Canto Analysis: Canto 17

The Inferno: Canto XVII

By: Regan Bloss

Summary:

Dante and Virgil watch a horrible creature rise before them after Virgil threw one end of Dante's belt into a ravine filled with dark water. The creature turns out to be a serpent with two hairy paws and the face of a man. He is later addressed as Geryon, and as Dante and Virgil approach him, they descend into the third zone of the third ring in the seventh circle of hell.

Dante doesn’t converse much with the usurers because he understands the reason for their condition. Instead he observes their suffering and returns to Virgil after a short while. Finally, Virgil arranges for Geryon to fly both him and Dante to the eighth circle of hell.

Additional Points of Analysis:

ü  As Dante and Virgil leave the final zone of the seventh circle of hell, they also leave the hell of the violent and bestial- the sins of the lion- for the hell of the fraudulent and malicious- the sins of the Leopard.

ü  Geryon represents this transition by being the symbol of fraud and the method of transportation to the eighth circle of hell (see character analysis for details).

ü  Like Dante, the Bible despises usurers by saying “If he has exacted usury Or taken increase -- He shall not live! If he has done any of these abominations, He shall surely die; His blood shall be upon him.” [New King James Bible Ezekiel 18:13]

ü  Dante constantly alludes to Greek Mythology in this canto, with references to Geryon, Arachne, and Phaethon (see character analysis for details).

Sin in Question:

The third zone, which is located in the third ring of the seventh circle of hell, is inhabited by usurers, or those who had been violent against art. The usurers, like their names suggests, also probably had something to do with the stealing of money, or the “ripping” of someone off. This sin is the transition to the final circles of hell, which is reserved for the fraudulent.

Punishment for Sinners:

Like the other sinners of the third ring in the seventh circle of hell, the usurers are punished by having to endure the deathly hot desert and its never-ending rain of fire. The difference however, between the usurers and the blasphemers and sodomites punishment, it that the usurers have to wear leather purses with their family coat of arms or emblem on it. Dante notices that the eyes of the sinners are gushing with tears because the final part of their punishment is having to gaze at their family coat of arms for an eternity.  

Moreover, while Dante does not recognize any of the usurers, he does recognize some of the coats of arms on the purses around the usurer’s necks. These coats of arms are symbolic of well-known Florentine families.  

Punishment’s link to Contrapasso:

This punishment is without a doubt contrapasso, and follows the law of retribution, because sinners here, who have dismembered themselves from their families and who have stolen money from others, are now being subject to intense shame as they have to gaze upon their family emblems forever. This shame is attributed to all of the money they stole, and all of their violence against art.

Character Analysis:

Geryon	-Serpent with two hairy paws and the face of a human. He is the guardian of the Eighth circle of hell and his ability to change the number of heads he has is symbolic of fraud (Greek Mythology). Geryon signifies the transition to the final two circles of hell- malice and fraud. He is also symbolic of fraud because he deceives people by hiding his spiked tail. -Geryon is also described in Virgil's Aeneid as a "three-bodied shade," and a cruel king slain by Hercules. -Geryon offers some of the best evidence of Dante's attention to realism.
Vitaliano	Only usurious sinner to be named.
Arachne	Great mortal weaver who boasted that her skill was greater than Minerva, or Athena, the goddess of wisdom and crafts
Tartars	Turkish ethnic group briefly referenced
Phaethon	Young demigod son of Helios and Klymene who begged his father to let him drive the chariot of the sun.

Higher-Order Discussion Questions:

1. Being that the punishment given to the usurers- those who are violent against art- is not really representative of contrapaso in the most straightforward way. What other punishment could be given to the Usurers? Why is that punishment linked to the law of retribution- contrapasso? And why is your punishment better than the one made by Dante?

2. Why do you think Dante chose to have usury as the transitional link between the hell of the violent and bestial- the sins of the lion- to the hell of the fraudulent and malicious- the sins of the Leopard? Explain using causational links and evidentiary support from the novel.

3. We learn in canto 16 that Dante once thought to capture the leopard with a cord, which he now gives to Virgil to summon Geryon, the "image of fraud." What connections do you see among Geryon, the cord, and the leopard? How might this new information help us to interpret the three animals--the leopard, the lion, and the she-wolf--from canto 1?

Works Cited: "Dante's Inferno." The University of Texas at Austin. ITS Liberal Arts, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/index2.html>.

Wyatt Essays

Homework Pass :-)

Inferno Reaction Paper

Regan Bloss

Nikki Morrell

Honors English IV

December 1, 2011

Why does Dante utilize animal imagery for the sinners? Create a thesis and use a few specific examples to support.

     The animal kingdom makes up the entirety of this Earth, and since the beginning of human history, we have had our very own experiences with all sorts of animal species. Over time, we have characterized animals by their inherent characteristics and behaviors, and then only naturally, we have compared animal characteristics to human characteristics. Anciant cave drawings, medieval sculptures and murals, as well as present-day art are a testament to our connection with animals and the same characterizations can bee seen in literature, both new and old. Dante Alighieri, in his world-reknowned masterpiece La Divina Comedia- Inferno, uses anamalistic imagery for comparative characterizations, behaviors, and allusions.

     Perhaps one of he most noticeable uses of animal imagery occurs in canto seven, when Dante is exploring the fourth and fifth circles of hell, where the avaricious and sullen are respectively punished. In the beginning of this canto, Dante and Vigil cross paths with Putus, who is identified as an infuriated wolf. Virgil says to Plutus, “Silence, cursed wolf! Consume yourself with your rage within,” (Alighieri 7.8-7.9). This reference most likely has a two-fold meaning. First, wolves are generally associated with greed, which would link Plutus to the fourth level of hell and the avaricious; and second, wolves are reknown for their ferocity, which would link Plutus to the fifth level and the angry or sullen. In either case, Plutus is appropriately the center-point for introduction into both the fourth and the fifth circles of hell.

     In the same fashion, Dante not only links the characteristics of animals, but also the allusions to which animals are associated with. Namely, Dante uses dolphins in canto 22 to allude to an old conjecture about the sinners. This canto, which takes place in the 5^th pouch of the 8^th circle of hell, is filled who those who have exploited public office through corruption. Their punishment is to now be tortured by demons in a boiling pitch; however, “as dolphins do… to lessen the pain, a sinner would show his back and hide it in less than a flash,” (22.19-22.21) The allusion comes from an old idea that dolphons warm sailors when a storm is approaching. In hell however, sinners, who are acting like “dolphins,” warn others of the oncoming demons.

     Finally, Dante uses characterized bahviors of animals to relate to sinners. This use of animals couldn’t be more enumerated than in Canto 33, when Count Ugolino is gnawing on the back of his rival Archbishop Ruggieri’s skull. Ugolino “took Ruggieri’s wrtched skull with his teeth… like a dog,” and gnawed on it from behind (33.78). This depiction was perhaps the most vivid and animalistic depiction in The Inferno and made for one of the most unforgettable uses of animal imagery in La Divina Comedia.

     But why do writers, Dante included, use animal imagery? Well, swiss psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung emphasizes on the “collective unconscious,” to answer this question. He describes the “‘collective unconscious’ as being inhabited with archetypes that are derived from primal animal behaviors that all humankind possesses,” (Huffman 494). In simpler terms, everyone can relate to the charactistics of animals.

     By experiencing Dante’s animal imagery and symbolism, the reader has the ability to better understand, and extract the important behaviors and fellings that Dante tries to convey. And Dante does not hold back on the imagery. For instance, in canto twenty-two alone, Dante refers to dolphons (22.19-22.21), frogs (22.25-22.27, 22.32-22.33), otters (22.36), boars (22.56), cats (22.58), mice (22.58), birds (22.96), dogs (22.106), horses (22.114), ducks (22.30), falcons (22.132), and even hawks (22.139); and he compares these animals to both sinners and devils alike. As can be seen then, Dante frequently uses animal imagery for comparative behavioral characterizations that are essential to the reader’s understanding, and fundamentals of the novel.  

Works Cited

Huffman, Karen. Psychology in Action. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2005.  

The Vexations of Vehement Visual Violence

Regan Bloss

Nikki Morrell

Honors English IV

November 20, 2011

The Vexations of Vehement Visual Violence

Millions of kids grow up watching cowboy shoot-em-ups, weekend "creature features," and good ol' cops-and-robbers crime dramas; however, with so much violence on our televisions today, the question of whether television violence is having a negative effect on society begs to be answered. To answer this question it is imperative to examine the biological perspective of aggression, then analyze the academic criminologist perspective, before determining how big of a negative impact media violence really causes. In a nutshell however, media violence, more specifically television violence, has a profound biological impact, which causes significant measurable effects on criminal behavior and resulting negative effects on society.

Neurobiologist Dr. Debra Niehoff, in her science-journal article “The Biology of Violence,” explains that violent behavior is a result of a developmental neural process. It is not a trait that someone is born with or someone grows out of, instead violent behavior is developed through a series of interactions between a person and his or her environment. These interactions trigger emotional responses, which are recoded in the nervous system by means of chemical messengers, or neurons. Niehoff extrapolates on this fundamental neural concept by analyzing the link to actual aggression. If the "dialogue" between a person’s environment and themselves is largely positive, then a persons nervous system is more likely to develop in a "socially acceptable" way. On the contrary, negative environmental impacts on a person impair a person’s ability to cope with the challenges of life, which in turn harbors "socially unacceptable" behavior. Often times, a person who has experienced a negative environment will overreact and feel threatened all the time, or under react and not fear punishment, authority, or getting hurt. Either way, a person’s judgment is seriously impaired when being exposed to negative occurrences, which includes viewing violent television shows (Heins 32-33).

This theory is re-affirmed by professor of psychology at Stanford University, Albert Bandura, who explains the social-cognitive theory of aggression from a cognitive-neoassociationistic perspective. The theory “contends that people observe important role models, make inferences and attributions, and acquire scripts, schemas, and normative beliefs that then guide their subsequent behavior,” (Bandura, Martino, Chory-Assad).

Critics of this theory disregard its evidentiary support, which proves that a person’s experiences, including watching violent shows, are the causational factor in aggression, because there are a number of third-factor variables to take into account. That is exactly why Dr. Rowell Huesmann, collegiate professor of communication studies and psychology in the Institute for Social Research of the University of Michigan, performed a number of correlational studies, which monitor the relationship between watching violent TV and acting aggressively. Huesmann’s fifteen-year study controlled the myriad of third-factor variables, including prior aggressive behavior, by localizing specific variables and then testing for each one (Huesmann, Martino). The evidence concludes that the social learning of violence through the media is a direct cause of aggression. This is because biologically people are more likely to act in an aggressive way if they are repeatedly exposed to violent experiences where the aggressor is either praised or not reprimanded for his actions (Hearold, Martino). In other words, monkey see, monkey do.   

By the same token, television violence is a key facet to societal aggression and criminal activity says criminologists and ethical perspectives alike. Joanne Savage, assistant professor in the Department of Justice, Law and Society in the School of Public Affairs at American University, alludes to the fact that people are ethically obligated to oppose violent television shows because they inherently harbor aggressive behavior and impact society in a negative manner. Likewise, if one believes in societal justice and the notion that taking ones life is a dire action, then one should also acknowledge any susceptible threat to causing aggression, including watching a violent television, by being apposed to it. Simply put, social cognitive theory and moral justification obligate those who are opposed to aggression and death to oppose any external factor that causes aggression or death, including violent media (Heins 34-37). 

The final component in answering the initial question also seems to be where most of the debate lies. To what extent is violent-media-caused aggression affecting society? Part of the answer lies in solving for the common misconception that experimental data and real-world situations are compatible. Unfortunately and inconveniently they are not. The fact is, while the measurable affects of media violence, with regards to criminal behavior, are statistically significant, they are comparatively small when determined in the real world (Heins 34).

Consequently, while studies and theories like those performed and formulated by Huesmann and Bandura statistically and logically prove that media violence has a profound effect on society, real-world conditions, which include incalculable variables, are the reason for media violence having little direct effect on society. In any event, the logic behind social-cognitive theory and years of research, which provide substantial evidentiary support that media violence has a negative impact on society, cannot merely be disregarded due to its incompatibility with the real world. Instead, it would be pragmatic to take into account such evidence when determining a solution to the mounting problem of societal aggression. After all, “difficulties exist to be surmounted,” (Emerson).

Works Cited

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory.

Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Chory-Assad, Rebecca M., and Dana E. Mastro. Violent Videogame Use and Hostility

among High School Students and College Students. N.p.: Department of Communications, n.d. Boston College. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.

<http://icagames.comm.msu.edu/VGU&H.pdf>.

Emerson, Ralph W. The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. N.p.: n.p., n.d.

Web. 20 Nov. 2011.

<http://thinkexist.com/quotation/difficulties_exist_to_be/182179.html>.

Hearold, S. L. (1986). A synthesis of 1043 effects of television on social behavior. In G.

Comstock (Ed.), Public communication and behavior (Vol. 1, pp. 65–133). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.

Heins, Marjorie, Joanne Cantor, Henry Jenkins, Debra Niehoff, and Joanne Savage.

Violence and the Media. Nashville: First Amendment Center, 2001. 22-27. Print.

Huesmann, L. R., Moise-Titus, J., Podolski, C. L., & Eron, L. D. (2003). Longitudinal

relations between children’s exposure to TV violence and their aggressive and violent behavior in young adulthood: 1977–1992. Developmental Psychology, 39, 201–221.

Martino, Steven C., Rebecca L. Collins, David E. Kanouse, Marc Elliott, and Sandra H.

Berry. Interpersonal Relationships and Group Processes. N.p.: n.p., 2005. 2-3. Rand Corporation. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.

<http://www.rand.org/pubs/reprints/2008/RAND_RP1312.pdf>.

Guide Through Hell- "Speak of the Devil"

“Speak of the Devil”

If I were to take a trip through hell and needed a guide, I would with out a doubt choose the devil himself. Who better than the head honcho of hell himself to lead me through his kingdom? (Alliteration J) But to truly determine whether the devil is a good choice as a guide through hell, it is imperative to analyze whether or not he has the necessary characteristics of an effective guide like Virgil.

One necessary characteristic of a guide in hell has to be his “know-how” in getting around. In this aspect, the devil is the perfect individual for the job. Who knows hell better than the devil? This aspect of the job is particularly important because without the proper “know-how,” a trip through hell would be virtually impossible. For instance, if Dante did not have Virgil as his guide, then he would not have known to throw one end of his belt into a ravine filled with black water, which summons Geryon, and transports him to the final zone of the seventh circle of hell. Knowledge like this is crucial to a guide, and without it, the guide is useless. Therefore, Satan would be the perfect individual for the job simply because he knows his way around hell like the back of his hand.

The second vital characteristic of a guide through hell is that he has to have a commanding presence. Time and time again we see the necessity of Virgil’s commanding presence. Without a commanding presence, Virgil would be unable to progress in his quest through hell, and would then be unable to guide Dante through hell effectively. This same characteristic needs to be found when determining an effective guide through hell, and because Satan has this characteristic, he would once again be the perfect man for the job.

Canterbury Tales Poem- Charlie Sheen ;)

Another man that I did see

On April’s road to Canterbury

Walking through the fields of green

Was none other than Charlie Sheen

Trying to find a job again

He had been fired from Two and a Half Men

Only a stripper would get him grinning

A pile of coke… duh winning

At telling jokes he was a butcher

He had been replaced by Ashton Kutcher

His whole career had been a dud

A life lived off of tiger blood 

Casting of the Canterbury Tales

1. The Franklin: played by Robert Downey Jr.

            The Franklin, who accompanies his good friend the Lawyer, is a prominent, prosperous, and wealthy man. He is a rather generous and extroverted person, who is predominantly concerned with external things or objective considerations, and likes good food and good drinks. Having the Greek philosopher Epicurus’s out look on life, or the ideology that one should indulge in the utmost of pleasures, he openly invited anyone to come by his home and dine with him. (Lines 331-360)     

The Franklin would be played well by Robert Downey Jr. who is trademarked by playing rich and often exorbitantly wealthy men. Robert Downey Jr. played Tony Stark in the critically acclaimed box office smash hit “Iron Man.” Iron Man’s Tony stark was an exorbitant and overly wealthy man who might be considered Epicurus’s son. Like the Franklin, Stark enjoys the pleasures of life, and there is no pleasure that can escape him. 

Being that Tony Stark and the Franklin are very similar, Robert Downey Jr. would be perfect for the role as the Franklin.

2.  The Clerk: played by Tom Hanks

            The Clerk is the first admirable church member we meet on the pilgrimage. We also learn that the term "Clerk" is used as a cleric, a student, or a scholar. Thus the Clerk can be characterized in two main ways; the first is his love for learning about god; and the second is his will to be a scholarly and knowledgeable man, who in many cases would rather buy a book than a material good. (Lines 285-308)

            The Clerk would be played well by Tom Hanks who is known for playing serious, smart, and even religious characters. Tom Hanks starred as Robert Langdon in the 2006 blockbuster hit “The Da Vinci Code.” Langdon was a religious scholar and was passionate in learning the truth about religious mysteries such as the development of Christianity; so much so, that he got caught in the middle of a murder case with a two-thousand old society who has protected the secret of Christianity for thousands of years.
            Tom Hanks would be the perfect actor for the Clerk because of his extensive acting of humble religious scholars.

3. The Shipman: played by Geoffrey Rush

            The Shipman is a ship's captain, and the most skilled seaman from here to Spain. He feels more at home on the deck of ship than anywhere else, and is definitely not above piracy, or a little larceny. The Shipman is also a “hard” man and does not take prisoners in a sea fight. (Line 388-410)

            The Shipman would be a good role for Geoffrey Rush who has an extensive background in playing pirates. In fact, Geoffrey Rush played Captain Hector Barbossa in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy. Barbossa is one of the nine pirate lords, and unlike Capatin Jack Sparrow, is far more “firm” in terms of characterization. Furthermore, Geoffrey Rush, who plays Barbossa, would better serve as the Shipman, rather than Johnny Depp, who plays Cpatain Jack Sparrow, because he is far more likely to take drastic action and actually not take prisoners. On the other hand, Captain Jack Sparrow is “soft” in terms of characterization and would not fit the role of the Shipman as well.
            Thus, because of his extensive background, and his better suited characterizations, Geoffrey Rush is the best person to play the Shipman in the Canterbury Tales.