Canto XXXIII

Antenora, continued: Ugolino’s account of his death-denunciation of Pisa-Ptolomea: traitors to guests: Brother Alberigo-denunciation of Genoa

By: Abby Hani

Summary: In the previous canto, at the end, Dante sees a sinner biting at another sinners head. The sinner states that on Earth he was Count Ugolino. The man whose head he chewed on was Archbishop Ruggieri. They both lived in Pisa, and the archbishop, who was also a traitor, put Ugolino and his sons in prison. He never gave them food. When the sons died, Ugolino ate the flesh of their corpses. Dante and Virgil then go on to the Third Ring, Ptolomea, which consists of the ones who betrayed their guests. They lie on their backs in the frozen lake, with their faces sticking out of the ice. Once they enter the Third Ring they see Fra Alberigo and Branca d’Oria. What’s different about these souls is that they have not died yet on Earth. Their sins were so bad that their souls entered Hell before they did. On Earth devils watch over their living bodies. After leaving this ring, Virgil and Dante get up to the Fourth Ring of the Ninth Circle of Hell. This is the very bottom of the pit and the last circle of Hell.

Sins/Sinners:

v  Traitors: specifically those who betrayed their guests.

Punishment/Contrapasso:

v  They lie in the lake on their backs with their faces sticking out of the ice forcing people to step on them.

v  This is contrapasso because the sinners walked away from their guests (betrayel) so their eternal punishment is for people to walk away from them when in need of help.

Character List:

1.      Count Ugolino: Count Ugolino della Gherardesca found himself in Antenora because he betrayed Pisa and her political leadership.

2.      Fra Alberigo: one of the Guelph family members of Faenza. He was a Jovial Friar, a religious order established with the goal of making peace but soon knowned for decadence and corruption.

Higher Order ?’s:

1.      What do you think the point is of sending a sinners soul to Hell before their actual bodies arrive?

2.      What do you think is in the Fourth Ring of the Ninth Circle of Hell?

Multiple Choice ?’s:

1.      What circle are Virgil and Dante in now?

A.      8^th

B.      9^th

C.      10^th

D.     12^th

2.      Who are the sinners in the 9^th circle?

A.      Traitors

B.      Stealers

C.      Beggers

D.     Baggers

3.      Who chews on Archbishops head?

A.      God

B.      Satan

C.      Ugolino

D.     Abby

4.      Where did the count live?

A.      France

B.      Limbo

C.      Florence

D.     Pisa

5.      Did the archbishop live there too?

A.      Yes

B.      No

6.      What are the sinners lying in, in this circle?

A.      Poop

B.      A frozen lake

C.      A pile of dirt

D.     A pool

7.      What is the Third Ring called?

A.      Ptolomea

B.      Gibberish

C.      Moose

D.     Antenora

8.      What is one of the soul’s names whose body is still on earth?

A.      Fra Alberigo

B.      Branca d’Oria

C.      Both A and B

D.     Tom Gavin

9.      How many rings are there in the ninth circle?

A.      3

B.      2

C.      4

D.     1

10.  Dante and Virgil are coming to the bottom of the pit?

A.      True

B.      False

                    

Works Cited:

http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/circle9.html#ugolino

http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/inferno/section12.rhtml

Dante’s Inferno

By: Abby Hani

Canto 25

“Seventh bolgia, continued: Cacus-more metamorphoses-Agnello,

Pucci Sciancato”

Summary: “Take them, God, I’m aiming at you!” states the thief. Canto 25 starts off the chapter with this quote stated by Vanni Fucci because it shows why he was punished in this Canto. Vanni flicks God off in anger of Dante seeing him in such a horrible level of Hell. He is ashamed of himself and knows that Dante would be ashamed too so he tries to hurt his feelings by informing Dante of the Blacks winning over in Florence. After Vanni sticks his middle finger up at God, immediately serpents choke him and tie his hands and arms together so he cannot move. Vanni flees away and is captured by a centaur named Cacus who was known for his thievery (stole the great herd). Moving along through the pit, Virgil and Dante see three souls below them. One was a giant, six-footed serpent who wrapped himself around one of the souls. The serpents’ form merges with the souls thus, resulting in the serpent and soul becoming a single creature. Another creature bites another soul in the belly. The soul and the lizard stare at each other as the lizard starts to look like a man and the man starts to look like the lizard. Soon they have completely reversed bodies.

Sins: Since canto 25 is the Seventh pouch continued, the sinners in this canto are Thieves. One in particular that was mentioned was Vanni Fucci. He was put into this level of Hell because he robbed a sacristy; “an apartment in a building connected with a church or a religious house, in which the sacred vessels, vestments, etc., are kept.”

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sacristy

Another thief mentioned was Cacus who “fraudulently stole the great heard he found.”

Characters:

Ø Vanni Fucci: a sinner who is tormented by sperpents by getting bit continuously and turning into ashes then regaining form again. He is also a Tuscan from Florence and knows Dante.

Ø Cacus: a centaur who lives in the Seventh bolgia. He is the one who captures Fucci after he flicked God off. Cacus also did his share of thievery in the past.

                                                   

Higher Order ?’s:

1.     Why do you think Vanni Fucci flicked God off?

2.     What’s the purpose of the lizard changing the soul into a lizard and the lizard changing into a soul?

Multiple Choice:

1.     Why is Vanni Fucci ashamed of himself?

§  Because his sin is shameful

§  He knew Dante

§  First and second choice

2.     What does the thief do in the very beginning of the chapter?

§  Flicks God off

§  Gives Dante a hug

§  Does the hokey pokey

3.     What happened to Fucci after he flicked God off?

§  He was praised and everyone bowed down to him

§  He was captured by a centaur

§  He died

4.     What is the centaur’s name?

§  Bob

§  Billy Bob

§  Cacus

5.     What is Cacus’ sin?

§  He was also a thief

§  He worked at Taco Bell

§  Murdered his brother

6.     What was the creature that was mentioned who turned into a soul?

§  Dog

§  Lizard

§  Cat

7.     Where did the soul get bitten?

§  On the butt

§  On the face

§  On the belly

8.     Who are the sinners in the Seventh bolgia?

§  Thieves

§  Plunderers

§  Both first and second choice

9.     Does Dante cry in this canto?

§  Yes

§  No

10.                         What word does the book use to describe Vanni’s gesture of flicking God off?

§  Fig

§  Flicking

§  Middle finger up

Citations:

ü http://www.novelguide.com/TheInferno/summaries/Canto24-25.html

ü http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/inferno/section10.rhtml

Inferno

Canto XIII

By: Abby Hani

SUMMARY

Virgil and Dante enter the second ring of the Seventh Circle of Hell. The Centaur lead them towards a weird forest filled with trees. Once they got their Dante hears someone crying, but can not see anyone. Virgil then tells Dante to break off a twig from one of the trees; immediately blood starts to drip from the twig and someone is crying out to Dante asking why he is torturing him. The sinners here are the Suicides and Spendthrifts. These souls are those who were violent against themselves. Virgil tells the one who was crying out to tell Dante his story. His name is Pier delle Vigne and he used to be an advisor to an emperor but then other people started rumors about him and he was so ashamed that he took his life away. Virgil tells Dante how the ones who have taken their lives become thorn trees, and at the Last Judgment they will not enter their bodies. Instead each dead body will be hung on a tree. Then all of a sudden comes two of those sinners who were punished for throwing away all their goods and destroying their lives, while getting torn apart by vicious dogs.

SINS/SINNERS

This canto consists of sinners who commit suicide and were violent against themselves or their possessions. They are the Sinners and Squanderers. Of these sinners is one we meet in Canto XII who killed himself because of rumors that were started about him. His name was Pier delle Vigne. Other sinners that were mentioned were two men who destroyed their lives and threw away their own goods. 

PUNISHMENT/CONTRAPASSO

The punishment for these sinners was that they were turned into poisonous thorns and twigs and once someone breaks the twigs, they feel the pain of their bodies breaking as well. This punishment is to teach them a lesson for what they did to themselves. It was very selfish and God would not condemn it. This is Contrapasso because what they did to themselves on Earth reflects their punishment in Hell.

CHARACTER LIST

Virgilà He is Dante’s favorite poet and Dante makes him his guide because he looks up to him and he has experience with the levels of Hells.

Danteà Dante is the author of the whole story. He places himself in his own story because he is the one taking the journey through Hell.

Pier delle Vigneà He was an advisor to Emperor Frederick; Dante mentions him in this specific level because he demonstrated the sin of that level (suicide).

The Bush (soul)à This soul tells Dante about how Florence is suffering from the new patron, St. John the Baptist. Dante puts him in this level because it shows how the souls in Hell can tell the future.

HIGHER ORDER ?’S

1. Why do you think Virgil tells Pier to tell Dante his story?
2. Why do you think the bush-soul told Dante about the suffering of Florentine?

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1.            What circle of Hell are Dante and Virgil located in during this Canto?

                A. Fifth               B. Seventh               C. Sixth

2. What does the Centaur lead Dante and Virgil to in the very beginning?

                A. a forest               B. a cave               C. a house

3. What does Virgil tell Dante to do with the twig?

                A. eat it               B. play fetch with it               C. break it

4. What happens to the twig once he breaks it?

                A. blood drips out of it               B. someone cries out with pain               C. both a & b

5. What is the name of the voice who cries out once Dante breaks him?

                A. Jacomo da Sant’Andrea               B. Pier delle Vigne               C. St. John the Baptist 

6. What are the sinners called?

                A. Suicides and Squanderers               B. Avaricious and Prodigal               C. Wrathful

7. What are Harpies?

                A. centaurs               B. half women, half bird               C. half man, half cow

8. What kind of animals eat Jacomo da Sant’ Andrea?

                A. vicious dogs               B. bats               C. snakes

9. Who is the new patron in Florence?

                A. Mars               B. a Roman God               C. St. John the Baptist

10. At the end of the canto what did the bush-soul say he did to himself?

                A. killed himself               B. hung himself               C. both a & b  

Casting of C.T.

Casting of Canterbury Tales

   The Doctor: Dr. Gregory House

                In the Canterbury Tales one of the characters going on this journey was a doctor. The doctor was very wise and his specialty was doing surgery and prescribing medicines. He believed that position of planets determined the best time to treat a patient. In my opinion one of the lines used in the prologue sums up who the doctor really is and that is, “He knew, and whether dry, cold, moist, or hot; He knew their seat, their humor, and condition.” I think this line is saying that there was no doctor like him. The celebrity I would compare to the doctor is Dr. Gregory House from the television show “House M.D.” I chose House simply because he is also a doctor. In the show he is described to be a “misanthropic medical genius,” similar to the doctor in the Prologue. They both care about what they do and are very good at.

   The Knight: Taylor Swift

                I have chosen Taylor Swift to be the Knight because of the overall meaning of a knight. No, she is not a man with big muscles and knows how to fight, but Taylor sure is strong mentally like one. In the very beginning of the Prologue for the Knight it says “Truth, honor, generousness, and courtesy…” as one of the lines. These four words describe all of the traits a true knight should have; all of which Taylor has. Taylor Swift is the most genuine celebrity I have ever known. Her integrity and ambition to be a good person is what makes her so strong…especially in the society we live in today and especially being a big time celebrity. Taylor takes so much crap from the world and she has yet to back down from it. Doesn’t that almost sound like a Knight? Someone who fights in war and gets beaten but doesn’t give up and stays strong. In my opinion that’s exactly what Taylor Swift does.

 Prioress/ Nun: Whoopi Goldberg

                For the casting of the Nun I chose Whoopi Goldberg, the Nun. Goldberg played this role in the divine comedy “The Sister Act.” A nun is a religious woman who runs a convent. She is someone very elegant and poise with manners. In the Prologue they describe the nun as “charitably solicitous.” That means she was so eager to do something voluntarily. In the Sister Act that’s what Goldberg would be described as. Granite yes she was pretending to be one but she did pretty good acting like one. She was kind and generous and just so down to earth. All the other nuns loved her. 

Writing Assignment

Writing Assignment

Writing Assignment