Dante Alighieri constructs his version of hell using the concept of “symbolic retribution,” or a punishment that symbolizes the crime committed. In this essay, fully discuss Dante’s use of symbolic retribution and what it might tell us about his religious and/or moral beliefs. Use three specific examples from the Inferno of characters who are punished under Dante’s system. Be sure to explain their crime and how their punishment, according to Dante, symbolically fits it. This portion of the paper should use at least two outside sources (in addition to the primary text). Then, apply Dante’s concept of “symbolic retribution” to a contemporary hell-scape. If Dante were writing this poem today, what new character(s) might he have added? What is the crime and what kind of punishment would fit under the rules of symbolic retribution? Like in Dante’s work, your “character” should be a real, historical figure.
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1001/1001-h/1001-h.htm
The moral crimes and failings attributed to them should correspond to what is ascribed to that person in real life. The punishment of these crimes should ingeniously fit the crimes, in much the same manner as Dante achieves in the Inferno.
Remember that you do not have to address these prompts in the order they are given. You must decide the organization of your essay and should consider how you might interweave these discussions.
Imagine that your audience is already familiar with the works you are discussing. A lengthy summary is not needed. If you provide any summary of a text, it should be no more than 1⁄2 a page.
Be sure to refer specifically to Inferno and cite specific passages from it (this means you must specifically cite lines/pages/passages from the work).
Always discuss quoted material. Tell your reader what the quoted passages mean to you and explain how they support your argument. You should aim to have no less than five citations from each work, if not more.
You are required to use at least two outside sources (in addition to the primary texts) for this paper. Introduce scholars being referenced and be sure to cite both paraphrased and directly quoted material. Again, discuss any quoted material explaining what it means to you and how it supports your own ideas/analysis.
Research should come from scholarly sources such as published books and journal articles in the library databases. No websites may be used unless I have approved the source in advance. Reference materials (dictionaries, encyclopedias, Wikipediaes) are not college-level sources and should be avoided. I am here to assist you if you cannot locate appropriate sources. Please note that ALL papers in this course require academic research and writing. A paper submission that does not contain research cannot earn a grade higher than a D.
All submissions should be original to the author and submitted for the first time for this course (if you want to submit a paper – or portions of a paper – that you have previously submitted in another course, please consult me first).
USE OF GENERATIVE AI (Chatbot, ChatGPT, Bard, etc.): Please see my statement on the Responsible Use of AI in the Course Information Module. Please note that the use of all generative AI must be cited. For information on how to cite this tool, please see the following: https://style.mla.org/citing-generative-ai/Links to an external site..
There are writing tips and information on how to use Chipola’s library databases in the Course Information Module on Canvas. You should also use Chipola’s research guides as needed: http://chipola.libguides.com/Links to an external site..
Total word minimum: 1000 words
Grading criteria: To receive the full possible points, papers must:
meet the word minimum.
be on topic.
be written thoughtfully and carefully crafted.
be your own original analysis.
provide details examples and references to the primary text(s).
incorporate appropriately cited scholarly research to support your own ideas.
Well-written essays enable a reader to understand the writer’s intended meaning. Effective writing is focused on the topic; has an organizational pattern (“arrangement of argument”) that enables the reader to follow the flow of ideas; contains supporting ideas developed through the use of details, examples, source references, and vivid language; includes a variety of sentence structures; and follows the grammatical conventions of punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and standard American English.
Be sure to cite all outside sources you use using MLA formatting and including page numbers. Make sure that your work includes BOTH in-text citations and a Works Cited page. MLA Guidelines: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_style_introduction.htmlLinks to an external site.