Persuasion is a constant in each of our lives.

by | Jun 8, 2023 | Analysis

 

Persuasion is a constant in each of our lives. No matter where we look, what we read, what we see, or whom we interact with, we inevitably encounter some form of persuasion.
Advertisements want us to buy things. Media outlets sometimes want to convince us of how we should feel about events. We are put into positions where we must defend our
thoughts and beliefs to others, and the process we apply is typically some form of persuasion.
Persuasive writing is a powerful form of writing—it can influence thoughts and has the ability to change minds about an issue. The persuasive essay is an ideal tool for supporting an
opinion on an issue using researched facts and information. It also gives you, as the writer, the chance to recognize an opposing viewpoint and refute it, noting that many of those
people who hold that opposing viewpoint are the intended audience of the piece.
Directions
For this essay, you will identify an issue in your area of study or the field you want to work in someday. You will then establish an argument and support that argument with research
and relevant evidence.
Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:
1. Introduction: The introduction is where readers will have a chance to get an idea of what your essay will be about and what you will prove throughout. Do not go into too much
detail here but give readers a preview of what is to come. Remember to review your writing plan to ensure that you are briefly hitting the key points you planned to cover while
also stating your claim.
A. Provide an overview of the issue you have selected by briefly describing the main points and your argument.
B. Compose a thesis that states the argument that you will attempt to prove and support throughout your essay. This statement will give direction to your essay and
should be well thought out.
2. Body: The body is your opportunity to describe and support your argument in depth. Make certain your thoughts and evidence are clear and organized in a way that is easy for
readers to follow and understand.
A. Ensure that you write multiple focused paragraphs, clearly state their main idea, and move logically from one to the next, building the thesis argument as the essay
progresses.
B. Your body paragraphs should support your argument by purposefully combining ideas with evidence from sources. The key to a persuasive essay is how well it is
supported with quality evidence.
C. Address and refute at least one opposing viewpoint to your argument, which is your chance to discredit a significant opposing view and strengthen your argument in
the process

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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