Abstract The paper looks at the compelling epic simile used in Canto 12, in which Dante compares a bull on the way to slaughter to the dreaded Minotaur, that Dante must face on his way to Paradise. The paper explains how using a bull as the symbol of the beast allows the reader to immediately understand the violence and force of the Minotaur. It also discusses the knowledge that Dante must gain during his journey in order for him to achieve victory.
From the Paper "Another analogy also fits the image of the bull that gains strength in the last minutes of life, and fits the image of the Minotaur, half bull, and half man. Bulls are notoriously violent, they charge at the least little thing, and are not known for their brains. They are also hopelessly lost outside of their element, as the "bull in the china shop" analogy clearly shows. Thus, this "bull man" that is the Minotaur can be overcome when it is outside its element, where it is no longer comfortable. Remove this ultimate beast from its position in the labyrinth, and you will have the upper hand, as Dante and his guide discover. Therefore, the Minotaur serves yet another purpose in Dante's growing knowledge as he moves along the pathway toward Paradise. The Minotaur shows that the violence of the Minotaur is a result of his environment and his comfort level, and if these are removed, the Minotaur is vulnerable. This is a valuable lesson in life, for it shows how even the most violent among us use their environment as a shield to hide their vulnerability."
Abstract This paper concerns the fourth chapter, or canto, of the second book in the "Divina Commedia" of Dante, the "Purgatorio". It concerns the ascent of the main characters to the realm of the indolent, where reside the repentant souls of those who were too lazy to convert before their last days. God is making them wait before they are admitted to paradise, just like they made him wait for their conversion. The paper concerns the way in which Dante uses abnormal physical laws to make the mythological space of the Commedia just weird enough to be believed. Current findings in the anthropology of religion are cited to support the need for odd, un-earthly aspects of supernatural systems like those involved in the afterlife.
Abstract The essay provides a deep analysis of Canto V of Dante's Inferno. It studies Francesca and Paolo, their sin, Dante's reaction to Francesca's story, and the various interpretations critics have of Canto V. The significance of Francesca's presence in this Canto and the themes that come through in her speech and interaction with Dante are important to the Divine Comedy as a whole. The essay explores the significance of Canto V in regard to Dante's views on love, sin, pleasure and discusses the 'dolce stil novo' movement of the time. It also looks at the various interpretations that the Canto has inspired among critics. Francesca has been seen as both gentle and innocent, and as a deceptive maipulator. Dante the pilgrim's sympathy is explained in regard to Dante the poet's desire to express messages to the reader.
From the Paper "Dante's representation of Francesca da Rimini in his Inferno is a crucial scene of interaction. Her (mis) use of the language of the thirteenth century movement, Dolce Stil Novo, exposes Dante the Poet's thoughts on love through the reactions that her lyrical speech invokes in Dante the Pilgrim. The dramatic effect Francesca's tale has on Dante serves to reveal his naivety and amateur ability to judge sin, and thus highlight the difference between Francesca and Beatrice, the latter of which is consequently presented as the epitome of ethereal grace and spirituality. Dante's encounter with Francesca is found in Canto V of the Inferno, the first realm after Limbo (Canto VI) and the entrance to Hell Proper. Francesca is the first soul with whom the pilgrim speaks. The second circle, in which she and her lover Paolo reside, is that of "i pecator carnali/che la ragion sommettono al talento" (5: 38-39), and her sin that of adultery."
Abstract This paper analyzes Cantos 18 through 23 from Dante's Inferno. Canto 18 of Dante's Inferno describes the eighth circle of hell. This circle is surrounded by ten concentric rounds surrounded by grey stony peaks and cliffs. There is a big pit in the center of the rounds, and bridges connecting the rounds, so that it all looks like the spokes of a wheel with a hollow pit in the center of it all.
Abstract This paper details two cantos from the tale of Dante's "Inferno" and attempts to derive how accomplished a writer Dante actually was because of his use of imagination and reality through a review of Cantos Five and Thirteen. It assesses Dante's skill in telling his story by tying together his vivid imagination with his ability to describe people realistically. It shows how, in Dante's hell, the sins of the individual souls describe both how the individuals lived their lives before death and how they will spend eternity after death and how Dante's imagination mixed with reality made his tormented characters believable and opened a window into their lives.
From the Paper "Dante had a definite interplay between reality and imagination. For example, one would think that with the many tortures and the constant torment, these levels of hell would reek horrendously. Although not from either Canto five or thirteen, this example demonstrates how the author combined real and imagined to describe the smell of hell and his imagination makes it very real. ?Dante arrives at the verge of a rocky precipice which encloses the seventh circle, where he sees the sepulchre of Anastasius the heretic; behind the lid of which pausing a little, to make himself capable by degrees of enduring the fetid smell that steamed upward from the abyss, he is instructed by Virgil concerning the manner in which the three following circles are disposed, and what description of sinners is punished in each.? (DANTE) Dante captures the stench precisely."
Abstract This paper critiques Dante's writing style and the symbolism found within Canto Number Five of "The Inferno". The paper follows the character of Virgil as he tours Hell and meets its inhabitants.
From the Paper "In The Cantos Ezra Pound wrote a poem in which he tried to include the whole world. He used many languages, ideas from many traditions, and quotations from some of the greatest works of literature. In the first group of poems, which are called A Draft of XXX Cantos, Pound begins with Greek literature and goes to Chinese philosophy and then to nineteenth-century economic ideas. Canto I is about Odysseus and his men who are involved in one of their adventures from Homer's Odyssey, the ancient Greek poem that was the first work of European literature. Canto XIII deals with a conversation between the Chinese philosopher Kung (another way of saying Confucius) and some of his followers. The teachings, or sayings, of Confucius are the basis of a whole way of thinking and believing in many parts of Asia. Canto XIX is set in modern times and the narrator and an American businessman ..."
Abstract This paper examines the scholars and the de-contextualization of Dante's "Inferno" - with special emphasis upon canto III. The paper summarizes the scene when a fearful Dante first enters Hell and discusses its significance in terms of understanding Dante and his world. The paper also looks at how intellectuals view Dante's "Inferno". The writer believes that the work stands out as a classic example of the medieval allegory play taken to new rhetorical heights. The writer concludes that it is also an example of how even the simplest works, if powerfully wrought, can spark wide discussion among academics who seek out meanings unimagined by the author.
From the Paper "Ultimately, the canto, like the rest of the cantica, is a potential mirror into the world in which Dante Alighieri lived as well as a mirror into his own inner turmoil as a devout Christian seeking a purpose to his life as well as answers to questions that presumably many devout Christians were asking in the fourteenth century. To start with, the canto (in the original Italian, anyway) was written in the demanding terza rima rhyme pattern (Scott para.2) and, even in English translations, the text can be difficult to follow as Dante tries to bend the language into shapes and forms to which it does not adhere willingly."
Abstract This paper examines Dante's work, The Inferno in respect to the interpretation of sins in the modern world and at the time of publication. This contrast is enhanced through focusing on Canto v, the lover's circle, and Canto XIX, or the circle reserved for popes.
Abstract A paper which introduces the term 'mid-life' crisis. It shows how 14th century poet, Dante, described his own mid-life crisis in his famous work, "The Divine Comedy" and that ever since the existence of a mid-life crisis has been postulated, Dante;s experience as described in the opening canto of "Inferno", has become the metaphor for the middle life years.
From the Paper "In the context of a normal, socially prescribed rite of passage, a crisis; is the halfway point through a natural process. If one focuses on only one part of a complete and purposeful process, one may miss the intent of the whole. People in traditional cultures accepted that the life cycle comprised stages and that getting through the times of transition was a natural process. They did not fear the middle (i.e., the conflict or crisis)" part of the process; because they knew it would be resolved eventually. (Atkinson, R., 2002) Dante was an ardent Catholic, as well as a Classicist who had been living the lfie of a political exile away from his beloved Florence. In The Divine Comedy, he created a highly regimented Hell, developing a hierarchy of sins in the tradition of Greek philosophy. Each sin was illustrated in well-known figures in 14th century Italy and the legendary Greeks and Romans, among whom were his numerous political enemies as well."
Tags: Rights of Passage Augustine The Confessions Hell, Purgatory and Paradise Virgil Whites Blacks divine comedy
Abstract The paper discusses the life histories of Francisco Goya and poet Ezra Pound. It analyzes Goyas "El 2 de Mayo," "The Colossus," and "Saturn Devouring His Son" and Pound's poems "MEDITATIO," "The Cantos," and "These Fought in Any Case". The paper also includes replicas of some of Goya's paintings.
From the Paper "The two artists chosen for this paper fall into the innovative or creative section of the arts. Firstly, Ezra Pound is known for his modernistic style and is also known for exchanging ideas and allowing other credited artists to critique his work. His style was derived from Japanese and Chinese literature called Imagism, this touched on accuracy, precision, and a traditional rhyme scheme (Academy, 1). Francisco Goya, also known as ?the Father of Modern Art,? influenced the world with his works. His general feeling of bitterness towards the world was predominantly shown in his works. Due to the fact that Ezra Pound and Francisco Goya are both brilliant artist many parallels can be drawn between the two."
Tags: Imagism, Black, Paintings, World, War, One, Napoleonic, War
From the Paper Of the great modernist poets, Ezra Pound stands apart as the most elliptical. His omnivorous learning, obscure allusions and frequent obtuseness make much of his work inaccessible to the general reader. For Pound's poetry to be readily understood, if such a thing is possible, a reader ought to be familiar with Eastern and Western philosophies, politics, history, several languages and the poet's own life. Even then, comprehending Pound's meaning in a given poem requires diligence and a willingness to allow for great ambiguity. His central work, the Cantos, represents Pound's greatest achievement, containing his most profound comments on the world and his art in all their learned and abstruse glory.
Within this collection of poems, Pound sought to trace the world's history using a Ulyssean/Dantesque framework. The poet..."
Abstract This paper examines the relationship between Dante and Virgil as depicted in Pinsky's translation. Their relationship throughout poem is filled with symbolism. The epic poem is about Dante who journeys through the underworld and Virgil, the Roman poet, serves as his guide. The paper shows how Virgil symbolizes knowledge and safety to Dante, who is at times uncertain and timid about traversing such treacherous terrain.
From the Paper "Robert Pinsky is a distinguished poet and translator of "The Inferno of Dante" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1994). The "Inferno" -- which is the first part of Dante's "Divina Commedia" -- remains a popular and compelling poem for modern readers; there have been at least fifty English versions of the "Inferno" in this century alone. Of course, any translator must rely on previous translations and commentators in undertaking such an ambitious task, and Pinsky has said that he depended largely on Charles Singleton's scholarly, painstakingly literal prose translation (1970), and on the best-known nineteenth-century American verse translation, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1867). "
This paper compares Alfred Tennyson's poem "Ulysses" (1833) with other versions of the Ulysses story such as Homer's "Odyssey" and Dante's Canto XXVI of "The Inferno."
925 words (approx. 3.7 pages), 3 sources, 2002, $ 32.95
Abstract This paper describes Alfred Tennyson's "Ulysses", as an old man looking back at his life and longing for the adventure of his youth who decides that he cannot live with the dullness of his settled existence and must go looking for adventure again. The author believes that, with the alternation of dull and vivid, prosaic and heroic language, Tennyson creates a character whose choice may not be the one that his audience would have expected when they saw the title of the poem. The paper states that the poem's ultimate message is contained in the brief, sudden line in which Ulysses, like the poet and the reader, realizes the essential fact that each person is different and those who are not content with their roles may not be fulfilling the roles they were truly meant to take on.
From the Paper "Structurally, his initial complaint is followed by a description of his old pleasure which culminates in a somewhat abstract goal that is, nonetheless, a higher goal than the mere plodding domesticity that he immediately reintroduces in the stanza about Telemachus. The impatient tone and abrupt adjectives of the first stanza ("idle king," "still hearth," "barren crags," and so on) gave way to the more figurative language and heroic tone in the description of his feelings about his adventures, e.g., "when / Through scudding drifts the rainy Hyades / Vexed the dim sea" (9-11). In the third stanza the adjectives alone ("slow," "mild," "soft," "useful," "good," "blameless," "common," "decent") demonstrate how radically the tone has altered as they not only portray an entirely different kind of man but tend to slow the reading down. The stanza ends with a sense of resolution as Ulysses firmly draws a distinction in "He works his work, I mine"."
Abstract This paper anlyzes Dantes "Purgatorio". Dante's Divine Comedy depicts three possibilities of life after death: Inferno, or Hell, where the unsaved spend eternity, Purgatorio or Purgery, where the saved who still have some sins to account for go, and finally Paradiso, or Paradise, the final destiny of the faithful. The Canto's of each possibility are told through the viewpoint of Dante and Virgil, who make the journey together. The discussion that follows is focused on the insights and meaning derived from the two artists? journey through Purgatorio.
From the Paper "The main, spiritual meaning of Purgatorio focuses on the fact that it is a transitory state between the death of the body and the spirit's ascendance to heaven. In contrast to Inferno, the souls doing penance here have the hope of its end and of their final admission into paradise. The atmosphere in this place also substantiates the feeling of hope. The souls here are praising and worshiping God. The joyous atmosphere is further substantiated by the four holy stars that Dante sees when entering Purgatory. These symbolize virtues rather than sins."
Tags: philosophy, sin, hell, evil, devil, divine, comedy
