punishments- the popular and the unknown, beloved and infamous. Every punishment given to the sinners fits the kinds of penalty they are given. The poem discusses Satans domain, as well as the Christian incarnation of evil. There are nine circles in the inferno, including gluttony, limbo, treachery, wrath and sullenness, fraud, violence, violence, lust and avarice, and prodigality based on the deadliest sins in society. At the beginning of the poem, Dante is lost in the woods and unable to escape the three beasts, a lion, leopard, and a she-wolf, surrounding him (Dante 1.18). He cannot manage to walk straight through the mountain, which represents the road to salvation. The lion represents pride; the leopard represents envy as the she-wolf is a representation of greed. The blockage by these three beasts forces Dante to descend to hell. This journey as a whole is an analogy of an individuals fall into sin (inferno), then receives redemption (portrayed through Purgatorio), and finally, gets saved (portrayed in Paradiso). Dante passes through the gateway to hell and sees the words that suggest something bad is awaiting him inside. The writing at the gateway says Abandon every hope, who enter here (3.9). The two (Dante and Virgil) witness a variety of people who lived miserable lives with disgrace and no praise on the fringe of inferno (3.17-34). In this domain, Dante and Virgil come across the souls of the miserable people who cowardly live a life of disgrace and were thrown away from heaven and had been refused entry by hell. The sinful souls are given no option, but to race after the unstopping banner where they are constantly stung by wasps and flies as their tears and blood nourish the worms at their foot (3.69). These sinful and coward souls suffer a limpid punishment for their failure to make proper decisions, which has made them end cast out of both the eternal paradise and damnation and all they have got is to run after the unstopping banner as they endure suffering continuously. Another significant character in the poem is Charon, hells boatman. Charon is an irritable old man given the responsibility of piloting the boat that moves the shadows of the deceased to the underworld through the waters (3.83). Charons irritability can be seen as he takes someone who is still alive (Dante) to the land of the dead. The guide of the leading character (Virgil) gives the boatman the appropriate credentials and the transportation is made as planned. There is a place set aside for the ignorant, Limbo. People are punished for their ignorance and are forced into spending their lives in a place that seems no to be much of hell, but still not heaven. The noble-Christian souls, as well as those who spent their life before Christianity, receive their punishment in limbo. This is the idea of a place for the souls that did not get baptized as much as they did not sin (4.34), which is a show of ignorance. Dante incorporates the babies who never got baptized and the remarkable non-Cristian adults in the version of limbo, bearing a similarity to the Asphodel Meadows where common souls were taken to live after their death. Even though these souls are not left to languish in hell, the Limbo is not as a good place as paradise, and that makes it the appropriate place for the ignorant according to Dante. Classical poets such as Homer, Lucan, Horace, and Ovid are also encountered by Dante in Limbo. The classical poets welcome their comrade (Virgil) back and honor Dante as their colleague as well (4.79-101). Other significant characters who make an appearance in the Limbo include Aristotle and Socrates, the well-known figures for their scholarly successes in their time. Socrates is renowned for his thoughtful and diligent questioning of the works of Plato, who also makes his appearance. Moreover, one outstanding non-Christian soul, Saladin, also finds himself in the Limbo. This is an eminent leader of the military and Egyptian sultan who got a lot of admiration even from the enemies for his nobility. According to Dante, all non-Christians irrespective of whether or not they were exemplary in their lifetime had to get to the Limbo. In the second circle, the lustful receive their punishment through the blowing of the hurricane. The hurricane blows them constantly with no rests, wheels, and pounds (5.31-33). Through lust, many found themselves in the sin of adultery, which made characters such as Cleopatra, Dido, and Troy, among others who suffer a violent death. Lust has been symbolized by the strong and violent winds, which also represents the strength it contains in the affairs related to blind passions. Several famous lovers such as Paris, Dido, Tristan and Semiramis are contained by lust. The Assyrian powerful queen, Semiramis, is allegedly reported to have been a very awkward individual who went to the extent of making incest legal in her territory. Dido, on the other hand, was the queen of Carthage who killed herself after her lover abandoned her. Paris perished in the Trojan War. The Inferno by Dante is an indication of a revolution in the theology of Christians as it uses poetic justice to deal with the wrongdoers, historical figures, as well as classical mythology. Through a combination of these aspects in a single poem, Dante gives the people of the western world a new perception on the imagination of the afterlife and what the hell entails. He successfully reveals the vision of hell through his focus on scenes and the specific identities of the characters he managed to make an encounter with while there. Throughout the centuries since the writing of the poem, there have been several reviews ranging from passion to repulsive responses depending on the notion that the poem instills on the readers. However, the most agreed response on this supreme work of the Italian literature will remain to be half-hearted.

Charter Schools Vs Traditional Public Schools - 948 Words

Charter Schools vs Traditional Public Schools Charter schools are an alternative to traditional public schools, but are often viewed as the superior option in comparison to the traditional public school route. By definition, charter schools are a publicly funded and privately ran school under the charter of an educational authority. These types of schools are held to different types of standards than most traditional public schools with freedom to explore unique methods of educating children. According to pro side of the debate, charter schools are necessary. Education is not always a ‘one size fits all’ (Genma Holmes). The neighborhood traditional public school is not necessary always the best environment for every child simply because traditional public schools are designed to meet the needs of the general population. However, charter schools provide students who do not fit in with the traditional public schooling system an alternative educational route. 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Descriptive Writing Free Essays

Though not very big, my home is a place where my heart is. My home is the most comfortable, warm and cozy place where I live with my family and spend most of the time in. Entering the east facing wood paneled front door of my home, I am welcomed by my pseudo German Shepherd. We will write a custom essay sample on Descriptive Writing or any similar topic only for you Order Now An off-white shoe cabinet in the foyer is neatly arranged with everyone’s shoes. In the foyer there is a gilded mirror which is placed above a half moon console table which is decorated with a bowl of colorful blooms and little round. Interior decoration being our forte, we still are thrilled to step into the living room and see our artistic touch. The tray ceiling designed with lights faces down on our Lorenzo leather armchair and divan sofa which we have saved hard to buy. Square shaped cushions quilted with floral designs are well arranged on the divan sofa. The polished wooden floor tiles, feels so cool under my feet. In front of the sofa, lays a Persian rug, a gift from my much travelled aunt on which the unique Kenshoma style coffee table lends a contemporary look. A collage of all my artwork from kindergarten to standard 6 takes pride of place above the flat screen Samsung TV. Across on the opposite wall is the window overlooking the park. As we enter the doorway on the west wall, we pass into a well lit hallway leading to the bedrooms one on the right and the other on the left, each with its own en suite. My sanctum sanctorum is on the left, with a pad of my very own in pastel colors of Nippon-Lemon Drop and Golden Buff. Against the south wall by the window is my four poster mahogany bed with Laura Ashley sheets and quilt. The parted Laura Ashley curtains open onto a balcony which is opposite my bed. From the balcony, I can see and hear the rippling sea rolling away to the horizon. On the far wall of my room is the bathroom on the left and almost a bare walk-in wardrobe on the right. My few but elegant clothes from Nicole MNJ, Soda and Padini hang in the closet. My two pairs of Jimmy Choo shoes sits forlorn at the bottom shelf. My Prada handbag, not original of course sits proudly on display by the floral upholstered chair next to the period-style dressing table and mirror. Incidentally my walk-in wardrobe has a connecting door to the bathroom. Now let me take you through my bathroom, my second best place of refuge, away from the heat. It is a small marvel of glass marble and modern fitting like rain shower. My toothbrush and toilet paper holders are from IKEA. My Johnson Suisse square vanity is above the off-white marble counter. Above the vanity, I have a dark wooden framed mirror which was given by my grandfather. On the counter, I have placed three scented candles on ornate candle stands of wrought iron which I bought from SSF, the home deco store. My room constantly smells of fresh lavender. It has soothing and calming effects on me, especially on days when I have tough assignments. Light floods this small cubicle from a frosted glass window and two white down lights from the ceiling. To me, my home is the most relaxing place to stay. Almost all of my tensions become extinct just when I place my first foot in my home. My home is a place where if I had a chance, I would not want to leave for awhile. Finally I would like to quote John Howard Payne’s 19th century song â€Å"Mid palaces and pleasures though we may roam. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home. † (John Howard Payne, 1823) How to cite Descriptive Writing, Essays