• Describe the EPI’s estimation of what it costs your family to live in your area.
• Describe what you or your family would have to give up to live within the EPI’s budget.
• Explain how easy or hard it would be to give those things up.
• Determine if the definition of what constitutes poverty is realistic.
o For example, is the poverty line too low? Is it too high? How would your life change, and is it plausible to maintain key aspects of your life when living below the poverty line?
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
The Cost of Living According to the EPI
The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) provides estimations of the cost of living in different areas, which can help individuals understand the financial challenges they may face. Let’s consider the EPI’s estimation of the cost of living for my family in our area.
The EPI takes into account various factors such as housing, food, transportation, healthcare, and childcare to calculate the cost of living. They provide a budget that represents a modest yet adequate standard of living for a family in a specific location.
If my family were to live within the EPI’s budget, we would likely have to make several adjustments and sacrifices. Here are some examples of what we might need to give up:
Housing: We might need to downsize our living space or relocate to a more affordable area. This could mean giving up certain amenities or moving to a neighborhood with fewer resources.
Entertainment and leisure: We would likely need to reduce expenses related to entertainment, dining out, vacations, and other discretionary spending. Activities such as going to the movies, eating at restaurants, or taking trips may become less frequent or even unaffordable.
Luxury items: Purchasing luxury items such as high-end electronics, designer clothing, or expensive gadgets would likely be out of reach. We would need to prioritize essential items and focus on meeting our basic needs.
Savings and investments: Saving for retirement or investing in long-term financial goals might be challenging or impossible within the confines of the EPI’s budget. We would need to reassess our financial priorities and focus on immediate needs.
Giving up these things would not be easy. It requires adjusting our lifestyle, reevaluating our priorities, and potentially facing feelings of deprivation or limited opportunities. It may require sacrificing comfort, convenience, and some of the things that bring joy and fulfillment to our lives.
When considering whether the definition of poverty is realistic, it is crucial to assess whether the poverty line accurately reflects the costs of living and the ability to maintain key aspects of life. The poverty line is often criticized for being too low and not adequately capturing the financial challenges faced by individuals and families.
Living below the poverty line can have significant implications for quality of life. It may mean struggling to afford basic necessities like food, healthcare, and housing. Maintaining key aspects of life, such as education, healthcare, and adequate nutrition, can become increasingly difficult.
Moreover, living in poverty often means limited access to opportunities for upward mobility, such as education, job training, and healthcare services. It can perpetuate a cycle of poverty that affects generations.
In conclusion, the EPI provides estimations of the cost of living that can help individuals understand the financial challenges they may face. Living within their budget would require making adjustments and sacrifices in various aspects of life. The definition of poverty is often criticized for being too low and may not accurately reflect the true financial hardships faced by individuals and families. Living below the poverty line can have significant implications for maintaining key aspects of life, such as education, healthcare, and overall well-being.
