Most recent public comments by Matthew Marin https://nowcomment.com/users/128033 https://nowcomment.com/documents/330016?scroll_to=2926588 https://nowcomment.com/documents/330016?scroll_to=2926588 The fourth level of hell in Dante’s inferno contains those who were greedy on earth endlessly pushing large weights up a hill. “Here, too, I saw a nation of lost souls,far more than were above: they strained their chest against enormous weights, and with mad howls.”(Puchner, 2018, p. 957) Once they reach the top, the ones that hoarded possessions begin to argue with those who carelessly spent them. They eventually end up tumbling back down to the bottom of the hill and end up repeating the cycle for all eternity. This punishment is fitting because the weights represent all of the worldly possessions these people carried in life. Now they are damned to carry them for all eternity. The seventh circle of hell houses those who were violent on earth. In the second ring of this circle are those that committed suicied and their bodies have been turned into trees. “The souls of the Suicides are encased in thorny trees whose leaves are eaten by the odious Harpies, the overseers of these damned.”(Puchner, 2018, p. 982) This is fitting because the bodies that they disrespected in life have been eternally taken away from them. The ninth circle of hell is reserved for betrayers. Here, sufferers are encased in ice as icy winds blow on them. Satan also resides in this circle. This punishment is fitting because it is the most severe as Dante sees this sin as being the greatest of them all. Dante’s Inferno draws many parallels to Homer’s Odyssey. First off, both of these epics are a grand journey to return to one's home. Both characters also encounter terrible beasts as seen with Odysseus and the cyclops and Dante and the many horrible demons he ends up face to face with. A major difference in these two stories arises in the form of the main characters. Odysseus is a king and a great warrior who has seen and survived through numerous battles. On the other hand, Dante is not a king, nor does he excel in combat. Rather, he is a politician and a poet which greatly contrasts with Odysseus as a character. Question: Do you believe any of the punishments given in each circle to be unjust. Should some sins be lower in hell? Should others be higher? Puchner, M. (2018). The Divine Comedy: Inferno. M. Puchner (Ed.), The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Shorter Fourth Editions (1). https://ncia.wwnorton.com/ebook-worldlit4shorter Fri, 21 Oct 2022 15:44:37 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/328084?scroll_to=2915923 https://nowcomment.com/documents/328084?scroll_to=2915923 Medea realizes that she does not want Jason to get her children, so she decides to murder them. The play states, “They can be with you and bring you joy. And yet by the vengeful spirits of deepest Hades there is no way I can allow my enemies to seize my children and to mistreat them. [It is certain that they have to die. And so I should kill them, since I gave them life.]” (Puchner, M. p. 464) This gives the reader a glimpse of just how great Medea’s fury and sense of vengeance truly is. Medea is satisfied by the fact that she did not allow Creon to get away with exiling her. She also revels in the fact that she was able to get revenge on Jason by taking away all that he loved. She says, “no way that Creon who arranged all this could throw me out and not pay the price. So call me a lion, or Scylla lurking on the Etruscan plain, I’ve done what I had to: I’ve pierced your heart.” (Puchner, M. p. 471) Even though her own deeds also affect her, she is still content with them simply due to the fact that Jason is hurt as well. A similarity that Medea has to the epic heroes we have read about is her determination. She sets her mind to scarring Jason and goes through great lengths to achieve it by the end of the tragedy. This is similar to the determination displayed by Gilgamesh on his quest for eternal life, and by Odysseus on his journey home. The major difference that separates her from these characters is that this determination is born out of malice rather than love or the will to live. Question: Do you believe that Jason leaving his wife in order to secure economic prosperity for his beloved sons was justified or at least understandable? Puchner, M. (2018). Medea. P. Martin (Ed.), Norton Anthology of World Literature (1). https://ncia.wwnorton.com/ebook-worldlit4shorter Mon, 12 Dec 2022 12:58:33 -0500