Analytical Exercise

by | Apr 29, 2021 | art

In the wake of the dramatic events of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, including the Covid pandemic, the
ending of Donald Trump’s presidency, and the assault on the Capitol, we need to step back and assess what
we have learned about our society and where we may be heading in the future. In that spirit, you will select
ONE text we have read this semester and use it to construct a simple frame or lens through which to reflect on
our public or collective experience.
Recall the examples we discussed in our Zoom meetings, some of which are outlined below, and consider how
they may offer ways to think carefully about what’s occurring in the world and in our lives. Remember, too, that
you’re welcome to select a concept that we didn’t discuss together!
Charles Siebert might help us think about how our selfish actions are negatively influencing both humans and
animals, and the ecological crises to which this is leading.
Michael Moss might help us think more about our connection to our food, and how modern corporations have
corrupted our perceptions of well-being, leading to distressing physical and mental health consequences.
Joseph Stiglitz might help us consider how modern corporations use the government to enrich themselves at
the expense of the citizenry, and the implications this has on increasing inequality and democracy.
Franklin Foer might ask how our digital communication platforms are changing our habits and perceptions of
reality, and whether we are actually losing control of our ability to think critically.
Ta-Nehisi Coates might help us consider the systemic racism and discrimination in America that not only
brought us Donald Trump, but also the important and potent responses symbolized by the Black Lives Matter
protests of 2020.
The idea here is to connect a few idea rich passages from the texts to relevant events. For example,
Facebook, Twitter, and other online platforms that have trafficked in unrestrained propaganda and fantastical
postings, suddenly decided in 2020 to “fact check” user content, especially political content. Why did this
happen? What does it mean? How might Foer’s text shed light on this?

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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