Write a story where your character is traveling a road that has no end.
Describe the road like the yellow brick road from the Elton John song.
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 Endless Road: A Journey of Discovery
In a land far beyond the reach of maps and compasses, there existed a road like no other. It stretched endlessly across the horizon, shimmering under the golden rays of the sun like a ribbon of fire twisting through an infinite expanse of wilderness. This road, known only as the Path of Illumination, beckoned travelers with promises of self-discovery and enlightenment.
Our protagonist, a curious wanderer named Evelyn, found herself drawn to this mysterious road one fateful morning. With no destination in mind and a heart full of wanderlust, she set foot upon the glistening path, her senses tingling with anticipation. As she ventured further, the world around her seemed to shift and bend, as if reality itself was being reshaped by the magic of the road.
The Path of Illumination was unlike any road Evelyn had ever seen. Its surface was made not of ordinary gravel or asphalt, but of shimmering golden bricks that pulsated with a soft, ethereal light. Each step she took sent ripples of energy cascading through the road, creating a symphony of color and sound that filled her with awe.
As she journeyed on, Evelyn encountered strange and wondrous sights along the road. Trees with leaves that whispered secrets in the wind, flowers that bloomed in hues unseen by mortal eyes, and creatures that danced and frolicked in the ever-shifting shadows. Every twist and turn revealed a new marvel, a new mystery waiting to be unraveled.
But as days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, Evelyn began to feel the weight of her endless journey pressing down upon her. The road seemed to stretch on forever, its tantalizing promises of enlightenment always just out of reach. Doubt crept into her heart, whispering that perhaps the road had no end, that she was doomed to wander its golden expanse for all eternity.
Yet just as despair threatened to consume her, Evelyn stumbled upon a clearing bathed in a soft, otherworldly light. In the center of the clearing stood a figure cloaked in robes of purest white, their face hidden in shadow. As Evelyn approached, the figure spoke in a voice that echoed through her very soul.
“Child of the road, you have traveled far and seen much on your journey. But know this – the true end of the road lies not in reaching a destination, but in discovering yourself along the way. Embrace the mysteries that surround you, for they are but reflections of the mysteries within.”
With those words ringing in her ears, Evelyn felt a profound sense of peace wash over her. She realized that the road was not a prison to escape from, but a canvas upon which to paint her own story. And so, with renewed purpose and a heart full of wonder, she continued on her journey down the endless road, ready to embrace whatever wonders and challenges lay ahead.
