First, select and read any closed research theme reading (for the list of readings, click the Modules link and scroll to find the Module entitled “Closed
Research Theme”). In your initial post, Identify your selected reading by full title and author. Then, identify at least 2 “They Say” moves in the reading. (“They Say” moves are places in the closed research theme reading where the author quotes or summarizes the ideas of another person, group, or source AND responds to it in some way.) Next, respond to at least 1 “Looking Deeply” question AND 1 “Looking Broadly” question below. Looking Deeply: How effective / objective / accurate / useful / and/or appropriate are the “They Say” moves? Explain why or why not. Why do you think the author quoted, summarized, or referred to the ideas of these people or sources? How does it add to the writing as a whole? What kind of sources do the “They Say” moves identified refer to? (Examples: Experts? Celebrities? Politicians? Everyday people? A print source, such as a magazine or newspaper? Maybe unidentified “some people say” sources, or a mix of types? Some other kinds of source?) How does the type of sources referred to in the “They Say” moves support or detract from the point the author is making? Looking Broadly: Comment on what “conversation” you see this closed research theme reading as participating in. What specific issue or question or conversation within our broad topic of the class’s Closed Research Theme Question is the reading responding to? (There may be hints in the title, the “They Says” that are used to frame the writing, or the conclusions the author comes to.) What questions do you have in response to this closed research theme reading? What would you ask the author, if you could? What would you like to understand better or know more about regarding the conversation? What are you skeptical about or doubt in the reading and why? NOTE: be sure to ask questions, rather than make statements or assertions (though you are welcome to explain your questions). Consider other closed research theme readings you have read so far (for the M01 Exercise and/or the M02 Closed Research Theme check-in). What connections or disconnects do you notice between the reading you are analyzing for this discussion board and other closed research theme reading? Do the two readings see the issue in a similar or a different way? Do they seem to “talk” to each other or past each other? Explain your reasoning and be sure to iden

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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.

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