“We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona experience was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate, and lack. We should not long to return, my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature.”- Sonya Renee Taylor
Cultural, health, political, and economic uncertainty has transformed and changed our lives over the years. Children are also trying to make sense of the world around them. What is your perception of the world today? How does it impact or how will it impact your work in the future: as a college student, teacher, parent and/or citizen?
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 Solution
Sample Solution
I agree with Sonya Renee Taylor that we will not go back to “normal.” The world has changed too much in the past few years, and we need to create a new normal that is more just, equitable, and sustainable.
As a college student, I am concerned about the future of our planet and our society. I am learning about the challenges we face, such as climate change, economic inequality, and political polarization. I am also learning about the solutions that are being proposed, and I am hopeful that we can create a better world for future generations.
I believe that my work as a college student can help to create a new normal. I can learn about the challenges we face and the solutions that are being proposed. I can also use my voice to advocate for change. I believe that we need to start stitching a new garment now, and I am committed to doing my part.
As a teacher, I will help my students to understand the world around them. I will teach them about the challenges we face, and I will help them to develop the skills they need to be active citizens. I believe that it is important for young people to be engaged in the political process, and I will encourage them to use their voices to make a difference.
As a parent, I will teach my children about the importance of compassion, empathy, and justice. I will help them to understand the challenges we face, and I will work with them to find solutions. I believe that it is important for children to learn about the world around them, and I will help them to develop the skills they need to be change-makers.
As a citizen, I will use my voice to advocate for change. I will vote for candidates who share my values, and I will contact my elected officials to let them know what I care about. I believe that it is important for citizens to be engaged in the political process, and I will do my part to make a difference.
I am committed to stitching a new garment, and I believe that we can create a better world for future generations. I am hopeful that my work as a college student, teacher, parent, and citizen will help to make a difference.
