User:Auberyroberts/sandbox

= Aubrey Roberts - Edited Inferno Article for ENGL2111.13 =

Analysis of Article
The introduction for the article was very brief, so I am adding more information in the revised paragraph. The rest of the article provided an excellent summary of the epic poem, Inferno, and describes each of the nine circle of Hell in depth. However, there is no information of the literary elements. For my contribution, I am going to add information on some of the major themes and symbols in Inferno.

Reading List

 * Patrick Hunt. (2011). On the Inferno.
 * Jules Gelernt. (1963). Dante's The Divine Comedy.
 * Harold Bloom. (1996). Dante's Inferno.
 * Benedetto Croce. (1921). The Poetry of Dante.
 * Thomas Rendall. (2010). The Numerology of Dante’s Divine Vision.
 * Brian Angliss. (2013). Dante's Inferno and Contrapasso.

Original
Inferno ( pronounced  [imˈfɛrno]; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed byPurgatorio and Paradiso. It is an allegory telling of the journey of Dante through Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine circles of suffering located within the Earth. Allegorically, the Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul toward God, with the Inferno describing the recognition and rejection of sin.[1]

Revised
Dante Alighieri's Inferno ( pronounced  [imˈfɛrno]; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of three in the 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy written in terza rima, a verse form of three line stanzas. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. Inferno is Dante’s most famous work. It is a vast journey of the author as a mortal through hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is divided into nine circles, each containing a different category of sinners receiving their own proper form of punishment, located within the Earth. Throughout the journey, Dante shows compassion for the sinner who tell their stories, and attempts to justify the brutal wrath of God against unrepentant sinners. The work’s internal structure and literary craft are highest sophistication, rich with allusions, irony, symbolism, and imagery. Allegorically, the Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul toward God, with the Inferno describing the recognition and rejection of sin.[1]

Themes

 * God's Justice vs. Human Compassion: God created Hell with the idea that sinners are punished according to their sin, so they are deserving of their punishment. Upon entering the Limbo where the people suffer no external pain but perpetual desire without hope, Dante has complete faith in the divine justice. Virgil resides in the Limbo and greets Dante who slightly questions his faith in the divine justice because these were people of great value Dante heard the stories of many sinners as he descended through Hell. He showed pity and wondered how God could impose so much pain on seemingly good, undeserving people. He showed compassion for the sinners and seemed to suffer with them.
 * Achieving Immortality Through Stories: Several sinners ask Dante to remember their names and tell their stories back in the land of the living, so they could live forever in the memories of people. Dante does for some and these are the narratives we read in Inferno. This may not have been for the sake of others but for his own immortality. Dante's sense of self-importance is shown in several parts of the poem such as when he claims to be a greater writer than Ovid and Lucan in Canto XXIV. By creating such a story of hell, which he claims to be true, Dante would certainly be remembered through the ages.

Symbols

 * The Number Three: The number three is significant in Christianity, and is called "the number of God", hence the Holy Trinity. To reference this, the epic poem is written in terza rima, a verse of three lines. Satan has three faces chewing three people and three sets of wings. Three beasts meet Dante in Canto I, and three saints meet Dante in Canto II. There are also three rivers in Hell with three ferrymen. Finally, there are nine circles of hell, three times three.
 * Fire and Ice: "Our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12.29). Hell is filled with fire and heat which shows that God has a presence in Hell. Many of the punishments are include burning which symbolizes God personally carrying out the punishments. An example is blasphemers in the seventh circle must lay on burning hot sand. However, the ninth circle is completely frozen, which symbolizes the complete absence of God. Lucifer and the other traitors are as far away from God as possible.
 * The Punishments: Each punishment is an ironic symbol of the sin committed. For example, sinners who are violent against neighbors are sentenced to boil in blood because people "made their blood boil". Another is sinners in the first circle live in a constant blinding fog, much like how they were blinded from God when alive. The term for this concept is contrapasso, the idea that sinners should be punished in a way that mirrors or resembles the sin.