William’s Article, “Roddie”

by | Jul 25, 2021 | article

1) Compare and contrast the experiences, lives, or behaviors of two groups of people within the novel, A Lesson Before Dying based on at least one cultural factor such as sex/gender, marital status, race, age, education level, socio-economic status, etc. For example you might point out the different points of view between one of the characters with formal education (e.g. college degree) from someone without a formal college education in terms of how they viewed their responsibility to society/community). In other words, do these groups differ in their perspectives of what is right and wrong, what is relevant or irrelevant, appropriate or inappropriate?
2) Give and describe at least one specific example from the novel providing chapter and page numbers that supports your response to question #1 above. (Here you would describe a scene or interaction in the novel that highlights the two different points of view). Provide citations where appropriate, provide chapter and page number(s), character names, etc.
Recently, William “Roddie” Bryan Jr., the man who confessed to making the video of Ahmaud Arbery being shot and killed while jogging in a Georgia neighborhood was described by his attorney as “a mechanic with a high school education, and if you’ve ever been to the high schools around here that isn’t necessarily saying much”. How was this type of talk similar to what Jefferson’s attorney said about him? If you were in Jefferson’s position, would you have wanted him to use that strategy? Why or why not? What similar strategy was used in the novel? What affect did that strategy have on Jefferson? His Aunt?
Then and Now: Describe examples from the novel where you think there is evidence that race relations between blacks and whites are (1) the same/haven’t changed from the time period in which this story takes place, and (2) where there are clear differences in race relations between blacks and whites as they stand now (21st century). Do you think the outcome would be the same if Jefferson were on trial today? Why or why not?

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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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