Restart BP 26

          Thursday and Friday, my class watched the film What Dreams May Come. The movie tells the story of a man who searches for his wife in the afterlife after he is killed in a car accident and she commits suicide. In many ways, this movie has similar themes and follows many ideas that are much alike Dante's Inferno. However there were differences as well. One major difference is that in the film, the main character Chris Nielson is able to find his wife in the depths of hell and bring her back into heaven. Dante makes the point very clear that no man (except himself), can escape Satan's grasp in the underworld. Chris and his wife are also able to reincarnate onto earth to "restart" their lives. Dante follows strictly Christian virtues therefore does not say that reincarnation can happen. After looking past the differences, it is possible to find many similarites as well.

In Dante's Inferno Dante punishes each person depending on their sins. In What Dreams May Come, Chris's wife is put in her own personal hell because she committed suicide; also a major sin in Inferno. Also on the topic of suicide, a tree is shown directly before the suicide of the wife. Dante describes the punishment of people who commit suicide as being turned into a tree and being pecked at by harpies for eternity. Another similarity is that both Dante and Chris are led by a guide to navigate the underworld. These guides are people who both Chris and Dante admire and even look up to. In Chris's case, his son, daughter, and former professor all help him get through his transition from life to death. For Dante, Virgil leads him through Hell. Virgil is the only person in all of Inferno who Dante puts above himself besides Beatrice. In Conclusion, What Dreams May Come and Dante's Inferno have many things in common as well as many contradictory subjects. Both make similar points with very different stories.

The Teacher and the Student [3/10/14 Reflection (Canto's 19-32)]

    The past few weeks have been spent watching presentations and preparing for my own. Last week, Cantos 19-32 were presented. The main theme for that group of Cantos is fraud; circles 8 and 9. The majority of the punishments had something to do with fire or burning. A couple specific examples I remember are being buried then having one's feet burned forever, being thrown into boiling tar, and also being stuck in a single flame eternally. Dante puts these fraudulent people very low in hell, but for good reason. Dante explains in many of the Cantos how he knew some of the people in these parts of hell, however he rarely liked any of them. For example, in Canto 26, Dante points out how his home city of Florence has many of its citizens damned for fraud and deception.

Virgil was a very important character in all of these Canto's as well. Not only did he lead Dante in the right direction, he also was the only source that Dante had to learn from. During the presentations, the presenter often spoke of this teacher-student relationship in the "Conversation with the Guide" slide. Virgil spoke to sinners, guards, and anyone else who may have helped Dante understand what is going on in each area in this hell. One example I remember someone speaking about is when Virgil convinced the demons to allow Dante to cross the bridge into the next level. Besides Beatrice, Virgil is the only person who Dante places above himself; at some points even calling Virgil master. Overall, Cantos 19-32 speak of Dante's opinions on fraud as well as his respect and admiration for his guide and protector Virgil.

Fraud Reflection 2-24-14

This week marks the real beginning of the Dante's Inferno project. For my project, I chose Canto 26 to study. Canto 26 describes the people who are in Hell for leading people the wrong way and fraudulent teaching. Personally, I believe that these people (the really bad ones anyway), do deserve a place in Hell. Misleading people for ones own benefit is incredibly selfish and only causes problems in relationships and in life. Dante's punishment for these people is burning eternally in a single flame who's temperature depends on the severity of the sinner's actions. If the whole world was made up of these people who trick and deceive for their own self-gain, nothing would ever get done or be leaned/taught.

Imagine if school teachers did this. If a math teacher instructs his or her students incorrectly to make it easier on the teacher, it may be less stressful for them; but only lead the students to failure. Most people in the world, especially in the education community, try their best to prepare and lead others they know into success. I believe it is a natural instinct to want to help others grow into better people. Without peers to point out mistakes and help you through your failures, one can never learn or grow. I am very excited to continue to learn about this subject of fraudulent teaching and cannot wait to hear the other presentations.

Our Ideas of Hell Reflection 2-17-14

After finishing all of the tragic hero presentations, we have begun talking about our next subject; Dante's Inferno. Inferno, as far as I know so far, is on man's interpretation of Hell. The author, Dante Alighieri, describes what it takes to enter Hell and what one experiences in it. He says that Hell contains nine circles that are assigned to someone according to their sins. I predict that this book will be incredibly though-provoking and dark at the same time. There are lots of ideas that every one seems to have about Hell, and this may enforce or contradict them.

When someone says the word Hell, most peoples minds shift to an image of red, fiery, wasteland. The title, Dante's Inferno, would suggest that the book may hold true to this image. Perhaps it is because of this book that society imagines Hell like this. The nine circles are: limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud, treachery. These nine "sins" or "crimes" are clearly bad things, yet Dante chose them as the worst of any.

Emptiness Post #21

    As a religious man, I hear about Hell and how to stay out of it often, however I do believe it is possible to look at it from purely an educational standpoint. "Go to Hell!"is a phrase heard often that is always of derogatory use. Therefore, as a people, Hell is never thought of as pleasant. When someone says Hell, my mind pictures a fiery red wasteland with nothing but emptiness and horrifying looking creatures. When I think about how you get into Hell, I think of the crimes that put people in jail and destroy relationships/families. Once in Hell, it is impossible for me to fathom the system. Such as can you get out? Or maybe what determines  your place in it? Like all ideas of what happens after death, Hell can't be proven on earth and will always remain a burning question to humanity.

1.) What do you have to do to get into your Hell?
   As I stated earlier, I have ideas of what it takes to enter Hell according to my religion, however for the purpose of education I will not use those. In my "non-religious Hell," people are condemned to it for not only obvious reasons (murder, adultery, etc.), but also for more specific reasons. For example, I cannot stand when people lie. Not only about important stuff, but the little things. If someone is lying to me, I usually can tell and it makes my trust in that person drop significantly. A person who lies constantly for their own benefit or just for fun earns a spot in my version of Hell. Another huge character flaw I have a problem with is people who are very two-sided. As in a different person at home then they are at school. Just like lying, it makes me think this person is very untrustworthy.

2.) What are the punishments?
    The consequences of my version of Hell would include primarily mental torture/discomfort. Especially for a sin like lying. Someone who lies constantly may face punishment like becoming mute and listening to people constantly complain and whine. That may seem mild, but I'm sure it would make one go crazy easily. Physical punishments could include extreme cold or heat. There is not many things that make someone more uncomfortable than very hot or cold places. Physical pain usually ends quickly, mental agony does not.

3.) What does your Hell look like?
 My hell would not be fiery and red, rather completely empty with not a thing in sight. I imagine an infinite space of emptiness. It wouldn't be white, or clear, or black. Just nothingness. So empty it cannot be imagined by humans, only experienced. In this case, the victim can only hear things. Such as the people complaining or crying in pain. I once read an article about how the officers at POW camps would play mixtures of crying, screaming, and violent sounds to torture their prisoners. I imagine something like this but experienced in nothingness.

4.) Can anyone escape?
   In my Hell, redemption is possible; but only to a select few. If a condemned person wants redemption, they must find someone to trade places with them. If they can find another human who's sins were "worse" than theirs, they can swap places. This puts them back on Earth with a chance to redeem themselves, not right into a happier afterlife.That is the only way someone can escape my version of Hell.

5.) What symbol represents your Hell?
A symbol that could represent my Hell is a ladder missing rungs on the top half. This symbolizes hell because it shows how it's much easier to enter then it is to escape. Imagine climbing down a ladder into a hole only to realize that every time you step down a rung disappears. That is how I imagine people would feel inside my Hell. Another symbol could be bucket with a hole in it for the same reason. Easy to fill up, but impossible to keep full.

6.) Who would be in your Hell?
As I stated earlier, people who lie constantly would make up the majority of my Hell. Obvious choices would be people like Hitler or Stalin who lied to entire populations to get their way. I also think people who commit suicide deserve a place in my Hell. This includes accidental suicides form drugs. This may be to soon, but I think people like Phillip Seymour Hoffman would be in my Hell. Another famous liar is Charles Ponzi, who created a system that harms people all over the world. Those are a few examples of who would be in my version of Hell.

Recognition 2-10-14

The past week or so, the class finished our posters and turned in our essays. For my essay assignment, I wrote about Hubris. Hubris is the main character flaw and pride that effects the hero in the story. In the movie Into the Wild, Alex Supertramp's pride leads him to leave society and live on his own. In Sophocles Oedipus Rex, Oedipus ignores all signs of danger and truth because his arrogance is so high. Both characters come to their ends because of this flaw. I think that pride is not only something that characters in literature and film struggle with, but rather all humans. One part of pride that I notice myself doing is not wanting to ask for help. I like to feel like I know everything, but I don't. However, I also believe that being called out on a flaw like this is important, as one cannot learn if they do not know what they are doing wrong.

Supertramp and Oedipus come to recognize their flaw, but much to late. Generally, recognition cannot come without someone else pointing it out or the tragedy has already happened. For Oedipus, he didn't realize that he had killed his father and married his mother until it was to late to do anything about it. However if he had seen the signs, he could have avoided the extreme pain and guilt he then suffered. Supertramp left his wealthy family and high place in society to live in nature by himself, only to realize that Mother Nature is just as cruel. He consumed poison berries that killed him, ignorant to their danger. In conclusion, pride is a serious character flaw that can have huge negative effects on someones life, but without someone to guide you towards recognizing it; there is no way to avoid it.

Reflection 2/3/14

This last week we official picked a movie for our tragic hero project and began working on our posters and essays. My groups movie is Into the Wild. It is based on a true story of a man who leaves society to find his goal in life and ends up trapped in the forests of Alaska. For my essay I will be writing on Hamartia/Hubris. Hamartia and Hubris are the parts of tragedy that explain the pride and flaw of the hero. In this case, the main character and hero, Alex, has extreme pride in his abilities to survive in the wild and pushes society out of his life. Alex's downfall is that he believes that society is the killer, yet nature takes it's toll on him. He is so confident that they system of society is flawed that he quits his prestigious college, burns his social security, and leaves his wealthy family. Alex hitchhikes across the country trying to find himself. Perhaps part of his problem was that he was looking to hard to learn lessons. It is very hard to learn a life lesson if you are looking for it. I hope our poster turns out good and my essay will be just as interesting.