The Inferno by Dante Alighieri 6-7
Please used the attached information to complete this assignment….After reading the assigned sections of The Inferno by Dante Alighieri, respond to 1 of the following questions 275 words, using specific examples and direct quotations from the reading to support your answer.
1. God or Grudges? As we’re reading The Inferno, it is helpful to remember that while Dante lived in a very religion-influenced culture (the Church had significant power at this time), he was not himself a clergyman, and his commentary on Hell should not be read as a monolithic example of Church doctrine. Why, then, would he choose Hell as his particular backdrop for attacking political and personal enemies, rather than attacking them directly? Some background reading on Dante himself is recommended for this prompt; the supplementary readings in the Week 6 lesson may be helpful here.
2. No Fire and Brimstone Here: American popular culture often characterizes Hell as a place of heat and fire and burning, but as we go through Dante’s Hell-scape, fire does not seem to play that big of a part. Focus on one circle of Hell, and discuss its punishments; how do the punishments there relate to the crimes committed by the inmates? Support your response with specific passages from the text.
3. Dante’s Guide: Throughout his journey—not only in The Inferno, but also as he moves higher into Purgatory—Dante is guided by the Roman poet Virgil, author of The Aeneid, the epic that details the founding of Rome. Why would Dante choose a pagan, classical poet to be the guide through a Christian Hell? Some background reading on Dante (see the supplemental reading) and Virgil may be useful here.
4. Identifying Cultural Values: Modern readers often find some of the crime “rankings” (how far down a particular sin places an individual in Hell) in The Inferno to be puzzling. Discuss one level of Hell that caught your eye as you read through: does the punishment/placement of this particular sin seem problematic to you? Why or why not? What do you think we can learn about the cultural values of medieval Italy from this level of Hell?
After reading the assigned sections of The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli and the assigned Confucian works, respond to 1 of the following questions 275 words, using specific examples and direct quotations from the reading to support your answer.
1. Ruling the Kingdom, Ruling the Self: In the Confucian works, we find a very clear discussion of how good rule is something that works on multiple levels, from the self to the family to the nation. Looking at the assigned excerpts from Machiavelli, do you think his The Prince could be used in the same way? Could these principles for ruling a city-state well also be applied to ruling oneself well? Discuss at least one principle that you think could work, and one that could not as you give your overall evaluation of the work.
2. The Time that Binds: Consider either Machiavelli’s The Prince or the assigned Confucian works. Is this text limited by the particular time and place in which it was written, or can it still be seen as a useful model in our time? Why or why not?
3. The Role of Religion: What is the role of religion in these two texts? It is more similar or more different, and why?
4. Judging the Advisor: Last week we talked about the cultural values that seemed to govern Dante’s decisions about who went where in Hell. Consider either Machiavelli’s ideal Prince or Confucius’ ideal Self in relation to Dante’s moral framework. Do you think the figure you chose would end up in Dante’s Hell? If so, where? Be sure to include a brief description of the figure you are evaluating so that we all have the same basic person in mind.
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