The Symbolism in the Punishment of Sin in Dante's Inferno
The Symbolism in the Punishment of Sin in Dante's Inferno Inferno, the first part of Divina Commedia, or the Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri, is the story of a man's journey through Hell and his observance of the punishments incurred as a result of committing sin. In all cases the severity of the punishment and the punishment itself, has a direct correlation to the sin committed. The punishments are fitting in that they are symbolic of the actual sin; in other words, "They got what they wanted." (Literature of the Western World, p.1409) According to Dante, Hell has two divisions: Upper Hell, devoted to those who perpetrated sins of incontinence, and Lower Hell, devoted to those who perpetrated sins of malice. The divisions of Hell are also split into levels corresponding to the sins committed. Each of the levels and the divisions within levels 7,8, and 9 have an analogous historical or mythological figure used to illustrate and exemplify the sin. The first of the two divisions of Hell is Upper Hell. Upper Hell is the area inhabited by those who committed sins of incontinence or lack of self-restraint. This lack of self-restraint comes in the form of many sins ranging from sex to mood. Before delving into the sins of incontinence, one must first look into the first inconsistency of the Inferno. This inconsistency is found in the Vestibule of Hell. The Vestibule of Hell
'The Simpsons' family and how the makers of the programme have a dissimilar view of American families.
SIMPSONS The next part of my essay gives attention to 'The Simpsons' family and how the makers of the programme have a dissimilar view of American families. The creator of 'The Simpsons' has a distinctive view on American families; this is clearly reflected in the Simpson episodes. The excerpts form the article "Welcome to Planet SIMPSON", BY Stuart Jeffries of the Guardian newspaper suggests "Homer Simpson is a ground down anti-hero who is designed to be laughed at hardly ever with" Homer is a conformist and says "I am not popular enough to be different". Homer gives Bart some fatherly advice to Bart telling him "Never say anything unless you're sure everyone around you feels exactly the same way". This shows that Homer Simpson is scared and anxious of not fitting into society. He is also frightened of getting fired even though he has been fired on many occasions before. Simpsons are an American family that is greatly influenced by television. In the 'STUNT BART' episode both Bart and Homer go "Whoa" at the same time. They are both astonished and overwhelmed at what they saw. They stare at the screen and they hear the fading echo "one helluva match", this is enough to persuade both Homer and Bart that they want to go to the rally. This also shows us that they are moderately similar in some ways. They are also effortlessly brainwashed by television commercials. From
The Odyssey is an epic tale imbued with the shared challenges and experiences of Odysseus, a lost hero attempting to find his way home, and those of Penelope, the wife he has left behind.
???????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????? ?????? ???????????????????????? Nikki Rae Quintanar Epic Vision and Tradition William Shullenberger ~ Fall 2002 ~ The Odyssey is an epic tale imbued with the shared challenges and experiences of Odysseus, a lost hero attempting to find his way home, and those of Penelope, the wife he has left behind. Each of them faces many obstacles on their journey, and each employs distinct tactics in order to surmount these obstacles. In this paper, I shall focus on the act of Penelope weaving and demonstrate how the intricate fibers with which she weaves, become important elements of the plot. As one can imagine in the context of weaving, certain colors or shapes would appear dull or uninteresting on their own, yet when put together become stunning visual works of art. Penelope is an enigmatic character on whom Homer endows the epithet, "circumspect" meaning that she is able to discreetly see and cautiously maneuver around anything which threatens her entrapment. She is in constant motion and in so doing, she is careful to consider all the circumstances and possible consequences of her actions. Prudent and discreet, Penelope exudes wisdom. Overcome with grief while her home is invaded and its substance is depleted by 108 young suitors who hope to attain her as a wife (in effect to promote their own social
The Simpsons.
The Simpsons The Simpsons started as a series of shorts on the Tracy Ullman show in 1987. It was one of the first animations on prime time American television. Creator, Matt Groening constructed a revolutionary show which would later be aired in 70 different countries around the world and viewed by 15 million in the U.S on weekends alone. One reason for the success of The Simpsons is the way it deals with serious issues as well as humorous. For example, in the episode I am going to analyze, the main theme is about sexual harassment and femininity which are regarded as serious topics in real life. It also gets away with talking about subjects that could be considered as taboo because it is a cartoon. Such things as sex, adultery, or even the private lives of politicians or celebrities. Bart Simpson is the trouble maker of the family. He is always up to mischief and playing practical jokes on the people around him. Grafitying, prank calling Moe's Tavern, watching the Itchy and Scratchy, idolizing Krusty the Clown and skateboarding are just a few of his hobbies. He also has a collection of phrases such as "Ay Curamba", "Eat My Shorts", and "Don't Have A Cow Man". From the credits screen of the program we see Bart having detention in a classroom which already gives viewers who have not seen the series before a little information on his character. From the start of The Simpsons
Describe and illustrate what you consider to be the key features of Homers narrative technique. How relevant is the idea of an oral tradition to our appreciation of the Odyssey?
Describe and illustrate what you consider to be the key features of Homers narrative technique. How relevant is the idea of an oral tradition to our appreciation of the Odyssey? The importance of Homer's narrative technique in appreciation of the Odyssey cannot be emphasised enough. The role of similes, rhythm, formulaic composition, epithets, rhythm, folktale motifs and direct speech is to create composure in the poem and give rise to a particular form of Homeric narrative. The texture of the poem allows a reader or audience a "creative share in the artistic experience"1 as the numerous literary devices create a colourful epic narrative comprised of the objective, the subjective and the dramatic. The notion of an oral tradition runs closely alongside Homeric narrative in our appreciation of the Odyssey, and the ideas are closely entwined with one another. Thus to comprehend key features of Homeric narrative, it is important to consider the role of the oral tradition in the formulation of this. To understand key features of Homeric narrative it is first worth considering the critical role of the "linguistic phonomena of our text of Homer"2 and its profound effect on the poem. The elements of phonetics, morphology, and vocabulary which characterize the narrative is a construction of Aeolic, Ionic, artificial, and possibly Achaean text. Homer exercised obsolete word form,
Compare and contrast the theme of "fathers and sons" as depicted in the Bible, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid.
Classics in World Lit. Lesson #1 / Compare and contrast the theme of "fathers and sons" as depicted in the Bible, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid. The theme of "fathers and sons" is depicted in similar forms between these three readings. In all of these works we see that there is a great love, loyalty and admiration between all of our fathers and their sons. In The Book of Joseph from the Bible we see that Jacob, Joseph's father has come to favor him and his younger brother Benjamin more so than the other eleven children. This favoritism causes great jealousy and animosity amongst the other brothers and they plot to get rid of Joseph, which they do by selling him to the Ishmaelites. The brothers return home with a bloodied coat of Josephs, leading their father Jacob to believe that his son has died a horrible death. This tragedy causes great grief for Jacob who becomes even more overprotective of his son Benjamin. What I find hard to understand is why Joseph never had the urge to escape his captors or even in all of his travels prophesizing he was never compelled to return home to relieve his father's heartbreak in addition to take vengeance on his brothers. I know that in the end everything works out and he forgives as well as takes care of his brothers and family but I think I would have had to make my way back home to avenge myself. In "The Odyssey" we see Odysseus'
Aristophanes' Lystrata
Introduction to the Western Theatrical Tradition. Question 2. "Aristophanes was not a subtle writer, and his plays - more than most - are a theatrical rather than a literary experience." Robert Corrigan Analyse Lysistrata to estimate how accurately Corrigan's statement describes Aristophanes' anti-war play. This essay perceives Corrigan's statement to be accurate that Lysistrata is definitely a more theatrical than a literary experience. There are many reasons for Lysistrata's theatrical proficiency and they include it being written in the style of 'Old Comedy' the audience and their expectations especially at the festivals of Dionysus and Lenaia, the loose structure of Greek comedy, the impossibility of the plot, the language, and the intense Aristophanic parodies. Old Comedy is typical of Aristophanes in the 5th Century BC. Its characteristics are that it is surreal and fantastical, and its butts of jokes are specific individuals or even current political ideas. Old Comedy as contrasted with New Comedy contained more slapstick routines, physical energy music and dance. Old Comedy fulfilled a function in Greek festivals to entertain the audience and was in contrast to tragedy at the time, which contained a stronger moral message. "His work is often so formless."1 Brander Matthews believes that Aristophanes used little structure in all of his plays. However, the
Two Visits to the Underworld 750 Years Apart: The Odyssey and the Aeneid.
Rachel Doyle Dr. M. Reichert Cultural Foundations Two Visits to the Underworld 750 Years Apart: The Odyssey and the Aeneid Virgil wrote the Aeneid for a variety of social and personal reasons. Besides wanting to eat and support his family, Virgil also wrote to please rulers of Rome as well as other patrons, who looked up to the Greeks as great scholars (they employed Greek tutors) but very much wanted to honor the founders of Rome. Besides wanting to elevate Aeneas's stature as a hero, Virgil was also competing with Homer to see if he could produce a greater work of literature. Both the Aeneid and the Odyssey are stories about heroes and their ordeals. In order to fully appreciate the motivations behind the creation of Virgil's Aeneid, it is necessary to read Homer's Odyssey beforehand. Undoubtedly Virgil read and studied Homer's Odyssey, as did any educated Roman of his time. Virgil revered Homer but desired to write a story that would be about Roman heroes rather than Greek heroes. The visit to the underworld was one of the most dramatic, riveting parts of Odyssey. Comparing the different visits to the Underworld in the Aeneid and the Odyssey helps to expose the strengths and weaknesses of both narratives. Now I have a greater appreciation of Virgil's achievement as a great poet, perhaps greater than Homer. I also have a greater appreciation of Homer as a
What has drawn so many writers and dramatists to the story of Oedipus or Antigone?
What has drawn so many writers and dramatists to the story of Oedipus or Antigone? Sophocles' Antigone, written circa 441BC, deals with the protagonist Antigone's fight to give her brother, Polyneices, the proper burial that had been denied him by the king, Creon. It is considered among the great Greek tragedies of the time, and is still translated in modern times. When Greece was succeeded by Rome as the great city of the West, the Romans were more concerned with power and commerce rather than culture, therefore Greek drama was pushed aside by the majority, except a small number of Roman playwrights (Bowra, 1970, p. 154), such as Seneca. However, around 16 centuries after the birth of Christ, a collection of the plays were put into print, heralding the return of Greek drama, which is now present in countless different ways in our culture. As Knox explains in his preface to the plays, Sophocles was known to be one of nine generals campaigning against the revolt of Samos at the time the play is assumed to have been written (Sophocles, 1984, p. 35). His knowledge of politics is clearly reflected in his writing, and Antigone is no exception, as it is greatly concerned with the political issues of the polis (state). Political problems will always have great relevance in society, and Antigone has been used by many practitioners in the twentieth century 'to articulate new visions
TMA 07: Block 5 Comparison
TMA 07: Block 5 Comparison Traditions associated with the treatment of masculinity and femininity in literature is wide ranging. Contrasts portrayed by authors of both sexes have made major contributions to this area in literature but it remains surprising that male writers have been able to perceptively portray women above their previously subordinate positions in society. Consider the attributes expressed in Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion; and Euripides Medea. Both plays express thoughts about female empowerment, but in very different ways. In Pygmalion, we see the main character, Eliza Doolittle transformed from an ill-mannered Cockney flower girl into a high society debutante with the help of some elocution lessons provided by Mr Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics and financed by his well-travelled friend, Colonel Pickering. Higgins expects that he can teach Eliza enough in the matters of etiquette to 'pass (her) off as the Queen of Sheba' (Shaw, pg 18) and in the space of three months. He believes that he can do this merely by teaching her to speak 'properly' but is unaware of her independent nature and is ill prepared for what lies ahead. In the opening act, when Higgins finds her in Convent Garden, Shaw portrays Eliza as unfeminine and outspoken, if not somewhat rude and this is in sharp contrast to the ladies, Clara Eynsford-Hill and her mother, who are waiting in