Is testing on animals justifiable?
Develop a specific thesis and defend your thesis with arguments. You will be expected to raise at least one good objection to your position and reply (rebut) to that objection. To help you in organizing your thinking and writing, you should be able to answer the following questions about your paper after you have completed your rough draft:
What is it that you are trying to maintain or prove in your paper?
What is the main argument for your thesis?
What is the most important objection to your thesis that you should consider? Formulate the objection or criticism as an argument.
What is your argument in response to the objection mentioned in question 3?
Provide a conclusion for your argument.
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
Thesis Statement: In Plato’s Symposium, the speech by Diotima provides the most comprehensive and accurate definition of love as a ladder of ascent towards the ultimate Form of Beauty, encompassing both physical and spiritual aspects.
Introduction:
Plato’s Symposium is a philosophical text that delves into the nature of love through a series of speeches given by different characters. Among these speeches, Diotima’s discourse stands out as a profound exploration of love, presenting it as a means of achieving higher understanding and connection with the divine.
Definition of Love by Diotima:
Diotima portrays love as a ladder of ascent, starting from the love of one particular body and moving towards the love of all bodies, then to the love of minds and souls, until finally reaching the Form of Beauty itself. She contends that love is not simply the pursuit of physical pleasure or procreation but an innate desire for immortality and spiritual growth.
Supporting Points:
1. Love as a Path to Wisdom: Diotima argues that through loving and being loved, individuals move beyond the material realm and begin to grasp eternal truths. Love becomes a means of acquiring wisdom and understanding deeper realities.
2. Love as a Desire for Immortality: According to Diotima, the ultimate goal of love is the pursuit of immortality. By connecting with the beauty in all its forms, individuals partake in a form of eternal existence that transcends physical limitations.
3. Love as a Union of Opposites: Diotima emphasizes that love is a fusion of opposites – the mortal and immortal, the physical and spiritual. It is in this union that individuals find fulfillment and completeness.
Argument for Diotima’s Definition:
Diotima’s definition of love stands out as the most compelling and profound in the Symposium for several reasons. Firstly, her concept of love as an ascent towards the Form of Beauty aligns with Plato’s overarching philosophy of Forms and ultimate truths. By viewing love as a transformative journey towards wisdom and immortality, Diotima elevates it from mere earthly desires to a transcendent experience.
Moreover, Diotima’s emphasis on the spiritual and intellectual dimensions of love sets her definition apart from other speeches in the Symposium. While other speakers focus on physical attraction or emotional connections, Diotima presents love as a pursuit rooted in the highest ideals and aspirations of humanity.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Diotima’s speech in Plato’s Symposium offers a profound and multi-faceted definition of love that encompasses both the physical and spiritual dimensions of human experience. By portraying love as a ladder of ascent towards the ultimate Form of Beauty, she presents a compelling argument for the transformative power of love in guiding individuals towards wisdom, immortality, and union with the divine.
