Week 3: Hans Jager

When reading The Inferno I was able to understand the text better because of the contrasts that exist within it, especially the contrast between good and evil. The old language used in the text makes it harder to understand and decipher the message that Dante the poet is trying to portray. The contrasts are a recurring theme throughout the story which aid the reader and make it easier for them to understand what is happening because they learn to recognize recurring themes from the beginning.

Arguably the greatest contrast within Dante’s The Inferno is the contrast between good and evil. The title of the text (The Inferno, meaning fire) sets the tone for the reader, who immediately thinks about fire, hell and death because we associate those words with the word inferno. The title gives the reader insight to the text and informs them that there is a dark and malevolent aspect to the poem. After reading the beginning of the passage the reader is aware of another contrast that relates to the main contrast. The contrast between lightness and darkness is made evident because Dante is alone in a ‘Dark wood’ trying to get to the lights at top of a hill. From this contrast the reader knows that light represents good and God whereas the darkness represents evil and Satan. This allows the reader to continue to make these assumptions that everything concerning light represents good and everything dark represents evil.

The three beasts in the text can represent evil and Satan because they are obstructing Dante from getting to the light at the top of the hill. They can also represent the three fates from Greek mythology (also known as Moirae) who are said to control the destinies of all people. This poses the question of what exactly is the message in The Inferno? Was it always Dante’s fate to have to go through hell in order to get to heaven? Personally after reading the text I think that the message that Dante the poet was trying to portray was that everyone trying to get into heaven has to suffer the same fate of going through hell because they have to suffer for the sins that they have committed.

After completing my close reading of Dante’s The Inferno the contrasts within the text made it easier for me to understand what Dante the poet was trying to portray. The contrasts are constant which allowed me refer to them and use them to understand the text better.

Week 3: Zahra Peterson

After reading the epic poem of The Odyssey, I have found that the story identifies the main character of Odysseus as Greece. Most of the story contains mistakes and lessons that have to be learned, difficult and what seem like impossible situations, and finally the power Odysseus [or the people of Greece] are capable of overcoming their struggles no matter where they are or what they do to fight back.

Throughout many Greek stories, the character of Odysseus gets out of unruly situations not only with his Greek army, but also with his uncanny ideas and his never give up approach. In the epic poem of The Odyssey, Odysseus finds himself in a dangerous situation when he and his crew get stuck in the Cyclops’s cave, and have no way to get out. After they realize that the Cyclops is not the kind hospitable monster that Odysseus assumed he would be, they tried to plan a way of escaping their death. As the crew was being eaten one by one, Odysseus tried to formulate a plan. When the Cyclops asked him what his name was he told him: “Nobody”. Later on Odysseus puts his plan into action and stabs the Cyclops in the eye when graced with the opportunity.

When the Cyclops cried out for his neighbors and they asked who was harming him he yelled, “Nobody, friends! Nobody is killing me now by fraud not by force!” (Homer 224).

Thinking that he meant no one was there, the neighbors left the Cyclops to suffer and Odysseus got the chance to escape with the few crewmen he had left. Just like the Trojan War, Odysseus knew that he could not out power the enemy by force, but that he would definitely be able to out smart the enemy to obtain the victory.

By placing this factor within the well known story of The Odyssey, Homer is symbolizing that Greece can over come their battles without having to overpower the enemy or situation with weapons and a glorified army, but instead with intelligence and by sticking together in the time of great circumstances. Not only does this story exemplify that one can win the battle, but also that no matter where the Greek people may have to be living, they are still Greek and nothing can take that away from them. Both symbols play an extremely important roll in the story. Since Greek culture was so strongly woven together, Homer magnifies that bond by giving them a story containing the strength to see how getting through obstacles may take a lot of sacrifice, but in the end it will remind them what they are really fighting for; Greece and it’s people.

When Odysseus finally gets to go back to Ithaca he does so with heartache and a grateful spirit for what he has lost and what he has left. Ending the story with a simplified phrase “be grateful for what you have, and not weakened by what you don’t.”

Week 3: Samantha Varrelman

 

Week 3: A.J. Petrillo

While reading Beowulf I was able to find a connection between the dark ages and christianity at this time. Beowulf makes a connection of the Pagan people coming together, and unify as a community. The death of Grendel is not actually a being but most likely a representation of the people destroying the disconnection between each other.

“So Grendel ruled in defiance of right, one against all, until the greatest house in the world stood empty, a deserted wallstead.” (1.Beowulf, 144-146)

In the reading of Beowulf and the death of Grendel, I was able to find similar connections to the time period and the connection of what is going on in the story. The time period of this story was written around the 8^th and 11^th century, which is also during the time of the dark ages. During which we had a lot of death and miscommunication between people, plagues were also a big part of the dark ages. You could say that the quote from above is “Grendel” or the plague that brought down even the greatest house or the buildings in the world to become empty by deaths of diseases. When Beowulf actually killed Grendel in the text it says “…clan chiefs from far and near down wide-ranging roads, wondering greatly at the monsters footprints. His fatal departure was regretted by know one who witnessed his trail…” (1. Beowulf, 838-841) The departure of Grendel caused the community of the Danes to come together as a people and nobody regretted what has happened to him because it allowed the community to strengthen again. If we also look even further we can connected that the death of Grendel could refer to the relationship with Christianity and this could have been an early disconnection with Paganism and allowed the monotheistic culture to slide itself into its place within the literature. If you read the poem called “Dream of Rood” that was also written around the same time as Beowulf, it is a Christian story of Christ connecting to the Anglo-Saxon tongue. “reveal in words that it is the tree of glory, on which Almighty God suffered for mankind’s many sins.”(2.Dream of the Rood, 97-99) In this poem you will notice a lot of reference with the cross being a tree, the tree is a highly beloved part of Anglo-Saxon culture, so bringing in the cross as a tree brings a connection of Christianity with the people. Also in Paganism within Anglo-Saxon culture they believed that only warriors were able to move on into heavens or Valhalla, but in Christianity this allowed everyone to be embraced into heaven which brought in a better cause for people to be more accepting of Christianity. Both of these writings have significant examples of the connection of Christianity and may be the reason of how people got influence during the dark ages.

1. Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf: a New Verse Translation. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000. Print.

2."Rood Home Page." Enter Dream of the Rood. Web. 07 Sept. 2011. .

Week 3: Hailey Sherwood

From the start of “The Inferno”, by Dante Alighieri, Dante presents himself as a middle-aged man dealing with a middle-aged crisis. This crisis, is finding his identity. Wandering through a dark forest, Dante has lost his way from the true path in life. As he is about to approach a brighter hilltop, the Leopard of Malice and Fraud, The Lion of Violence and Ambition, and the She-Wolf of Incontinence drag him back into the dark abyss. But Dante’s symbol of Human Reason, Virgil comes to guide him. Dante must go through Hell in order to get to Heaven.

A pivotal moment occurs when Dante is about to emerge in the gates of hell and he recalls that only Paul and Aeneas have returned from the afterlife. Dante remarks, “There later came the chosen vessel, Paul, bearing the confirmation of that Faith which is the one true door to the life eternal”. Dante finds himself small in the face of this challenge, and questions if he deserves to make it to the afterlife. He questions, “But I- how should I dare? By whose permission? I am not Aeneas. I am not Paul. Who could believe me worthy of the vision? In this, Dante presents the universal questions, “Who am I?” and “What am I worth?”, establishing The Inferno as an identity piece.

Dante’s challenge of going through hell to get to heaven is probably the most extreme test in defining one’s identity. Every element of Dante’s obstacle upholds Culler’s perception of the subject of identity, provoking questions such as “What is this ‘I’ that I am?” Dante’s first-person perspective as both the author and subject of the epic makes him seem as if he could be anyone searching for their identity, and establishes credibility among listeners. Listeners may not be able to relate to the severity of going to the afterlife, but “The Inferno” serves as an allegory for finding oneself, providing the most extreme example for the most human question.

Week 3:Karrah Bell

                Below, underlies an important question. I would consider the passage as dealing with identity and analysis. Dante, the main character in “The Inferno,” is clearly struggling with his own personal identity. What constitutes his right to the almighty heaven? He feels that heaven would not be the right kind of place for a man like him. The analytic structure is due to separating his reasons for going, as opposed to not. Dante has to take a good look in the mirror and receive encouragement to pursue his journey.

 “Poet, you who must guide me,

Before you trust me to that arduous passage,

Look at me and look through me-can I be worthy?

This particular question, quoted by Dante in “The Inferno,” caught my attention after reading and re-reading the passage. By stepping off the “right” path, Dante was thrust into a mind boggling experience. The basic understanding was: to get to heaven, you have to go through hell. He was faced with a question that I find I, as well as many others I’m sure, struggle with. Am I worthy of heaven? Can my bad choices be accepted to a kingdom that great? He is asking Virgil to examine his life and contribute his opinion to why or why not he should be commendable to heaven.

 Obviously, there was a reason why he was chosen and being guided through the gates of treacherous hell to see the light of heaven. Beatrice, the symbol of divine love, showed remorse and sent Virgil to light the way. After being reassured, Dante no longer hesitates. He understands that heaven is worth fighting for.

This particular passage struck me as important because it shows that Dante had a choice. He was convinced to continue farther to the gates of heaven, even though he was extremely scared of the difficult journey ahead of him. He could have chosen to reject the expedition, yet perseverance led on. Others believed that he had a right to correct his errors, which is why he was cheered on. He not only deserved, but needed to see the appalling stages of hell.

Week 3: Taylor Baggerly

An epic poem, by definition, is "a long narrative poem on a great and serious subject, related in an elevated stule, and centered on a heroic or quasi- divine figure on whose actions depends the fate of a tribe, a nation, or a human race" (The Epic). The Aeneid by Virgil meets these requirements and more. The entirety of The Aeneid is an epic poem in itself, but I will be focusing on Book IV, specifically lines 239-261:

“Now in no time at all
through all the African cities Rumor goes-
Nimble as quicksilver among evils. Rumor
Thrives on motion, stronger for the running.
Lowly at first through fear, then rearing high,
She treads the land and hides her head in cloud.
As people fable it, the Earth, her mother,
Furious against the gods, bore a late sister
To the giants Coeus and Enceladus,
Giving her speed on foot and on the wing:
Monstrous, deformed, titanic. Pinioned, with
An eye beneath for every body feather,
And, strange to say, as may tongues and buzzing
Mouths as eyes, as many pricked- up ears,
By night she flies between the earth and heaven
Shrieking through darkness, and she never turns,
Her eye lids down to sleep. By day she broods,
On the alerts, on rooftops or on towers,
Bringing great cities fear, harping on lies
And slander evenhandedly with truth.
In those days Rumor took an evil joy
At filling countryside’s with whispers, whispers,
Gossip of what was done, and never done. . . . (239-261)

In this passage specifically, we see a great deal of metaphors. ‘Rumor’ is personified as a malicious woman whose pleasure lies in spreading lies about people wherever she can. Throughout Book IV, metaphoric passages happen frequently, as does personification, and one has to keep that in mind while reading The Aeneid.

Another thing to consider while reading Book IV is the absence of a strong feminine role. While it’s true that Juno and Venus are given sharp personalities, the rest of the female characters, in and out of Book IV are not as biting.

Dido, for example, lets her love for Aeneas control her life. Dido was effectively used by the gods as a plaything. Although some strength is shown by her defying the gods and continuing to love Aeneas, even though she knows he’s destined to go and build the Roman Empire, she ultimately turns into a psychotic mess when Aeneas does leave. By building her own funeral pyre and stabbing herself with his sword, she shows a) her inability to handle tough situations, and b) how psychologically messed up she is. “On Dido in her desolation now/ Terror grew at her fate. She prayed for death,/ Being heartsick at the mere sight of heaven./ that she more surely would perform the act/ and leave the daylight,” (The Aeneid, Book IV, lines 622- 626).

A, N. "The Epic." Mac Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Sept. 2011.