At this point, you have completed your "virtual tour" of Dante's Inferno. Describe several elements that stood out to you during your tour. What are you most looking forward to as we begin our descent into Hell? Respond with at least 100 words. You need only respond to me.
15 Comments
Ian Ediger
11/7/2014 03:07:17 am
One element that stood out to me was the abundance of 'rivers' in hell. Since hell is usually depicted as extremely hot, I didn't expect there to be two rivers and a marsh in hell. It was also interesting to see how Dante blended Bible and Greek mythology together to create his depiction of hell. I am most looking forward to the circles of lower hell, as well as the 5th circle and the 1st and 2nd circles. I think it will be interesting to see how Dante builds upon each of the layers of hell to create an image of hell.
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Dakota Cavanaugh
11/7/2014 03:10:23 am
One of the biggest things that stood out to me is the complexity of the layers of hell. The circles are not just circles. There are circles and ditches within circles. Also, there are parts outside the circles that serve as other circles of hell that aren't really circles of hell. It's somewhat confusing if you don't take the time to think about it properly. I find the layout of hell, and the Contrapasso concept to be extremely interesting. I look forward most to seeing the story that envelops around Dante as him and Virgil make their way through this labyrinth of darkness and fire (and ice).
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Josie McClendon
11/7/2014 03:19:58 am
I love how Dante uses contrapassos to punish those in Hell. It adds an ironic twist to the story, as if it wasn't twisted enough. I was surprised at what type of sinners were in the different levels of Hell. The type of sin gets worse as we go down but I wasn't expecting some to be as high as they were. Lust was the one that surprised me most. I didn’t expect it to be above Gluttony and the Heretics. I’m excited to see how some of the lowest levels of Hell, like seven, eight and nine, are described.
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Gallagher Maritn
11/7/2014 03:25:04 am
The thing that surprised me the most, was how people who committed violence against themselves was just as bad as committing violence against your neighbor. People who have emotional problems and depression were banished to the seventh layer of Hell, when maybe they didn't deserve that severity. In my opinion, there are more morally wrong things you can do than suicide. It's going to be very interesting to see what is considered morally right and wrong when everything in this book seems to be wrong. What I'm curious to know is why is Dante in Hell but he's just exploring. Is he an undercover journalist that is trying to get the inside scoop on Hell? Doubtful, but that would be pretty cool and it would probably pay a lot.
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Riley Bahre
11/7/2014 03:28:41 am
In the interest of reference, I find it intriguing that Dante finds an abundant use of Mythology within his work [two (minimum) that stand out are King Minos and Phlegyas]. In addition, hell seems to be a very organized damnation as opposed to a chaotic "Lake of Fire" often promised, one which I'm very exited to explore further is "Malebolge" as it seems to have been given the most detail. In short, I can't wait to go to hell.
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Riley BurghaRt
11/7/2014 03:33:16 am
I was amazed at the complexity of this story line. I tried to imagine how much planning was behind this epoch. I was initially thrown off guard by the words that reigned over the gates of hell. It automatically sent me to the book of John to realize that Dante did a little rearranging of the most famous inscription in the Bible regarding Jesus Christ. It's a malicious act if you ask me. I am definitely interested to see what other rearrangements of scripture Dante uses to depict his hellish book. The contrapassos intrigued me immensely as well. It's scary to think that this is based off of a steadfast belief: Christianity. I'll be interested to see how much I get into to this book because I'm already really excited to read it.
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Alexis Young
11/7/2014 05:14:05 am
Lots of elements stood out to me during this virtual tour of Dante's Inferno. For one, it's incredibly creepy. How in depth each circle goes is fascinating. A second element I found interesting was the contrapassos; for example, the hypocrite Caiaphas in the eighth circle. He was the leader of the group of people who wanted to crucify Jesus, and when he died, his punishment in hell was to be nailed to the ground so all the other hypocrites can tread on him. The other was the one of circle two, Lust, with Francesca and Paolo. I find this funny because they had such lust for each other, and now in hell they don't have feelings, so they can't have that same lust. I also like the fact that Satan is in the very last circle of hell, frozen, because he is the root of all evil, and the one being punished instead of the big guy in charge. I'm really excited to read this book and I like this version of hell much more than any other version I've heard of. I can't wait to see Dante's reaction to each circle of Hell - they'll all probably match my own!
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Madison Hoffman
11/9/2014 02:55:23 am
Several things stood out to me in the virtual tour. One of the major things was the Contrapasso. It was interesting to see how Dante used the sin a soul had committed as their form of punishment. Another element that stood out was circle 9. The sheet of ice and how it was the coldest place in Hell stood out because I figured it would be the hottest place. Also, I didn't expect there to be a capital city in Hell. I'm looking forward to reading more about Dante's version of Hell and seeing how it compares to other versions.
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Amanda Wilde
11/9/2014 05:45:57 am
The virtual tour was very cool to me. I was impressed by the complexity of the story. It seems like there are a lot of elements involved in the story line. It was interesting how each level consists of different sins and that each sin committed determined their punishment. I'm looking forward to going into depth about the kind of souls that are found in each circle of Hell. I'm actually very excited to read this book. It sounds like a good read from the looks of that virtual tour! It will be interesting to read about this version of Hell.
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Corben Davis
11/9/2014 10:15:12 am
The two things that stood out to me while going through this virtual tour were the monsters and the punishments for whatever sin you have committed. I've always known about a three headed vicious looking dog since I was a kid, it's kind of cool that is one the monsters that were going to be reading about in this book. The description of satan was also way different than what I had in my head. The punishments were really harsh such as fortune tellers walking backwards with their heads twisted around. And another man nailed on the ground to walked over. Also how on each level there is monster to torture them.Both of these things jumped out at me.
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Laura Peck
11/9/2014 10:56:09 am
While previewing my ascent into Hell, many things struck me. Over everything, I think it is especially interesting that each punishment matches the offense. Sort of like an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Things have reminded me a whole lot about Christianity, and I've also realized how many things we say can be drawn back to Dante's Inferno. It's also kind of interesting that there are many "beasts/monsters" presented. Perhaps this is one of the ways we began to associate evil things with strange creatures? I'm really just generally excited about the book...I'm excited for the content, and I'm interested in how the content is presented. The format of the book seems to be different and very interesting.
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Eli Brockway
11/9/2014 11:15:03 am
One thing that stood out to me quite a bit, both the first time I read this and now this time as well, is how Dante presents Limbo, with the castle presenting its own light, and just who all is in it - including Virgil (our wonderful guide), Julius Caesar, and, probably most shockingly of all (considering how Dante was a Christian of the Middle Ages), Saladin - and, in relation to that, just how many Popes are mentioned as being in or belonging in Hell (five specifically). Of course, I'm just looking forward to going through it all again. It's a rather interesting piece of literature that has been affecting culture for ages, regardless of whether or not people know that much about it.
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Hannah Marshall
11/9/2014 12:03:36 pm
One thing that stood out to me was the woods of suicides. Circle 7 was my favorite but I liked reading about the punishments for the people that committed suicide. The fact that satan denies them a body in hell because they took their life that didn't seem like it was enough on Earth. How he describes them in hell as trees and how the birds pick at them until all their leaves are gone and how that is the only time that they can talk.
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Mallory Harger
11/9/2014 12:54:45 pm
The thing I am most looking forward to is in Dante's Inferno is the punishments. I think it is really interesting how he came up with the different punishments to fit the crimes so perfectly. It almost throws me back to the line from the Bible that says to turn the other cheek. Like the people in Dante's version of hell commited this crime, now they have to turn their other cheek in order to receive the correct punishment. I'm intrigued about the amount of biblical references I pick up on during the virtual tour. I wonder if I will be able to pick up on them in the actual text. That makes me want to read it even more!
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Stephanie Farney
11/9/2014 01:25:14 pm
The thing that stood out to me the most was the complexity of each layer. Each circle encompassed a wide variety of sin, and I noticed right away that each circle's sins relate to one of the Ten Commandments in one way or another. I also noticed that the punishments for each sin were incredibly fitting, seeing that they were symbolic of the sin that was committed. The thing that most contradicted typical depictions of hell was the fact that the 9th circle is all ice. Most depictions of hell involve a lot of heat, so I found that interesting. I am interested in learning the story of Dante's descent into each layer and about what he witnesses in each layer.
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