ENGL 2200: Inferno (Blog 5)

I want to discuss Virgil, is he a suitable guide to lead Dante through hell?

When first begining to read this work I thought he was a decent guide. He is a resident of Limbo, which made me think oh he may not know very much about the rest of hell. Being from limbo he may be sheltered from some of the things that go on in the sectors of hell that are being punished more severely than the residence of Limbo. Even now I'm not really sure if Limbo is really being punished because they don't have anything really bothering them. The punishment I see the people of Limbo experiencing is that they must suffer the grief of not being in heaven, which is a great burdon, however, they don't have any physical punishments like the other circles of hell. Regardless of where Virgil comes from, after reading more of Dante's Inferno I have determined that he is a very suitable guide for Dante. Virgil was selected by Beatrice to lead Dante, why I'm really not sure but nonetheless Beatrice chose him so he has to have somthing going for him. Whether it be that God trusts him for this mission or a test from God to see Virgil on this quest. Another reason I believe Virgil is a good guide for Dante is because when Beatrice tells him of the mission he is about to embark on she also mentions that if he does a good job she will give good word to God. Knowing the grief that Virgil is experiencing in Limbo I believe he will do everything in his power to have favor in Gods eyes. One last thing to note why Virgil is a good leader for Dante, at the begining I thought that because he is apart of Limbo he wouldn't know about the deeper circles of hell but really he has already been though them because in Canto XXI, Virgil says "As for any outrage they may do me, have no fear. I know this place and had exactly such a scuffle here before." I think Virgil is a good guide for Dante to follow throughout hell.

ENGL: 2200 Inferno

Regarding Inferno couple things really stood out to me as intriguing.

I liked his illustration with the three beasts that follow Dante and keep him on his path of destruction. The leopard, the lion and the she-wolf, i believe these vicious animals are demons ensuring that his sole is lost and he has no way to regain it. Until intervention from the gods comes.

Something more notable that really interested me and concerned me was in Cantro IV when Dante and his guide were in the very begging of hell after they crossed on the boat. Pg 704, lines 25-42. But the biggest thing about it all was that the little children where there. I understand the men and women but the children? If this is a work based on Christianity as the main religion then why are little children in hell? Because Jesus says many times that children are dear to him. To let all children near him for he loves them. This is just one thing that really vexed me during the reading.

Next, I didn't understand why the one sector of hell where the "hog" was talking with Dante and his guide. Where the man knew him but Dante didn't recall him. After they had said all that they needed, the man in hell's eyes glazed over into blindness until the second coming of the Lord. I couldn't wrap my mind around why he and the people in that part of hell were forced to wit like that, whereas the sectors before and after were not blindly waiting. I understand that the different circles and places in those circles even have different punishments. Is was just confusing to me.

ENGL 2200: Ramayana

Do Rama or Sita ever have periods of failure in Dharma?

Yes, several times through out The Ramayana both Rama and Sita do not adhere to Dharma; although here I'd like to address one situation. Sita is to some extent caught in limbo of Dharma when Rama was banished from Ayodhya. At first she seems to be disregarding Dharma in that she refuses to follow her husband's orders. Rama is talking to his mother when he says: "To a woman her husband is verily god himself. ... Even a pious woman who is otherwise righteous, if she does not serve her husband, is deemed to be sinner. On the other hand, she who serves her husband attains blessedness even if she does not worship the gods, perform the rituals or honour the holy men." Knowing this aspect of Dharma we see that Sita is breaking Dharma when she says she will not stay in the city, which is Rama's wish, but instead she will stay with her husband and go live in the forest. Now this is breaking Dharma in that she is disobeying her husband but at the same time she is following Dharma in that she is staying loyal to Rama by not wavering away from him, she wants to be with him. In this same instance Rama fails to adhere to Dharma by his suggesting that Sita not adhere to Dharma and stay in the city, thus jeopardizing her being in good standing with the gods, so to speek. Although it is all equaled out in the end by Sita going into the forest with Rama regardless of their arguments about the matter.