Engaging with the Fuse Practice: Make Analogies

by | Jul 26, 2024 | ENGLISH

Please share your thoughts about the Learning Materials and your engagement with the activities in one of the practices in Chapter 6 of the Zig Zag text. First, plan and carry out the activities in the practice. Then, share the story of your experience, while making connections between the practice and the Learning Materials.
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Part I: Plan and carry out activities from one of the three practices listed below, found in Chapter 6 of Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity: Fuse. The activities in the practice may be completed individually or collaboratively.
• First Practice: Force-Fuse • Second Practice: Make Analogies • Third Practice: Do a People Mash-Up
Part II: In an initial post, tell the story of your engagement with the activities in one of the three practices in Chapter 6: Fuse. To introduce the story, tell everyone why you chose the practice you selected. Then, talk about the process of carrying out the activities (individually or collaboratively), including what you learned about creative problem solving.
As part of your story, make connections for everyone between the Fuse practice you worked with and ways in which William Kamkwamba might approach solving the problem you are solving. How might he use the Fuse practice you chose this week? How might William Kamkwamba’s work relate to that of benders, breakers, or blenders, as described in “The Runaway Species” video in Module 2? How does the Fuse practice you worked with relate to practices you’ve explored in previous Zig Zag steps?
After telling your story, respond to the stories of at least two peers, preferably those who chose a different Learn practice. This gives you the opportunity to learn more about multiple practices. Check back throughout the week to respond to those who replied to your story.

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.

Sample Answer

Sample Answer

 

Engaging with the Fuse Practice: Make Analogies

Introduction

In exploring the activities presented in Chapter 6 of Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity, I chose the “Make Analogies” practice. I was drawn to this approach because analogies can bridge gaps between seemingly unrelated concepts, fostering innovative thinking. As someone who often seeks connections between disparate ideas, I believed that engaging in this practice would not only enhance my creativity but also provide valuable insights into problem-solving techniques.

The Process: Making Analogies

I decided to carry out the “Make Analogies” activity individually. The task involved identifying a problem I was grappling with in my personal life—finding effective ways to manage my time for various projects and commitments. To begin, I wrote down my problem statement: “I struggle to balance my time between work, study, and personal projects.”

Next, I brainstormed analogies that could illustrate my time management challenges. I utilized various sources of inspiration, including nature, technology, and everyday activities. Here are some of the analogies I came up with:

1. A Juggler: Just as a juggler must keep multiple balls in the air without letting any fall, I need to maintain my focus on various tasks without dropping any.

2. A Gardener: A gardener nurtures different plants, each requiring varying amounts of sunlight, water, and care. Similarly, different projects need different levels of attention and energy.

3. A Chef: In cooking, timing is crucial; adding ingredients at the right moment can make or break a dish. This mirrors my need to allocate time wisely to ensure that all my projects thrive.

Through these analogies, I recognized important insights about my time management challenges. They highlighted the necessity for balance (like a juggler), recognition of individual project needs (like a gardener), and the importance of timing (like a chef).

Connections to William Kamkwamba

In reflecting on William Kamkwamba’s story—the young Malawian inventor who built a windmill from scrap materials—I can see how he might utilize the “Make Analogies” practice. Kamkwamba faced significant challenges due to limited resources and knowledge. However, he drew inspiration from the world around him and made connections between different elements of his environment.

For example, Kamkwamba might compare his windmill project to a bicycle—understanding how mechanical principles can be adapted and applied in innovative ways. This analogy not only helps him visualize his project but also allows him to think creatively about how different components interact. His ability to blend resources and ideas aligns well with the concept of benders, breakers, and blenders from the Runaway Species video.

Relating Back to Zig Zag Practices

The “Make Analogies” practice resonates with previous practices I have explored in Zig Zag. For instance, in earlier chapters discussing “Force-Fuse,” I learned how combining two distinct concepts can lead to innovative solutions. Both practices emphasize the significance of drawing connections and merging ideas to stimulate creativity.

Additionally, this experience reinforced the notion that creativity often stems from recognizing familiar patterns in unfamiliar contexts—much like Kamkwamba’s use of local materials to address a global issue.

Conclusion

Engaging with the “Make Analogies” practice was an enlightening experience that deepened my understanding of creative problem-solving. By drawing parallels between my time management struggles and various analogies, I gained fresh perspectives on balancing my commitments. Furthermore, connecting Kamkwamba’s work to this practice illustrated how analogy-making can empower individuals to innovate despite constraints. As I continue exploring creativity through the Zig Zag framework, I am excited to see how these practices will further inform my approach to solving problems in new and imaginative ways.

Responses to Peers

I look forward to reading and responding to my peers’ stories about their experiences with different Fuse practices. Engaging with diverse perspectives will enrich our collective understanding of the creative process and highlight the versatility of these techniques in addressing various challenges.

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