1. Explain the 5-step listening process ,describe each step.

2. List the 6 fallacies about listening and then in a sentence or two, describe which one, in your opinion, is the most common fallacy and why.

3. Which of the 5 types of listening do you need to work on and why?

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 Studies4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

The 5-Step Listening Process

  1. Receiving: This is the initial stage of listening where we physically perceive sound waves. It involves paying attention to the speaker and focusing on their message.
  2. Understanding: This step involves decoding the message and assigning meaning to it. It requires active processing of information, including interpreting verbal and nonverbal cues.
  3. Remembering: This stage involves retaining the information for future reference. It requires active effort, such as taking notes or mentally summarizing key points.
  4. Evaluating: This involves critically assessing the message, considering its credibility, accuracy, and relevance. It’s important to distinguish between facts and opinions and to identify any biases or logical fallacies.
  5. Responding: This final stage involves providing feedback to the speaker, either verbally or nonverbally. Effective responses show that you’ve been listening attentively and that you understand the message.

The 5-Step Listening Process

  1. Receiving: This is the initial stage of listening where we physically perceive sound waves. It involves paying attention to the speaker and focusing on their message.
  2. Understanding: This step involves decoding the message and assigning meaning to it. It requires active processing of information, including interpreting verbal and nonverbal cues.
  3. Remembering: This stage involves retaining the information for future reference. It requires active effort, such as taking notes or mentally summarizing key points.
  4. Evaluating: This involves critically assessing the message, considering its credibility, accuracy, and relevance. It’s important to distinguish between facts and opinions and to identify any biases or logical fallacies.
  5. Responding: This final stage involves providing feedback to the speaker, either verbally or nonverbally. Effective responses show that you’ve been listening attentively and that you understand the message.

Common Fallacies About Listening

  1. Selective Listening: Focusing only on specific parts of the message that interest you.
  2. Defensive Listening: Interpreting messages as personal attacks or criticisms.
  3. Ambushing: Listening carefully only to find flaws and criticize.
  4. Pseudolistening: Pretending to listen while thinking about something else.
  5. Stage Hogging: Dominating the conversation and not allowing others to speak.

The most common fallacy is likely pseudolistening. This occurs when individuals appear to be listening but are not actively engaged in the conversation. It can be caused by distractions, lack of interest, or simply a habit of not paying full attention.

Personal Listening Improvement

Empathic Listening: I believe that I could improve my empathic listening skills. This involves actively trying to understand the speaker’s emotions and perspective. By focusing on the speaker’s feelings and validating their experiences, I can build stronger relationships and improve communication.

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