Dante College Essays Samples For Students

The Greek mythology literature focus on the relationship that people has with the gods and their roles in helping them win battles. The need to overturn a particular city and gain control made kings engage into physical battles as they sought the favor of the gods. Dante’s inferno is one literature that not only looks at the fights that different communities had, it also looks at the aftermath of such kings and their ultimate destiny in hell. Despite the physical wars that were fought on earth, it was believed that there would be an eternal reward and punishment ...

Introduction

The characters of Dante and St. Francis represent the changes that were occurring in the emergence of Romanticism. The Hero lives in a world that is created by his destiny and the hero makes use of his skills to overcome barriers to his goals of self-achievement. The Romantic hero was quite different from the typical hero and always stood outside the norms of the society. He questions the standards of the society and gets alienated in the process. Dante gives a good example of romanticism in The Divine Comedy, where the lead character struggles against society and achieves unity ...

Dante’s Inferno is replete with symbolism. Inferno is a comprehensive, overarching allegory and Dante uses symbols throughout to explore the different themes such as violence, fraud, evil, God’s justice, immortality and more. Some of the symbols that Dante employs are simple and easy to understand such as the beast Geryon (with the head of a man and the body of a serpent, it symbolizes deceit) while others involve biblical and other classical references (the fall of Satan). Divine Comedy on the whole symbolizes the spiritual quest of man. Dante also uses symbols as an allusion to the ...

Dante’s depiction of hell in his Inferno is arguably what makes Inferno the most famous of his Divine Comedy trilogy. It is a fascinating piece for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it is an epic poem written in the vernacular-- the language of the common people. Along with the other two parts of the trilogy, Inferno tells part of the story of the Christian mythos. It continues to draw readers because of the sensationalist nature of the poem. However, despite being about Hell, Dante’s Inferno is not only an allegorical poem ...

The philosopher Hubert Dreyfus and Dorrance Kelly have a great story to tell. However, to the majority of scholars and analysts, the story is not quite pretty for us the modern people. Ours is the era of nihilism whose meaning isn’t that we have nothing to believe in, but we don’t have a choice on what to commit ourselves to. In this book, Hubert and Dorrance carry out incisive analysis on how we got into this mess. The duo continues to offer varied solutions on how we can come out of this mess; “the viewer and the ...

Dante’s journey to hell and back is a depiction of the punishment that different categories of people will have to go through. The story is not just a preview of what will happen to a sinner after their death but a symbol of what they experience in their day-to-day life. Dante expresses the fact that every sin will be punished and even though a person may look fine in appearance, there are emotional struggles they face due to their actions. For instance, there is a place described for those who do not take sides. In as much as ...

The works Odyssey and Inferno are both recognized as revealing the beliefs and practices of life with reference to the era which these epics date, particularly the struggle of good versus evil. The poem Odyssey deals with the struggles of Odysseus against various impediments he faces on his journey back home from the Trojan War after a gap of twenty years. In Dante’s Inferno, the protagonist Dante is conflicted while choosing good from evil. Referring to the Biblical Heaven and Hell, this struggle is the primary essence of the story. In both these works, the angels and the ...

Dante Alighieri wrote the Divine Comedy (Divina Comedia) in the thirteenth century. The work was divided into three stages namely, Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory) and Paradiso (Paradise). It was a well-renowned religious epic during Dante’s time which tells about his journey from Hell to the Paradise. Virgil, who was also a great Roman poet and Beatrice, Dante’s beloved lady guided him through the different circles of hell. The poem which was written in the Tuscany dialect also establishes the modern Italian language. The poem was divided into nine circles. Each circle represents the deadly sins of the ...

Introduction:

Dante’s Divine Comedy is probably one of the greatest literary works ever written. Combining an incredible imagination with an exact and descriptive state of affairs with regards to historical and social commentary, the work has inspired many to create their own vision of Hell and to throw the relative people into it. A 21st century Inferno is a topical discussion and lends itself to considerable imagination since there is no shortage of evil around us with pride and avaraice being among the main sins practised with impunity.

The beginnings of Dante’s Inferno

Dante’s Inferno begins on Maundy Thursday in 1300 with the ...

The middle ages saw a struggle between the papacy and the Roman Empire. By the time of Dante’s existence, there arose two major political groupings, that of Guelphs and Ghibellines. This led to major divisions between families, cities and communities. It is in this kind of confusion that Dante found himself in and the society of his time was in chaos. It is through this perspective that Dante wrote Inferno. It is based on the moral fabric of society and the resulting effects there is after a person’s actions. The morality or lack of it that is ...

Literature

A significant part of the Inferno by Dante evidently has a strong emphasis on political commentary particularly on the political scene of the Florence of fourteenth century from which he had created enemies and was exiled. His political views consequently play an important role in the arrangement of the context of his work. This he does through a number of varied assertions. He begins by condemning all his political enemies to suffering and turmoil by scattering them in the different rings of hell. His enemies from Florence constitute the largest number of sinners almost by half. Filipo Argenti for ...

In Inferno by Dante, the circles of Hell are depicted as different areas where people who have committed specific sins are doomed to rest. The second through fifth circles are the resting places for sins of incontinence; these are sins without malice. These are a unique category distinct from the other sins, and they all have very distinct similarities - the most prominent of these are the fact that they all involve the individual valuing something earthly above God, and therefore meriting punishment. The sinners LOVE the things that they do, and that is their downfall, since they cannot ...

Question 3.5

Question 3.6
Dante’s Paradiso reflects a problem that has yet remained unsolved in the mathematical world, that of squaring the circle. Simply put, squaring the circle refers to using only a straight edge and compass to draw a square with an area equal to that of a given circle. In his final stanza, Dante uses a reference to the problem of squaring the circle to depict the problem of an overwhelmed intellect, inspired by his vision of heaven and his inability to grasp it. Dante uses the mathematical explanation to explain his inability to grasp the rationality of ...

Introduction

Every individual belongs to a particular native language of a specific community that is different from a language of wider communication (national or standard language) that is usually a second language to the community. Both the vernacular and standard language contribute significantly to the understanding of literature studies hence the need to explore several excerpts of works done by early authors in both languages. There are several readings (original and translated) in which medieval texts represent their origins, strategies and purposes in the society in which in most cases is to guide readers in medieval English literature while also ...

Dante’s Confession – A Literary Analysis

In his “Inferno” Dante Alighieri, the author of The Divine Comedy, portrays himself as the 35 year old Dante the Pilgrim, who is “Midway along the journey of [his] life” (Alighieri & Musa, 2002). Alighieri’s Dante the Pilgrim is a man who has “wandered off from the straight path” (Alighieri & Musa, 2002) and has gone astray from “the path of truth” (Alighieri & Musa, 2002). Dante wrote the Inferno as a public confession of his sins, to make his readers comprehend the redemption of the soul. After all, confession is the first step toward redemption. In the Inferno, Dante the ...

World Literature

Answer to Question 1 Dante’s Divine Comedy

Dante had his fifteen minutes of fame during a deeply contentious time in Florence, Italy just at the beginning of the new century, the century of the 1300s that is. The Whites and the Blacks were had split the city with their rigid partisan views. Dante was an outspoken member of the Whites; the side that supporting the “Ordinances of Justice” and the government. The Blacks political leanings were towards the aristocratic and they were backed by the Pope. Dante was a Prior, a powerful elected civil servant position ...

The Cantos in Dante’s “The Inferno” show a series of complex messages meant to broaden our imagination about the afterlife and what we define as evil or sinful. Dante uses his imagination to create conversations about a soul’s sin on Earth and the punishment they receive in Hell. Dante’s idea of Hell shows powerful imagery and the perfection of God’s justice through the eyes of the damned (Dante). By Dante’s definition of “sin”, there are several contemporary figures that may belong within one of the inner circles of hell. One such contemporary figure is ...

Dante’s Inferno presents the reader with a series of ‘circles’ that depict different layers of hell – each designed for a different sort of sinner. These circles are designed to hold and punish particular types of people for eternity. In this essay, I will choose three literary characters and discuss which circle of Dante’s hell is pertinent to them. The characters I have chosen are Okonkwo from Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, who I believe belongs in the first layer of Dante’s hell – ‘limbo’ – because he does not accept Christ as his personal saviour and, whilst ...

Dante: The Divine Comedy, Hell ( Canto 11, lines 46 -54)

Tell me what is troubling you
In the midst of where we are now staying
Without any hope of going anywhere
And you said to me, your city is full
Of envy that disturbs the mind
Instead of leaving me serene
You citizens call me Chaicco
For the deadly sin of gluttony
Analysis of nine lines from Dante’s Divine Comedy after translation
Dante’s Divine Comedy is amongst the greatest works ever written and this is demonstrated by its incredible staying power in all forms and languages. The nine lines which form the basis of this analysis come ...

With Luca Signorelli (1445/1450 - 1523) was accomplished, with a clearer awareness, the transition from painting as a representation to painting as example of a more aware artistic poetic. The antithesis between the pictorial formal system of Piero della Francesca and the Florentine method was essentially the antithesis between being and becoming, between stasis and movement. The historical moment was of a great religious crisis: the Catholic Church needed a form of art that did not search the absolute, on the contrary the role of a work of art was to speak and persuade the shaken believers with clear ...

In Inferno by Dante, the circles of Hell are depicted as different areas where people who have committed specific sins are doomed to rest. The second through fifth circles are the resting places for sins of incontinence; these are sins without malice. These are a unique category distinct from the other sins, and they all have very distinct similarities - the most prominent of these are the fact that they all involve the individual valuing something earthly above God, and therefore meriting punishment. The sinners LOVE the things that they do, and that is their downfall, since they cannot ...

Religious differences between Islam and Christianity have existed since the ancient days of human kind. The reason behind such differences can be explained by the ideological distinction between the two worldviews. The existence of one is seen as a threat to the other: as the bible says in Exodus 34:14 that you shall worship no other god for the Lord. However, there are some unique instances of similarities in which the two worldviews preach to their believers. In this concern, there are many positives to take from what the two worldviews project in the life on earth. This essay ...

The concept of the secular saint is continually given meaning as part of an ongoing and wide-ranging philosophical and academic debate. The secular saint is defined by the degree to which he, or she, participates in the debate that shapes meaning and identity. To truly embody the qualities of the secular saint and live a life of meaning, it is important to maintain balance within oneself, to keep in harmony those aspects of the spiritual and secular that give one direction and purpose. By striving to maintain balance, the secular saint creates meaning in life. Some of the greatest philosophers and theologians in history, ranging from Plato to Ernest Becker, have contemplated and given form to this debate.

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English Literature

14 May 2011

The immediate thought of what a journey represents is the progress of a story or even of the metaphorical progress of a character’s development. In Homer’s Odyssey, we are told the story of Odysseus’ journey home from the fall of Troy; it is a long, dangerous journey which is plagued by various mythical creatures. In Canto 26 of Dante’s Inferno, the reader bears witness to the journey of Dante who is travelling from the seventh to the eighth circles of hell. In Canto 26, the reader is presented with ...

Analysis of the poem Fire and Ice by Robert Frost

The poem Fire and Ice was written in 1920 and belongs to early cycle of author’s poetry. Nevertheless, it is one of the most well-known and popular work of Frost. It consists of only nine lines or 51 words. Yet the imagery of these lines is so deep that there are even different versions of inspiration reason gained by Robert Frost. According to the first one, the verse was written after re-thinking of Dante’s Inferno image. According to the medieval poet, the lowest circle of the Hell, where betrayers were placed, is covered with ice and this ...

__ July 2013

Since time immemorial, the issue of gender has been subject to much debate. Literature captures gender perceptions of people in the past and the widespread sentiments of gender roles and equality back then. More often than not, women and men were boxed into the same set of roles in many classical literary pieces. Women were always portrayed as frail, gentle, submissive and passive. They obeyed their husbands and fathers without question. Men in classic literature always took on roles that characterized them as brave, strong, aggressive and initiator. Decision-making was their turf and they occupied positions ...

The modern concepts in the literary world have crept into the works of various writers. The differences in the old and past ways of life have been the subject of the many modern day stories. Many of the conflicts that arise in today’s works focus on the idea of modernization and the effects of it. Two of the famous works that constitute stories of alienation in the modern day world are the “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker and “The Love Song by J. Prufrock” by T.S Eliot. The tectonic shift to modernization traps people in a stultifying past ...

Change in the ecstasy conception of Hero and saint in the materialization of Romanticism are seen in the characters of St. Francis and Dante. The Hero reveals on how worldview which the humanist are leading a money-oriented life. The distant forces of fate necessities destiny and indifference of human desires forms the world. The Hero finds his way to self-efficiency and goals of self-achievement right through the success and skills, and overcoming the difficulties in order to conduct his fate wholly and perfectly (Stone).
Conversely, the Saint put emphasis on diverse judgment of the way of life. Saint’s ...

Analysis: Ulysses by Alfred Tennyson

Thesis Statement
Tennyson’s Ulysses, when compared to Dante’s Inferno, is a more realistic version of Odysseus’ discontentment with domestic life and his yearning for his final journey.

Paragraph 1: Introduction to the poem

Paragraph 2: Overview of the form of the poem
Paragraph 3: Background of the poem followed by a discussion of Ulysses’ views of his domestic life, his country and his wife
Paragraph 4: Discussion of Ulysses’ view of his administrative duties, his people and his strong desire to live life to the fullest

Paragraph 5: Discussion on Ulysses’ view of his past adventures and his hopes for the future

Paragraph 6: Comparison between the characters of Ulysses and his son, Telemachus
Paragraph 7: Conclusion
Analysis
Alfred ...

Ethic is defined as a system of moral values or a set of principles of right conduct. Every society, including institutions and professions, has its ethics. Besides, individuals set rules that govern their own behavior. In every society, dishonorable behavior is unaccepted. Whether you are the one behaving dishonorably, or the one facilitating the behavior, both are culprits. In “The Shadow Scholar,” a good number of individuals have behaved dishonorably. The clients, Ed Dante, and the company Ed works for, have all engaged in unethical activities.
In academic institutions, it is unethical for students to cheat, whether in their ...

Abstract

The essay is dedicated to the issue of existentialist philosophy developed by the well-known French writer Jean-Paul Sartre. This doctrine appeared during the World War II and explained how humanity should behave during hard times of war. It offers solutions for brave strong and responsible people, who could overcome the war. This philosophy is described using the example of the play No Exit, which was written in 1944 in Paris before the city deliberation. The paper includes the analysis the history circumstances under which the play was written, the analysis of the play as well as symbolical concepts included ...

Introduction

One of the significant stylistic elements of epic poetry is evidently the simile. Apparently, it is of great importance to note that similes are frequently used in the diverse and varied genres of both prose and poetry. In the ancient literature, the simile is sturdily associated with epic. Predominantly, similes in ancient literature are extended in their formations and essentially contain extensive details and differing comparison details. Homeric similes in particular have in most instances been used at the dramatic points of a given narrative with the main intent of comparing things to create a clear mental picture of ...

Thesis: As a fierce beast cannot be tamed absolutely, so is it not possible for a man who has led a life of thrill and adventure to resolve himself to domestication.
Alfred Tennyson wrote the poem Ulysses in the immediate aftermath of the death of his closest friend, Arthur Henry Hallam. Ulysses is another name given to Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey. According to Homer, after the end of the Trojan war, Odysseus took 10 long eventful years to finally reach Ithaca, his country. Homer mentions that Odysseus is to make one final journey ...

Research Question

Polystyrene is a very commonly-used material in the food and consumer electronic packaging industries. This paper will revolve around the research question “can polystyrene have other uses aside from its common uses?” The HIPS will be of particular importance here because much of the paper will revolve around the use of HIPS, how it is used, and how it differs from typical polystyrene. HIPS, which stands for High Impact Polystyrene is used in the research and development and manufacture of mechanical prototypes and other tools that are often subjected to high impact environments, stress, and tension. It is one ...