Hagar’s identity has defiantly changed after Milkman dumped her. She goes from a strong woman who drives Milkman crazy to a crazy herself. Her new identity brings in a folktale motif. She goes once a month to kill Milkman but is not successful. She is a curse on him. There is a distinct pattern just like in folktales. She reminds me of a wilie; out to kill who did her wrong. The people in the town around talked about Hagar like she was some kind of monster out to catch Milkman. She’s just gone off the deep end. Love is also shown through her character. She’s lost Milkman’s and now tries for his fear instead.
When Ruth visits Hagar and Pilate Goldilocks was mentioned so I started thinking about how that story was twisted up into this one. There are three women living in the house; all of them very family oriented and wild like the three bears. Ruth is very different than any of the other women. She is “small”, as she calls herself, and caught up in her childish world like Goldilocks. Goldilocks slept in the little bears bed and ate its food. Ruth gets to enjoy Milkman which is what Hagar wants, like the little bear wants his food and bed. And Pilate calms Ruth down to protect Hagar. The big bear chased Goldilocks away to protect his home. Just like Rumpelstiltskin, this tale is integrated into the story.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Last but not Least: Lucifer!
“If he was truly once beautiful/As he is now ugly, and raised his brows/Against his maker-then all sorrow may well (367)”
It is neat to see the difference between the devil that we grow up with and the thirteenth century one. In American literature and other literature classes Satan appears as a trickster. He is in charge of the under world and tries to draw tempted people to hell. Dante’s devil is very different. He has no power what so ever but tries in vain to escape. He is not the creature damning people or ordering people about. Lucifer is not punishing those that deserve to be punished but is being punished himself. That is different than the later devil that runs around the living. In medieval times god was the wrathful. Now we think of god as being forgiving and loving and blame the evil on the Devil. In Dante’s time, punishing was God’s job, not Satan’s.
“Some of the beautiful things that Heaven bears, / Where we came forth, and once more saw the stars (373).”
I am sure Dante was happy to get out of hell. The notes in the back of the book said that every book in the Commedia ends with the word "stars". The last line was very different than the rest of the Inferno. Everything was really dark through out hell and in the last line Dante mentions light and heaven. It's foreshadowing into where Dante is headed next. Hell is behind him, next purgatory, and finally Heaven. Gives a hopeful finish to a disturbing story.
It is neat to see the difference between the devil that we grow up with and the thirteenth century one. In American literature and other literature classes Satan appears as a trickster. He is in charge of the under world and tries to draw tempted people to hell. Dante’s devil is very different. He has no power what so ever but tries in vain to escape. He is not the creature damning people or ordering people about. Lucifer is not punishing those that deserve to be punished but is being punished himself. That is different than the later devil that runs around the living. In medieval times god was the wrathful. Now we think of god as being forgiving and loving and blame the evil on the Devil. In Dante’s time, punishing was God’s job, not Satan’s.
“Some of the beautiful things that Heaven bears, / Where we came forth, and once more saw the stars (373).”
I am sure Dante was happy to get out of hell. The notes in the back of the book said that every book in the Commedia ends with the word "stars". The last line was very different than the rest of the Inferno. Everything was really dark through out hell and in the last line Dante mentions light and heaven. It's foreshadowing into where Dante is headed next. Hell is behind him, next purgatory, and finally Heaven. Gives a hopeful finish to a disturbing story.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The Inferno provokes human instinct. People hate not knowing and what happens after death is always an issue. The events after death is one thing we can never put a science or reason to until life is over. Dante’s inferno offers people an insight into the dark ages view of life after death. Weather or not the reader agrees with Dante’s views, the story still offers readers from any time period one aspect of what hell would be like. It satisfies a longing for knowledge. The account is detailed and interesting to any reader. I believe people’s curiosity about the after life is part of the reason why Dante’s epic poem is read and discussed to this day.
The inferno also provides a justice system. It is a clearly known fact that life is not fair and will never be fair but the inferno offers some form of justice. To Dante, the people of his hell got what they deserved. All of his political enemies were finally punished for their crimes. I think that the modern reader has trouble grasping why some crimes, which seem petty in our culture, were so harshly punished. For example, Limbo was harsh for people who lived moral lives. But there is some feeling that there is justice.
Dante’s Inferno is pretty twisted when it comes to punishment. The grotesque nature of Dante’s imagination allows the work to be very intriguing. The man gnawing on another mans head or snakes transforming thieves are just some of the punishments that appear so cruel and unusual. They are awfully terrible for common crimes. And to think god was the one punishing these souls. I couldn’t imagine living in Dante’s time and believing in such a hell. The inferno is the horror movie of 1300’s. Dante’s imagination keeps the inferno alive and studied through out history.
Dante through out the book continuously referenced current events, mythology, and other works of literature. Dante’s blend of many different cultures and events gives the reader a clear view of his personal hell. He uses Greek mythology for example. Everyone from any culture knows of the three-headed dog Cerberus. Dante places this well-known beast in his hell. A diverse group of readers can relate to this creature and understand Dante’s ideas of torture.
The inferno also provides a justice system. It is a clearly known fact that life is not fair and will never be fair but the inferno offers some form of justice. To Dante, the people of his hell got what they deserved. All of his political enemies were finally punished for their crimes. I think that the modern reader has trouble grasping why some crimes, which seem petty in our culture, were so harshly punished. For example, Limbo was harsh for people who lived moral lives. But there is some feeling that there is justice.
Dante’s Inferno is pretty twisted when it comes to punishment. The grotesque nature of Dante’s imagination allows the work to be very intriguing. The man gnawing on another mans head or snakes transforming thieves are just some of the punishments that appear so cruel and unusual. They are awfully terrible for common crimes. And to think god was the one punishing these souls. I couldn’t imagine living in Dante’s time and believing in such a hell. The inferno is the horror movie of 1300’s. Dante’s imagination keeps the inferno alive and studied through out history.
Dante through out the book continuously referenced current events, mythology, and other works of literature. Dante’s blend of many different cultures and events gives the reader a clear view of his personal hell. He uses Greek mythology for example. Everyone from any culture knows of the three-headed dog Cerberus. Dante places this well-known beast in his hell. A diverse group of readers can relate to this creature and understand Dante’s ideas of torture.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Mischievous Malebranche
“Should I just touch him on the rump?” Replied/ The others, ”Yes-go on and give him a cut (217).”
The Malebranche demons are just bizarre. They sounded to me like obnoxious, vicious things. They were different than all the other demons. The other demons, like Charon or Cerberus, appeared so large and serious. They seemed to have much more control over the souls. But the Malebranche demons were arguing or poking people for fun. They were comical. They struck my attention because of the sudden humor. Even though Dante has the reader in a deep layer of hell, he throws in these strange funny creatures. I thought the passage above was pretty funny and different then what most of the demons would be saying. They also provide action. A lot of the story Dante is wandering around and talking to people but here the demons create movement. When they chase after the sinner or when Dante and Virgil run away from them because they are trying to eat them. I thought they were fun and frightening creatures.
And then to me, ”O Tuscan, you who arrived/At the sad hypocrites’ assembly: pray tell-(239)“
The way Dante has set up his hell and the order of those that are punished is strange. To have the violent crimes before the hypocrites seems strange to me. I would think killing someone would be worse than being hypocritical or a barrator. But it appears that Dante was angry with a lot of people that committed crimes like being hypocritical or being a barrator against the government and church. There was a lot of corruption in the church at the time. Is it supposed to be the farther a sinner gets in hell the worse their sin was? I found out l'ipocriti tristi is sad hypocrite in Italian.
The Malebranche demons are just bizarre. They sounded to me like obnoxious, vicious things. They were different than all the other demons. The other demons, like Charon or Cerberus, appeared so large and serious. They seemed to have much more control over the souls. But the Malebranche demons were arguing or poking people for fun. They were comical. They struck my attention because of the sudden humor. Even though Dante has the reader in a deep layer of hell, he throws in these strange funny creatures. I thought the passage above was pretty funny and different then what most of the demons would be saying. They also provide action. A lot of the story Dante is wandering around and talking to people but here the demons create movement. When they chase after the sinner or when Dante and Virgil run away from them because they are trying to eat them. I thought they were fun and frightening creatures.
And then to me, ”O Tuscan, you who arrived/At the sad hypocrites’ assembly: pray tell-(239)“
The way Dante has set up his hell and the order of those that are punished is strange. To have the violent crimes before the hypocrites seems strange to me. I would think killing someone would be worse than being hypocritical or a barrator. But it appears that Dante was angry with a lot of people that committed crimes like being hypocritical or being a barrator against the government and church. There was a lot of corruption in the church at the time. Is it supposed to be the farther a sinner gets in hell the worse their sin was? I found out l'ipocriti tristi is sad hypocrite in Italian.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Look who's back
“Making his shoulders his breast; because his purpose/Was seeing too far ahead, he looks behind/And stumbles backwards. And here is Tiresias-/The seer who changed from male to female, unmanned/Through all his body until the day he struck/A second time with his staff at serpents entwined (203)”
I thought it was funny to see Tiresias down in hell. So I thought about Oedipus and Dante. In Oedipus the prophecy was so important and inevitable. Tiresias was praised for his ability while Dante shuns it. Tiresias in Oedipus was a much more heroic figure and wise. In Oedipus religion was such a big deal as well just like in the Inferno. But the Greek gods seemed to have much more control. All the sinners made choices that got them in their positions. But Oedipus didn’t have a choice. The gods punished him anyways. I wonder where Oedipus would end up in hell? Why can some of the sinners tell the future but others are punished for that? I thought it was strange Dante mentioned Tiresias change from a man to a woman story.
“My heart: when in the fair world, hour by hour/You taught me, patiently, it was you who showed me/The way man makes himself eternal; therefore,/The gratitude I feel toward you makes fit (155)“
It puzzles me why Dante put this man in hell. Dante praised the man heavily and had a deep respect for him. He seemed so far to have the most pity on him. If he was so important to Dante why was he not placed in purgatory or paradise? I believe all the other people Dante has met have been enemies or he wasn’t too personal with them. But Latini was his teacher. The notes in the back say that Dante was taught the way to eternity was through fame. Well, I think Dante just might have achieved that goal of being famous.
I thought it was funny to see Tiresias down in hell. So I thought about Oedipus and Dante. In Oedipus the prophecy was so important and inevitable. Tiresias was praised for his ability while Dante shuns it. Tiresias in Oedipus was a much more heroic figure and wise. In Oedipus religion was such a big deal as well just like in the Inferno. But the Greek gods seemed to have much more control. All the sinners made choices that got them in their positions. But Oedipus didn’t have a choice. The gods punished him anyways. I wonder where Oedipus would end up in hell? Why can some of the sinners tell the future but others are punished for that? I thought it was strange Dante mentioned Tiresias change from a man to a woman story.
“My heart: when in the fair world, hour by hour/You taught me, patiently, it was you who showed me/The way man makes himself eternal; therefore,/The gratitude I feel toward you makes fit (155)“
It puzzles me why Dante put this man in hell. Dante praised the man heavily and had a deep respect for him. He seemed so far to have the most pity on him. If he was so important to Dante why was he not placed in purgatory or paradise? I believe all the other people Dante has met have been enemies or he wasn’t too personal with them. But Latini was his teacher. The notes in the back say that Dante was taught the way to eternity was through fame. Well, I think Dante just might have achieved that goal of being famous.
Monday, March 9, 2009
God Economics
“Of worldly splendor He assigned a guide/And minister-she, when time seems proper, spreads (71)”
The idea of Fortune I thought was confusing. I did not realize that in Christianity there was this idea of other “intelligences” having control or God assigning roles to other spiritual beings. I thought the idea of Fortune seemed kind of mythological, one specific goddess in charge of one specific task. She is like Apollo, god of the prophecy, poetry, and music. Fortune is in charge of the spread of wealth, very goddess-like. The fact she was in charge of spreading wealth seemed a little odd. Man, not god, created wealth and money. Humans control the way it is to be dealt out. Fortune takes away our control over man made wealth. I just never thought of god as being to concerned with economics. I figured He would be more worried about ethics. But that time period the church was everything and controlled everything. People’s wealth was no exception so god has to have some say, even if He does not deal with it himself.
“’But pray you: when you return to earth’s sweet light,/Recall my memory there to the human world./Now, I respond and speak no more (61).’”
I thought this was an interesting request, to ask Dante to talk about him to others. And in a way Dante did through his poem. He wanted Ciacco to be a warning to others against gluttony. The notes in the back say other souls Dante encounters request the same thing. They all want to be remembered as warnings to the reader. They use Dante to make their shout outs. Dante creates them as examples. In the story they ask to be made examples.
The idea of Fortune I thought was confusing. I did not realize that in Christianity there was this idea of other “intelligences” having control or God assigning roles to other spiritual beings. I thought the idea of Fortune seemed kind of mythological, one specific goddess in charge of one specific task. She is like Apollo, god of the prophecy, poetry, and music. Fortune is in charge of the spread of wealth, very goddess-like. The fact she was in charge of spreading wealth seemed a little odd. Man, not god, created wealth and money. Humans control the way it is to be dealt out. Fortune takes away our control over man made wealth. I just never thought of god as being to concerned with economics. I figured He would be more worried about ethics. But that time period the church was everything and controlled everything. People’s wealth was no exception so god has to have some say, even if He does not deal with it himself.
“’But pray you: when you return to earth’s sweet light,/Recall my memory there to the human world./Now, I respond and speak no more (61).’”
I thought this was an interesting request, to ask Dante to talk about him to others. And in a way Dante did through his poem. He wanted Ciacco to be a warning to others against gluttony. The notes in the back say other souls Dante encounters request the same thing. They all want to be remembered as warnings to the reader. They use Dante to make their shout outs. Dante creates them as examples. In the story they ask to be made examples.
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