I think that Dante going through the nine circles of hell can relate to people going through something personal in their head or in real life. Granted I know people do not actually go to hell, but each circle represents something that someone could be struggling with. For example the second ring of hell is lust and a lot of people these days lust after people, ans we see lust on T.V.. In a weird way lust is in all out lives everyday weather we feel it, or we see it on T.V. lust impacts us everyday. Another great example of how we can all relate to Dante's Inferno is the third and fourth circle of hell are Gluttony and Greed. I think we all become guilty of these things weather it be greed of money, or trying to have the best and most liked Instagram photos. Two more of the rings in Hell include anger and violence, which I am 100% positive that we can all agree that we have definitely felt anger towards something or someone, and have witnessed anger.
I also come to believe that each of these circles has a lesson to teach Dante and the rest of us. No matter how much all of us try, there is no way for any of us to be perfect, this story teaches us that to reach heaven seems impossible. There are very little things in life that can set us off our path in life, and cause us to get lost. Some of the things that can set us off in life are the rings in Hell. I am not saying that because we get lost in life over these things that we are going to Hell I am saying I am simply just saying I think there is a deeper reason for this story.
Below I have decided to include a picture of the 9 circles of Hell in the story as a reference for people to see.
I completely agree with you. You make some good points about the reliability of Dante's Divine Comedy, but that was the entire purpose of the story. Dante's version of hell strikes a chord with its readers because we are all guilty, to different extents, of these "sins". Like you said; who hasn't felt lust, greed, or gluttony. The truth is we all have at some point; thus causing us to feel slight fear or trepidation when we read it. Our logical minds know that it is simply fiction, but due to our not knowing what truly lies beyond death, our brains always ask "what if it's true". As long as humanity lacks a definite answer to an issue, it will always question it and hold it at the forefront of its collective thought. Take UFO's for example. People have been searching for other life since we looked up at the night sky, and we continue to search even now because we lack a definite answer. Once we receive an answer, the mystery will loose all of it's power over us. It is the same with religious fiction/doctrine. The second we find out the true answer to what lies beyond death is the second works like Dante's Inferno will loose their hold on our culture. It is for this reason, paired with its general reliability, that this story strikes such a chord with its readers.
ReplyDeleteThis was very well thought out, and I agree with you. Though I have never really considered how much of a parallel The Inferno made to life, I completely see that now. Not to get deep and dark (I know, too late) but your discussion bears the question- Are we living in Hell? I know some might scoff at this idea, but I think it's a valid question. Not only are there parallels to Dante's vision of Hell in our world, but biblical ones, too. Think about it. We have fire, war, famine, torture, disease, death, etc. I know it is a stretch, but could it have been a metaphor that Dante was trying to get across? Or perhaps he was inferring that our world was preparation of what was to come. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI definitely see the parallels you are drawing here. The thoughts and behaviors accentuated in this work are part of our natural impulses, a concept even taught by the Church that Dante drew much of his material from. Lust is certainly an irrevocable facet of our culture. Sex has become a kind of industry, clear in the way it colors magazine covers, advertisements, film, television, etc. Revealing photographs, especially of women, are so dominant within the entertainment and advertising industries that many questions have been raised concerning the morality and gender views perpetuated by society. As for gluttony, can it be argued that this is reflected in today's expected portions, as well as in highly marketed "meal deals" put forth particularly by fast food chains? The average portion of meals has grown incredibly over the past few decades, especially in the United States. With that, we see fast food chains in competition for the largest amount of food for the lowest price. Large amounts of foods are increasingly being made more available to the public --- would this practice be condemned in Dante's version of Hell? Greed is without a doubt demonstrated in modern society. There have been numerous instances of companies scamming their customers in order to gain more profit, executives embezzling money even from nonprofit organizations, individuals channeling funds for foster children to their own purposes, etc. Money is highly sought after, and people are seen to break widely accepted codes of morality in order to obtain it. Violence is, unfortunately, astonishingly widespread as well. War is a seemingly unending staple of the human experience; it seems as though, throughout history, there has barely been a time where there was not some sort of battle occurring in some corner of the world. Violence is almost fetishized, both in past cultures and in current cultures. In The Iliad and The Odyssey, great emphasis was placed on the various details of soldiers' armor, and unimaginable acts of violence were described in excruciating detail. Now, we see great violence in film, television, video games (leading to intense debates over the mental/emotional affect it has on young gamers), etc. It seems as though many of the concerns that society clashes over tie back into the sins assigned to each of Dante's Nine Circles of Hell. Perhaps this shows the universality of human nature through humanity's entire existence.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your connection with Dante's Nine Circles of Hell can be related to the hardships or even the morally corruptness that people face today. I think a common sin out of the deadly sins that most people today always face with is either wrath, greed, and envy.
ReplyDeleteToday, we live in a society that is full of good and bad people, and there's always going to be one or two people that you just hate with all your being. A lot of the sources of that wrath could be from envy, or being jealous of one's life or possessions and wishing to have that life for yourself. that Dante's Nine Circles of Hell really turn these relate-able feelings and situations to something completely dark and morbid.
I agree that we can all relate to the circles that Dante has crafted. I'm glad you brought it up. It is pretty scary to think about, and I wonder how scary it was for the people who read Dante's work. Do you think that they were disturbed to see names of people they knew (or their own name) in his piece?! That had to be pretty shocking.
ReplyDeleteYou are quite right, Morgan: Dante's vision of Hell will never go out of style, because even in our personal lives AS WE LIVE THEM, we experience trials and pains that echo or parallel those portrayed in the Inferno. The same can be said on the social level as well, as Kate and Nate discuss...
ReplyDeleteI agree with how you are looking at this because it is a story everyone can relate to. Maybe just not to that extreme of an extent. People will end up going down the wrong path, and end up going to "hell" which could mean many things like losing a job, going to jail, or losing a friend. I really liked your point of view on the whole thing.
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