Canto XXIV
Climb out of sixth bolgia-seventh bolgia
The thieves-metamorphosis & Vanni Fucci
Summary:
In this canto, Dante and Virgil approach a ruined bridge. There is no way over so they must climb the rocks to get around. Again, Virgil displays motherly protection over Dante by helping him up onto each rock and telling him to be careful. By the time they get over the rocks, Dante is exhausted and winded. He sits down to rest and Virgil yells at him. He tells Dante that no one ever gained fame from sitting on a rock. Dante then stands up and acts like he has pulled himself together, even though he is actually still tired.
They continue on and Dante hears a voice from the bolgia below. He asks Virgil if they can stop to find out who the sinners are and what their punishment is. Virgil grants his wish to stop and they do. They soon find out that the people below are bound with serpents, meaning that their hands are tied behind their back with snakes. Dante speaks with one of the sinners, who identifies himself as Vanni Fucci. He admits his shame in his sin and tells the traveling pair that he was a thief. Vanni Fucci goes on to talk about Florence and the Black and White Guelphs.
-Sin:
The sin that the souls found in the seventh bolgia in the eighth circle of Hell have committed is thievery.
-Punishment:
The punishment these sinners receive is to have their hands bound behind their backs with serpents in place of rope. They are forced to take the shape of the serpents.
-Contrapasso:
The sinners in this canto were thieves. What better punishment than to have someone, who didn’t keep their hands to themselves in life, have their hands bound behind their back in death. Not only are their hands bound, they are bound with serpents. Consider that they are morphing into snakes, which are deceptive by nature. Consider the story of Satan tempting Adam and Eve to steal the fruit.
Important Quote:
“…whoever consumes his life without fame leaves a mark of himself on earth like smoke in the air or foam in water.” (49)
-By this statement, Virgil means to tell Dante that no one ever became anything of substance by sitting on a rock like he was doing after their ascent up the rocks. Virgil wants Dante to push himself so he can make it through this journey and come out of Hell ready to make something of his life and himself.
Characters:
Vanni Fucci- While speaking with Dante, Vanni Fucci predicts the fate of the White Guelphs of Florence. He predicts that all the Black Guelphs will be removed from the city in order to protect them while the White Guelps are destroyed.
Discussion Questions
1. Why do you think snakes are used to bind the sinners hands behind their backs?
2. What is the significance of Vanni Fucci telling Dante about the prophecy of the White Guelphs?
Reading Questions
1. Which bolgia are we in?
A. ninth
B. tenth
C. sixth
D. seventh
2. Which level of Hell are we in?
A. ninth
B. tenth
C. sixth
D. eighth
3. Which level of Hell are we in?
A. ninth
B. tenth
C. eighth
D. seventh
4. What is the name of the soul Dante & Virgil meet in this canto?
A. Vanni Pucci
B. Panni Vucci
C. Fanni Vucci
D. Vanni Fucci
5. What animal does the sinner from this canto compare himself to?
A. mule
B. rabbit
C. elephant
D. leopard
6. What sin are the souls in Hell for?
A. lust
B. stealing
C. fraud
D. suicide
7. What animal is involved in their punishment?
A. mule
B. snakes
C. sharks
D. flies
8. Why do Dante and Virgil have to climb the rocks?
A. the bridge is broken
B. the devils are blocking the bridge
C. that was the only way over in the first place
9. Why does Virgil tell Dante to get up off the rock?
A The devils are coming after them
B he doesn’t want him to fall off
C he wants him to push on and make something of himself
D he is in his way
10. What does the sinner foresee?
A that Florence will collapse
B the Black Guelphs will take over
C the White Guelphs will take over
D the Gibbilines will take over
Monday, December 17, 2012
Canto Guide #2: Canto 16
Canto
16
Canto Summary
In this
canto, Dante and Virgil are between levels. They are not out of level
seven yet, but they are not quite into level eight. They are
approached by three souls that come running up to them from the sand.
They recognize Dante as someone that might be from Florence just by
looking at his clothes. The souls were also from Florence. After they
introduce themselves to Dante, he wishes he could throw himself on
the fire just to embrace them & show them pity but he knows he
can’t or he will be scorched to death. The three men turn out to be
poets that Dante had admired. He tells them that he loves their work
and has read it many times. The souls acknowledge that Dante has been
given a chance to preview Hell and fix his life in order not to end
up there. They tell him to take every opportunity he gets to give to
others so when he ends up in aven, he can be proud of himself when he
was alive. After the souls leave them, Dante and Virgil continue on.
They come across roaring waters so loud they can hardly head each
other speak. Dante has a cord tied around him but on Virgil's
command, he unties it and gives it to him. He had briefly
contemplated capturing the leopard with it. The leopard that
represents lust from the first canto comes back into play at this
moment. Virgil then throws the rope, knotted into a capturing device,
into a pit and waits for something to be caught. Virgil warns Dante
that his inner thoughts are about to be drawn out of the pit.
Characters
-Guido Guerra- “in
his life accomplished much with the wisdom and sword” (38)
-Tegghiaio Aldobrandi-
“whose words should have been more pleasing in the world above”
(40)
-Iacopo Rusticucci-
one of the three souls
*There is no
contrapasso for this canto*
Thinking
Questions
- What is significant about the three souls dancing in a circle around Dante and Virgil?
What
could Dante be expecting to come out of the pit Virgil baits?
Multiple Choice Reading Questions
Who was not one of the
souls that approached Dante?
a. Iacopo Rusticucci
b. Tegghiaio Aldobrandi
c. Guido Guerra
d. Tegghiaio Rusticucci
What animal is brought
back from the first canto?
a. she wolf
b. three headed dog
c. leopard
d. lion
Where are the three souls
that approach Dante and Virgil from?
a. Sicily
b. Venice
d. Florence
Which sin did the souls
commit based on where the travelers find them?
a. violence against god
b. violence against
nature
c. violence against
neighbor
d. anger
What is implied when “step
with your living feet” is said?
a. To feel the pain of
human skin on hot sand
b. To have weight
c. To walk
Canto Guide #1: Canto 3
Canto 3
Hell Gate
Summary: As Dante and Virgil approach the outer gate of Hell, he reads a sign above the gate that makes it out to be a person. It is saying “I am the way into Hell” pretty much. It is written in dark color to represent the negative connotation of the statement above the gate. As the pair carry on, they come across the sinners of the level. Dante asks Virgil what they have done to deserve their fate. He explains and they move on. (See; Sin and Punishment sections)
Sin:
The people Dante comes across moaning and goraning are suffering due to their lack of infamy and praise in their lifetime. They have “lost the good of the intellect” (Dante, 17). These people were not faithful to God but, instead were selfish and only worried about themselves.
Punishment: The individuals guilty of this particular sin have no hope of death and the world has completely disregarded them. They do not exist to the world and they are known as cowards. These sinners are naked because they have never lived and are irritated by flies and wasps. The stings from the insects ooze blood that mixes with their tears as they walk on worms.
Characters:
- Charon the Demon: he has eyes that glow like coals, he gathers in all the people condemned to that level of Hell.
Discussion Questions:
1.) Why is the punishment that the sinners recieve in this level appropriate for their sins?
2.) What is significant about the quote over the gate?
Reading Check Questions
1.) What is the sin that these individuals are guilty of?
a. laziness
b. not believing in God
c.selfishness
d. B and C
2.) What is their punishment?
a. to walk on worms for eternity
b. to be stung by wasps
c. to be deemed a coward
d. all of the above
3.) What symbol was used to represent the connotation of the
sign over the gate into Hell?
a. fear
b. worms
c. darkness
d. color
4.) What does “the good of the intellect” mean?
a. to be intellegent
b. to be a good person
c. to teach people
d. the vision of God
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Life As We Knew It Journal Prompt 1
Tenuta, Nicole
English IV
Morrell
December 5, 2012
At the very end of the novel, Miranda displays a very selfless act, much different than how she has acted previously in the story. In situations like the chocolate chip incident, Miranda was being terribly selfish. At this point, she has matured and realized the reality of her family’s situation. Miranda decides to venture out into the blistering cold and make her way into town in search of food for her starving family. She completely disregards her own saftey with means to save her loved ones. By putting her life at risk, she is even essentially doing her family a favor. She is sparing them the pain of watching her die.
Miranda even says in the novel that she does not want her mother to see her die. She feels that it would be better if she were to just leave and never come back so no one would know what really happened, even though it would be obvious she had died on her journey. However, there would always be hope that maybe, by some chance, she could have lived and she is still out there. I guess Miranda feels like that is a better way to go than in the same room as her family. A mother shouldn’t see her own child die.
I think this was a selfless act on Mirandas part in two ways. The fact that she would rather face the freezing storm and die alone that have her family see her die is very selfless. Also, the main reason she left the house in the first place, she is risking her life to go find food for her starving family, no matter how weak she is from malnutrition. She is giving her life in attempt to save her family. She also realizes, they are going to die either way, if she makes the trip or not, there will still be no food and they will starve to death.
I think it is very big of Miranda to say “I’ll be the one to let myself die just so you all can have a slight chance of surviving.” We, of course, come to find out later that she makes it and does, in fact, save her family. Regardless, it is a very noble thing to do. To get up and leave the comfort and warmth of the fire, to journey out into the cold snow on a possibly hopeless mission, Miranda showed her selflessness. She knew it could have been the last time she ever saw her family or the last time they ever saw her and she didn’t shed a tear. She knew it was for the good of the family to have a possibility for food and to not see their beloved sister and daughter die in front of them.
I think the entire novel leading up to this particular event was a learning experience for Miranda to realize that there are bigger things in life than yourself.
English IV
Morrell
December 5, 2012
Life As We Knew It
Journal
At the very end of the novel, Miranda displays a very selfless act, much different than how she has acted previously in the story. In situations like the chocolate chip incident, Miranda was being terribly selfish. At this point, she has matured and realized the reality of her family’s situation. Miranda decides to venture out into the blistering cold and make her way into town in search of food for her starving family. She completely disregards her own saftey with means to save her loved ones. By putting her life at risk, she is even essentially doing her family a favor. She is sparing them the pain of watching her die.
Miranda even says in the novel that she does not want her mother to see her die. She feels that it would be better if she were to just leave and never come back so no one would know what really happened, even though it would be obvious she had died on her journey. However, there would always be hope that maybe, by some chance, she could have lived and she is still out there. I guess Miranda feels like that is a better way to go than in the same room as her family. A mother shouldn’t see her own child die.
I think this was a selfless act on Mirandas part in two ways. The fact that she would rather face the freezing storm and die alone that have her family see her die is very selfless. Also, the main reason she left the house in the first place, she is risking her life to go find food for her starving family, no matter how weak she is from malnutrition. She is giving her life in attempt to save her family. She also realizes, they are going to die either way, if she makes the trip or not, there will still be no food and they will starve to death.
I think it is very big of Miranda to say “I’ll be the one to let myself die just so you all can have a slight chance of surviving.” We, of course, come to find out later that she makes it and does, in fact, save her family. Regardless, it is a very noble thing to do. To get up and leave the comfort and warmth of the fire, to journey out into the cold snow on a possibly hopeless mission, Miranda showed her selflessness. She knew it could have been the last time she ever saw her family or the last time they ever saw her and she didn’t shed a tear. She knew it was for the good of the family to have a possibility for food and to not see their beloved sister and daughter die in front of them.
I think the entire novel leading up to this particular event was a learning experience for Miranda to realize that there are bigger things in life than yourself.
Life As We Knew It Journal Prompt 2
Tenuta, Nicole
English IV
Morrell
December 5, 2012
In Life As We Knew It the main character, Miranda, starts off as a normal high school girl that does not really consider herself much different from the other kids at school. However, after the event, I feel like Miranda starts to doubt herself. Throughout the novel she constantly compares herself to her brother, Matt, and doubts her ability to do things as well or efficient as him. It is almost as if she thinks she is not good enough to help her family through these tough times or even survive herself.
She aslo thinks of her old friends often. Even if she is not directly comparing herself to them, she is still acknowledging their different ways of life. Her friend Samantha, who ends up running off with a forty-year-old man to Nashville, has always been the type of girl who is always surrounded by guys. Miranda did not judge her, but again we found her comparing her own lifestyle with that of her friend Samantha’s. It is not to say that she wanted to be like Samantha but only recognized that that was not the way she would want to live herself.
Miranda’s other close friend, Megan, was your typical “holy-roller”. Miranda took well into account however that Megan had not always been that way. I think she let Megan’s strong belief in religion get to her a little even if she never wanted to admit it. At parts in the novel you find Miranda pondering the idea of heaven and God due to encounters with Megan. There was a subtle hint of guilt in her attitude at these times. Maybe she was guilty that she had eaten the entire bag of chocolate chips that were to be saved for Matt’s birthday or that she was hardly grateful to be alive after a tradgedy like the one that had occured. I think after being influenced by Megan just a little bit, she felt like she was letting down God, even if she did not believe in him.
Extreme panic hits when Miranda is left the only healthy member of her family when everyone else comes down with the flu. The frigid cold outside only makes everything worse for our sick family of four, minus Miranda. It is now clearly up to her to care for her mother and two brothers while they push through their illness, if they even make it through, that is. Matt is no longer able to chop wood for the fire or do anything else for that matter. Miranda and the family have relied on Matt’s strength throughout the entire novel up to this point so it is clear why is immobility is catastrophic.
It is now Miranda’s responsibility to care for the sick family but things only get worse for her when the sunroom they have all been sleeping in rapidly fills with a thick, dark smoke from the wood stove. She quickly drags everyone and their mattresses into the kitchen to save their lungs from suffocating in the harsh fumes. At this point, I think Miranda has realized that she is, in fact, able to do things for herself and her family. She no longer depends on Matt or her mother to take care of her. She has a purpose bigger than just keeping herself alive. She is now responsible for the lives of her family and if that’s not a wake up call to how strong you really are, I’m not sure what is.
English IV
Morrell
December 5, 2012
Life As We Knew
It Journal
In Life As We Knew It the main character, Miranda, starts off as a normal high school girl that does not really consider herself much different from the other kids at school. However, after the event, I feel like Miranda starts to doubt herself. Throughout the novel she constantly compares herself to her brother, Matt, and doubts her ability to do things as well or efficient as him. It is almost as if she thinks she is not good enough to help her family through these tough times or even survive herself.
She aslo thinks of her old friends often. Even if she is not directly comparing herself to them, she is still acknowledging their different ways of life. Her friend Samantha, who ends up running off with a forty-year-old man to Nashville, has always been the type of girl who is always surrounded by guys. Miranda did not judge her, but again we found her comparing her own lifestyle with that of her friend Samantha’s. It is not to say that she wanted to be like Samantha but only recognized that that was not the way she would want to live herself.
Miranda’s other close friend, Megan, was your typical “holy-roller”. Miranda took well into account however that Megan had not always been that way. I think she let Megan’s strong belief in religion get to her a little even if she never wanted to admit it. At parts in the novel you find Miranda pondering the idea of heaven and God due to encounters with Megan. There was a subtle hint of guilt in her attitude at these times. Maybe she was guilty that she had eaten the entire bag of chocolate chips that were to be saved for Matt’s birthday or that she was hardly grateful to be alive after a tradgedy like the one that had occured. I think after being influenced by Megan just a little bit, she felt like she was letting down God, even if she did not believe in him.
Extreme panic hits when Miranda is left the only healthy member of her family when everyone else comes down with the flu. The frigid cold outside only makes everything worse for our sick family of four, minus Miranda. It is now clearly up to her to care for her mother and two brothers while they push through their illness, if they even make it through, that is. Matt is no longer able to chop wood for the fire or do anything else for that matter. Miranda and the family have relied on Matt’s strength throughout the entire novel up to this point so it is clear why is immobility is catastrophic.
It is now Miranda’s responsibility to care for the sick family but things only get worse for her when the sunroom they have all been sleeping in rapidly fills with a thick, dark smoke from the wood stove. She quickly drags everyone and their mattresses into the kitchen to save their lungs from suffocating in the harsh fumes. At this point, I think Miranda has realized that she is, in fact, able to do things for herself and her family. She no longer depends on Matt or her mother to take care of her. She has a purpose bigger than just keeping herself alive. She is now responsible for the lives of her family and if that’s not a wake up call to how strong you really are, I’m not sure what is.
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