What were the ideals of the Enlightenment, and how did these ideals shape the Atlantic Revolutions discussed in chapter 16 (focus on the beginning of the chapter)?
2. What was revolutionary about the American Revolution?
3. How did the French Revolution differ from the American?
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.
Let’s break down these questions related to the Enlightenment and the Atlantic Revolutions.
1. Ideals of the Enlightenment and the Atlantic Revolutions:
The Enlightenment, an intellectual and philosophical movement of the 18th century, emphasized:
- Reason: The belief that reason, rather than tradition or religious dogma, should be the primary source of authority and knowledge.
- Natural Rights: The idea that all individuals possess inherent rights, such as life, liberty, and property (as articulated by John Locke).
Let’s break down these questions related to the Enlightenment and the Atlantic Revolutions.
1. Ideals of the Enlightenment and the Atlantic Revolutions:
The Enlightenment, an intellectual and philosophical movement of the 18th century, emphasized:
- Reason: The belief that reason, rather than tradition or religious dogma, should be the primary source of authority and knowledge.
- Natural Rights: The idea that all individuals possess inherent rights, such as life, liberty, and property (as articulated by John Locke).
- Social Contract: The concept that governments derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed, and that individuals have the right to challenge unjust rulers (as proposed by Jean-Jacques Rousseau).
- Popular Sovereignty: The principle that political power ultimately resides in the people.
- Progress: The belief in the possibility of human progress through reason and scientific advancement.
- Secularism: A move away from religious explanations and towards a more rational, scientific understanding of the world.
These ideals profoundly influenced the Atlantic Revolutions by:
- Providing a Rationale for Revolution: Enlightenment ideas offered a philosophical justification for challenging existing political and social orders. Revolutionaries drew on concepts of natural rights and popular sovereignty to demand greater autonomy and self-governance.
- Shaping Revolutionary Goals: The ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity became rallying cries for revolutionaries seeking to overthrow oppressive regimes and establish more just societies.
- Inspiring Revolutionary Documents: Enlightenment principles were enshrined in key revolutionary documents, such as the American Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man 1 and of the Citizen.
1. www.emr.ac.ukwww.emr.ac.uk
- Promoting Republicanism: The Enlightenment’s emphasis on popular sovereignty and the social contract contributed to the rise of republicanism, a political ideology that favored representative government and the rule of law.
2. What Was Revolutionary About the American Revolution?
While the American Revolution is often seen as a fight for independence, its revolutionary aspects extended beyond simply severing ties with Great Britain:
- Republican Government: The creation of a republic based on popular sovereignty was a radical departure from traditional monarchical rule. This established a precedent for representative government.
- Written Constitution: The drafting and adoption of a written constitution established a framework for limited government and the protection of individual rights. This was a new way to organize a government.
- Emphasis on Natural Rights: The Declaration of Independence’s proclamation of “unalienable rights” to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” articulated a powerful vision of individual freedom.
- Challenging Colonialism: The successful overthrow of British colonial rule inspired other colonies to seek independence.
- The notion that common people could govern themselves: This idea was very revolutionary at the time.
However, it’s important to note that the American Revolution did not fully realize its ideals. It did not abolish slavery, and it did not extend full political rights to women or Native Americans.
3. How Did the French Revolution Differ from the American?
The French Revolution, while also inspired by Enlightenment ideals, differed from the American Revolution in several key ways:
- Social Upheaval: The French Revolution involved a much more radical and violent social transformation, including the overthrow of the aristocracy and the redistribution of land. The American Revolution was primarily a political revolution.
- Internal Conflict: The French Revolution was marked by intense internal conflict, including the Reign of Terror, which resulted in widespread violence and executions. The American Revolution, while having internal disputes, was far less violent.
- Scope of Change: The French Revolution sought to fundamentally reshape French society, while the American Revolution focused more on political independence.
- The role of the common people: The french revolution saw the common people, “the sans-culottes” play a very large role in the violence, and the radical changes.
- Religion: The French revolution had a strong anti-religious element, where as the American revolution did not.
- Global Impact: The French Revolution’s ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity spread throughout Europe and beyond, sparking revolutionary movements in other countries. The Haitian revolution was a direct result of the french revolution.
In essence, the French Revolution was a more radical and transformative event than the American Revolution, driven by a desire for both political and social change.
