Conduct brief research of the Roman government during the Republic. Get some basic information on your country’s government. It could be where you are from or where you live. Find at least two similarities between the two governments and explain them. Then, find two differences and explain them. Indicate which system you consider better and why. You should write in essay format.
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.
The Roman Republic, a complex system of governance that lasted for centuries, offers a fascinating point of comparison to modern governmental structures. When contrasted with the Kenyan government, where I currently reside, both similarities and stark differences emerge.
One key similarity lies in the concept of representative governance. In the Roman Republic, citizens elected officials, such as consuls and tribunes, to represent their interests.Similarly, Kenya operates as a republic with elected officials, including the president, members of parliament, and senators, who are chosen by the people to represent their constituencies. This shared principle of electing representatives underscores the fundamental idea of popular sovereignty in both systems. Another similarity is the presence of checks and balances.The Roman Republic had various magistracies, each with specific powers, and the Senate acted as an advisory body, limiting the potential for any single individual or group to amass absolute power.Kenya’s government also incorporates checks and balances through the separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, ensuring that no single branch becomes too powerful.
However, significant differences exist. The Roman Republic was an aristocratic system, with power largely concentrated in the hands of the wealthy patrician class.While plebeians gained some political rights over time, social mobility was limited.In contrast, Kenya’s constitution guarantees equal rights and opportunities for all citizens, regardless of their social or economic background. This difference highlights the evolution towards more inclusive and egalitarian forms of governance. Furthermore, the administrative and territorial structure of the two governments differ greatly. The Roman Republic expanded through conquest, establishing provinces governed by appointed officials.Kenya, as a modern nation-state, has defined territorial boundaries and a centralized administrative structure with devolved units of government. The roman republic had a very strong focus on military expansion, where as the Kenyan government focuses on internal development.
The Roman Republic, a complex system of governance that lasted for centuries, offers a fascinating point of comparison to modern governmental structures. When contrasted with the Kenyan government, where I currently reside, both similarities and stark differences emerge.
One key similarity lies in the concept of representative governance. In the Roman Republic, citizens elected officials, such as consuls and tribunes, to represent their interests.Similarly, Kenya operates as a republic with elected officials, including the president, members of parliament, and senators, who are chosen by the people to represent their constituencies. This shared principle of electing representatives underscores the fundamental idea of popular sovereignty in both systems. Another similarity is the presence of checks and balances.The Roman Republic had various magistracies, each with specific powers, and the Senate acted as an advisory body, limiting the potential for any single individual or group to amass absolute power.Kenya’s government also incorporates checks and balances through the separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, ensuring that no single branch becomes too powerful.
However, significant differences exist. The Roman Republic was an aristocratic system, with power largely concentrated in the hands of the wealthy patrician class.While plebeians gained some political rights over time, social mobility was limited.In contrast, Kenya’s constitution guarantees equal rights and opportunities for all citizens, regardless of their social or economic background. This difference highlights the evolution towards more inclusive and egalitarian forms of governance. Furthermore, the administrative and territorial structure of the two governments differ greatly. The Roman Republic expanded through conquest, establishing provinces governed by appointed officials.Kenya, as a modern nation-state, has defined territorial boundaries and a centralized administrative structure with devolved units of government. The roman republic had a very strong focus on military expansion, where as the Kenyan government focuses on internal development.
In evaluating which system is “better,” it’s crucial to consider the historical context and the values of modern society. From a contemporary perspective, Kenya’s democratic system, with its emphasis on equality, human rights, and the rule of law, is preferable. While the Roman Republic achieved remarkable feats of governance and expansion, its inherent social inequalities and limited representation would be considered unacceptable in today’s world. The Kenyan system, though still evolving and facing challenges, strives to uphold principles of inclusivity and democratic participation that align more closely with modern ideals.
The existence of a robust judiciary, and a constitution that protects individual liberties, provides a framework that allows for more equitable participation in governance
