From the list provided, create as many matches as you can between organizations and policies that they are likely to interact with. Post your screenshot of the activity, select 3 of your favorite/most interesting matches, and answer the following questions for each match.
How do you think that this kind of organization interacts with this policy? Consider both how the organization may be impacted by or may impact the policy.
Generate one question you have about this policy or about this kind of organization, and/or how they are related.
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.
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.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Below are some examples of organizations paired with relevant policies, along with detailed explanations and questions about their interactions.
Example Matches
1. Organization: American Red Cross
Policy: Disaster Relief Funding
2. Organization: World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
Policy: Endangered Species Act
3. Organization: National Education Association (NEA)
Policy: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
4. Organization: AARP (American Association of Retired Persons)
Policy: Medicare Modernization Act
5. Organization: Sierra Club
Policy: Clean Air Act
Selected Matches and Analysis
Match 1: American Red Cross and Disaster Relief Funding
Interaction with Policy:
The American Red Cross is directly involved in disaster relief and recovery efforts, making it heavily reliant on disaster relief funding policies. This organization is impacted by the availability of funds—when funding is increased, they can mobilize more resources for emergency response, training, and community preparedness initiatives. Conversely, the Red Cross can also impact this policy by advocating for increased funding and resources through lobbying efforts and partnerships with government agencies.
Question:
How does the American Red Cross measure the effectiveness of disaster relief funding in relation to their response times and recovery outcomes?
Match 2: World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Endangered Species Act
Interaction with Policy:
The WWF works to protect threatened wildlife and their habitats, so its objectives align closely with the Endangered Species Act. The organization is impacted by this policy as it can dictate conservation strategies and funding priorities. Conversely, the WWF has been instrumental in shaping the implementation of this policy through research, advocacy, and public awareness campaigns that promote the importance of protecting endangered species.
Question:
What specific methods does the WWF utilize to monitor the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act in protecting biodiversity?
Match 3: AARP and Medicare Modernization Act
Interaction with Policy:
AARP advocates for issues affecting older adults, including healthcare policies like the Medicare Modernization Act. This organization is affected by changes in Medicare policy as it directly impacts the benefits and services available to its members. AARP’s influence on this policy includes lobbying for improvements in Medicare coverage and affordability, as well as conducting research to inform public opinion and legislative action.
Question:
How does AARP evaluate the impact of the Medicare Modernization Act on the healthcare outcomes of older adults?
These analyses illustrate how organizations interact with specific policies, highlighting both the influence of policies on their operations and the advocacy roles these organizations may play in shaping those policies. Each question generated aims to probe deeper into the relationship between the organization and the policy, encouraging further exploration and understanding of their interactions.
