Using a Concept Map to link a Health Crisis and Environmental Problems

by | Jan 11, 2021 | environmental studies

Concept (or mind) maps can be used as an effective method for organizing ideas and seeing links that are not initially obvious. One of the underlying themes in this course has been to make connections among the many
environmental issues that we have been considering. When searching for solutions, it can be helpful to look for unusual or unexpected patterns: are there common causes or consequences among apparently unrelated
issues? So it can help to organize the information in a different way. One technique is to use a concept map to bring ideas together in a new way so that connections can be seen from a different perspective.
Concept maps have been shown in some of the lectures presented in this course including:
(1) Module 2-Synchronous Lecture on Human Impacts (population) – slide 15
(2) Module 2-Asynchronous Lecture on Human Impacts (consumption): Video 3 – slide 9
The purpose of this Assignment is to give students an opportunity to think about two very different problems (in fact “crises”) to look for links that may provide interesting insights for understanding both problems that the
world is facing in 2020.
Students are asked to develop a concept map to show the connections between the “Covid-19 pandemic” and the environmental issues examined in this course (including air, water, and land issues (e.g. pollution), impacts
of agriculture, fisheries, mining), energy issues, climate change, etc.). Think about how human activities and the resulting environmental problems are linked to the pandemic and how the pandemic has impacted
environmental problems.
(1) Do an online search to find information (published in 2020) that examines environmental issues and the
pandemic; use academically reliable sources (e.g. websites from universities and other educational sources,
government and credible news agencies, etc.); do not use Wikipedia as a source.
(2) Find resources that consider the following aspects:
(i) the effect of the pandemic on environmental issues (either positive or negative) around the world; aim for 5
online sources (provide the links)
(ii) the consequences of human activities on the environment, which have contributed to the pandemic; aim for
5 online sources (provide the links)
(3) Develop a mind map that shows some possible connections between these two crises. It is up to each
student to decide how to draw their “map” and show the connections, since their ‘design’ will depend on the
information gathered. The concept map should be prepared in Word or as a PDF.
(4) To complete the concept map, be sure to include the resources used (for this assignment, you can use links
to the online sources – make sure the links are active so your sources can be verified). Then submit your concept map according to the submission instructions below.

Sample Solution

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

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