Canto 16

The wheel made up of the three warriors is supposed to represent the unity of the people in Hell. The people in Hell are drawn together by the common bond of being condemned to suffering by God. They don't seem to feel any genuine affection for each other because, lets face it, love isn't what sent them to Hell in the first place. However, being in the same situation makes them face the facts that they are all suffering and the only way to get rid of even a fraction of that pain is to work together. This way of joining forces can be seen in the way the men hold on to each other for support at they spin around Dante in order to talk to him as well as keep moving. A wheel is usually a part of a tool that is used to help a person go faster or to carry a heavier load (like a bike or a wheelbarrow). It is a device to make things easier, as these warriors seem to be doing for each other.

Allusions Cantos 13-15

Canto 13
"If you remove a little branch from any one of these pieces of foliage around us, the thoughts you have will also be broken off" (pg. 129). There is a contrast here between Hell and a parable that Jesus spoke in John 15. In the parable, he speaks of how he is the true vine and the only way to become a part of the true vine is to be grafted in by the husbandman. The contrast that we see in this allusion serves to emphasize the evil in Hell. Where becoming a part of the vine is something of purity, breaking off pieces of the bushes leads to forgetfulness and that could cause a soul to get lost.
Canto 14
"There where, repented guilt removed, souls gather to cleanse themselves" (pg. 147). There are many places in the Bible where one of God's servants instructs a sinner to go wash themselves and be clean. After they are made clean, the miracle happens. It is amazing the amount of hope that the author seems to be finding, especially considering his situation. Every chance he gets, he finds a way to fit in more souls getting saved from eternal suffering.
Canto 15
"One recognized me, and took me by the hem" (pg. 151). This line alludes to the time when Jesus was passing through a huge crowd of people and there was a woman who had a sickness in her blood. She believed that if she could just get close enough to touch Jesus' clothes, then she would be healed. The comparison that Dante makes between his character and Jesus suggests that he is a savior travelling through the ranks of the dead to bring life to condemned souls. Dante's travel through the stages of Hell is similar to Jesus' journey to earth and the sacrifice of his life to save everyone from their sins.

Canto 11&12

Canto 11
1. "Inscribed: I hold Pope Anastasius" (pg. 109). It is ironic that the Pope is one of the most prominent figure heads of the Chrisitan religion and he still ends up in Hell. The author could be using this to serve as a warning to the reader that they should be careful with what they do with their life so that they don't enter in to the same fate.
2. "But please, could we retrace our path" (pg. 113). This is one of the first times where Dante actually asks that they could turn around rather than continuing on their journey. This scene is meant to show the reader the horrors that he is facing as well as provide as a contrast between Dante and the old heroes. Dante is finding it hard to continue and he has a guide. The heroes were able to go into Hell and come back out again with a pretty small amount of help.
Canto 12
1. "love: the force that has brought chaos back" (pg. 121). Love is not usually thought of as something that brings about chaos, but rather peace, joy and happiness. The author's suggestion that love brings turmoil could be referring to the suffering that is being felt by those who defied God. Love is something that is supposed to be posessed by all of God's servants, so it is the one thing that will always cause regret and anguish in those who fell from favor.
2. "rise out of the blood more than its guilt makes lawful" (pg. 123). This reinforces the idea that there is pity in Hell. Unfortunately for the sinful, that pity isn't enough to lessen the suffering very much. In this case, a soul could find some relief from being boiled, but if they try to take advantage of the mercy too much, they will be punished by the sting of the arrows.

Canto 9&10

Canto 9
1. "if you looked at her- there would be no returning above" (pg. 89). Once again, we are shown the danger that stands between Dante and his journey to get out of Hell. If he were to look at this woman, there would be no way of escaping and he would be trapped forever. The author uses this to emphasize the importance of completing this journey. It is also showing how it is much more risky for a writer to travel through Hell than one of the great warriors of Rome or Greece.
2. "Some sepulchers grow hotter, and some less" (pg. 93). It is very interesting the way Dante chose to classify the sins of the condemned souls. Many religious people just believe that a person is cursed to burn in Hell if they don't follow the way of God. Dante's view makes the suffering greater or less depending on how bad the person's sins against God are.
Canto 10
1. "If it should please you, stop a moment here" (pg. 97). Each time that Dante and Virgil speak to another dead soul, they have to stop. It has to be their choice to speak to the soul. This is possibly making it easier for them to complete their journey undisturbed. If the souls were the ones choosing to do the talking, Dante wouldn't ever be able to move forward and he would become completely bogged down by the needy souls that are trying to remember what it was like to be living on earth. He would become trapped because of the weight of their pain and problems and his inability to move would be a curse in itself.
2. "no evidence or knowledge, except if others bring us word" (pg. 103). It is interesting how the author shows that the tortured souls do still have some abilities, but the things that once seemed so simple to them and were a part of everyday life have now become impossible. They have no way of keeping track of their loved ones and because of that, their suffering is increased.

Canto 7&8

Canto 7
1. "Why do you squander? Why do you hoard" (pg. 67). This line shows us that there is a fine balance between spending too much and not spending enough. Some of these souls chose to live their lives more fully than they had a right to and some didn't live their lives enough to have any kind of gratification. The fact that they are cursed to fight each other in death shows us that the author thought of these different personality types as being unchangeable. Someone who hoards will always hold on to what he has and never share, and the squanderers will always be giving away more than they have.
2. "like a snake in the grass" (pg. 71). This serves as a warning to Dante. So far, he has witnessed many sins, but the one he has the most trouble understanding is the hoarding and squandering. Virgil reprimands him for already having an idea in his head as to who these souls are. The author does this to show that there is a very fine balance. The hidden snake shows us that this is one of the sins that we need to be most careful of because it can sneak up and strike without our notice.
Canto 8
1. "Let him retrace alone his foolish way -try if he can!" (pg. 81). This shows us how out of place Dante is in Hell. It also serves as a parallel between Dante and the heroes who once travelled through on their own errands. Each of the living souls who pass through Death meet with some kind of resistance from the dead souls. In this case, the souls even serve to discourage Dante's guide a little bit. This shows us either that Dante isn't as strong as the heroes of old, or that the souls in death are getting stronger and more resistant with time.
2. "None can deprive us of the passage One has willed for us to have." (pg. 83). Virgil is telling Dante not to get frustrated because the dead souls are giving them trouble. They can't stop him from travelling on if it is what is fated to happen. The author uses this to show the reader that the only way a soul can become trapped in Hell is by their own doing.

Canto 5&6

Canto 5
1. "Beware how you come in and whom you trust" (pg. 47). This tells us that, while Virgil is Dante's guide, he will not be the one who makes all the decisions of what they do while they pass through Hell. Dante will still have to think and make decisions for himself. He will have to choose which souls would be useful in helping them out. There is a tone of warning in Minos's statement that if Dante doesn't choose well he will get stuck in Hell.
2. "Swooning as in death, I fell like a dying body" (pg. 53). As soon as we see Dante feeling pity for the lovers and the sins that brought them to Hell, his soul faints from the exhaustion of pushing against the call of death. His emotional connection with the lovers is preyed upon by the evils of Hell and he finds it so hard to with stand the pull of sin that his physical body gives out. The fact that Virgil didn't do anything to warn Dante of the dangers of speaking with the souls suggests that Dante must learn on his own how to not get too close to them.
Canto 6
1. "Treading upon their emptinesses, which seemed like real bodies" (pg. 59). This suggests that the souls have become empty of the things that a soul should have, like love, joy and happiness. Instead, they have been beaten down by the rain and the noise of Cerberus' barking. The sin of Gluttony (which would make a person full), leads to this emptiness. These souls are condemned to this in death because of their greed for more in life.
2. "and the hostile Power comes" (pg. 61) Most religious people don't think of God's power as being hostile, but this line brings to light the feelings of those who don't believe in God, or don't follow his way. To them, His judgements would seem harsh because of his wrath for those who disobey Him.

Canto 3&4

Canto 3
1. "all fear must be left here, and all cowardice die" (pg. 25). Hell is a place where the evil and the suffering feed off of the fear and cowardice. This sign serves as a warning to Dante that he shouldn't become involved in what the condemned souls are feeling. If he doesn't leave his fear at the entrance of Hell, then his soul might get sucked into the suffering and he could become trapped forever.
2. "cursing the human race, God and their parents" (pg. 35). The only people that these souls have the right to blame for their fate is themselves. In the Aeneid, there were many reasons why a person could end up in Hell, such as killing your kin, betraying your country, etc. In this book, we see that one of the ways a person can end up in Hell is by blaming others for a fate that was your own doing.
Canto 4
1. "not trees, but a wood of thronging spirits" (pg. 37). The woods are something that can't be moved because of their roots in the place where they are planted. The only way to make an entire forest move would ultimately cause the destruction of the woods. You would have to chop down the trees and transport them as smaller pieces, but this would also kill them. These souls also can't be moved because they are rooted in the place where fate has put them.
2. "and far more honor: that fair company then made me one among them" (pg. 39). It makes Dante feel like one of the heroes of old to be considered one of a group of such great writers. This makes him more confident about his ability to pass through Hell unharmed. He feels especially honored to be linked with Virgil in his journey through the depths of Hell, and he believes this is why he is gifted with the presence of these great poets.

Canto 1&2

Canto 1
1. "in the day of the false gods who lied" (pg. 7). Virgil is suggesting that the gods in the time of the Roman Empire weren't actually gods, but demons. They tricked people into worshiping them and thinking that they were doing the right thing, when they were only condemning themselves to a life in Hell.
2. "Saint Peter's gate, and the multitude of woes" (pg. 11). It is interesting that Dante chooses to connect the gate of Heaven with sorrow. This might suggest at his doubt in the judgement that comes when you reach the gate. He is unsure of what his feelings would be when he approaches the gate. The woe that he speaks about could be speaking of the tortured souls that he has not met yet, but he knows exist. He doesn't have a good enough understanding yet of the way God's acceptance works.
Canto 2
1."what cause, whose favor, could send me forth on such a voyage" (pg. 15). This is the first hint we see of Dante feeling unsure of his worthiness to travel through Hell. The only accounts he knows of people who have made it in and back out were the great heroes like Aeneas. He thinks is glad to have Virgil as his guide and believes that this will help to make him more worthy of completing the journey that all the great heroes did.
2. "Why be a coward rather than bolder, freer" (pg. 21). The holy lady is telling Dante that he shouldn't be afraid when he goes through Hell because he has the help of Virgil and the 3 Holy ladies who are watching from Heaven. The only way he will be able to make it through just like the heroes from ancient times did is if he trusts his guide. He can't be fearful of the things that he sees and hears, or that will take his focus off of the goal of just passing through Hell and his soul could get trapped.

Lit. Elements

Litotes: understatement used for rhetorical effect. (A statement is expressed by denying its opposite)
example: "The grave's a fine a private place, but none, I think, there do embrace." -Andrew Marvell

Lyric Poem: a short poem where the poet expresses an emotion or illuminates a life principle. It might have conflict and a sense of resolution, but there is no plot. Can be a personal statement from the poet to another person.
examples: "I Heard a Fly Buzz- When I Died" -Emily Dickinson. "Dreams" -Langston Hughes. "Daddy"- Silvia Plath.

Romanticism

Characteristics:
-symbolism
-religious and philosophical allusions
-motifs and imagery
-appreciation of Christianity
-passionate/emotional
Common Themes:
-return to nature
-the supernatural
-love of the common man
-strange and far away places
-nationalism
-romantic heroism
Well Known Poets:
-William Wordsworth
-Lord Byron
-John Keats
-William Blake
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
-Percy B. Shelley
-Samuel Coleridge

Last Sonnet
Bright Star, would I were steadfast as thou art--
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night,
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like Nature's patient sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priest-like task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors--
No--yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever--or else swoon to death.
-John Keats

Augustan Poetry

Characteristics:
-mock epics
-heroic couplets
-commonly uses satire and irony, iambic pentameter, and paradoxes
-often has a plain/ordinary plot
-alludes to ancient Roman/Greek epic poetry
-themes include: human frailty, the standards of man's potential, order in the universe, mocks human behavior
Authors:
-John Dryden
-Alexander Pope
-Jonathan Swift

The Progress of Poetry
The Farmer's Goose, who in the Stubble,
Has fed without Restraint, or Trouble;
Grown fat with Corn and Sitting still,
Can scarce get o'er the Barn-Door Sill:
And hardly waddles forth, to cool
Her Belly in the neighb'ring Pool:
Nor loudly cackles at the Door;
For Cackling shews the Goose is poor.

But when she must be turn'd to graze,
And round the barren Common strays,
Hard Exercise, and harder Fare
Soon make my Dame grow lank and spare:
Her Body light, she tries her Wings,
And scorns the Ground, and upward springs,
While all the Parish, as she flies,
Hear Sounds harmonious from the Skies.

Such is the Poet, fresh in Pay,
(The third Night's Profits of his Play;)
His Morning-Draughts 'till Noon can swill,
Among his Brethren of the Quill:
With good Roast Beef his Belly full,
Grown lazy, foggy, fat, and dull:
Deep sunk in Plenty, and Delight,
What Poet e'er could take his Flight?
Or stuff'd with Phlegm up to the Throat,
What Poet e'er could sing a Note?
Nor Pegasus could bear the Load,
Along the high celestial Road;
The Steed, oppress'd, would break his Girth,
To raise the Lumber from the Earth.

But, view him in another Scene,
When all his Drink is Hippocrene,
His Money spent, his Patrons fail,
His Credit out for Cheese and Ale;
His Two-Year's Coat so smooth and bare,
Through ev'ry Thread it lets in Air;
With hungry Meals his Body pin'd,
His Guts and Belly full of Wind;
And, like a Jockey for a Race,
His Flesh brought down to Flying-Case:
Now his exalted Spirit loaths
Incumbrances of Food and Cloaths;
And up he rises like a Vapour,
Supported high on Wings of Paper;
He singing flies, and flying sings,
While from below all Grub-street rings.
-Jonathan Swift