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Creating
your own “Inferno”
MYTHOLOGY
INTRODUCTION:
For this assignment, I am asking you to reflect on your own value
system. It does not matter whether or not you believe in an actual place of punishment, simply assume that such a place
exists. What does matter is that you think long and hard about the nature of
sin, and how certain evils should be punished.
HISTORY:
In Florence, Italy,
around 1300, lived a man who began questioning his own value system. Dante
Alighier was then 35 years old. What did he really believe? What seemed to him
truly good, truly evil? He pondered, examined his conscience, and then pondered
some more, and finally sat down and wrote the “Divine Comedy,” one of the
finest poems in world literature.
The first part of the Divine Comedy
is called “The Inferno.” Dante finds himself traveling through nine circles of
hell, watching with horror the sinners assigned to each circle. It is a graded
underworld, with the lesser sins punished near the top, and the greater ones
punished at the bottom of the pit. As with most Europeans in the year 1300,
Dante was a Roman Catholic, but his hell reflected his value system, not that
of the church. That is exactly what you
are being asked to do for this assignment; create
your own underworld, where you consider what is “good” and what is “evil, and
assign appropriate punishments based on the sins.” As we discuss Dante’s
hell, notice that the sinners are assigned symbolic punishments which
appropriately match each crime, and that several aspects are connected to the
Greek underworld.
ASSIGNMENT: Living in the 21st
century, you may disagree with Dante’s value system. You may not consider
gluttony a sin. You may be unconcerned with anger or blasphemy against faith,
but for your creation of hell you may want to include other sinners, such as
those guilty of prejudice, of selling drugs to the young, or hypocrisy, even possibly
leading nations to war, etc.
It is time to explore your value
system. Who will occupy your first circle, your fifth, your seventh? What evil
in your eyes is the worst? Think carefully and well, as you will also devise
suitable punishments, just as Dante has done, and make relevant connections to
Hades.
1.
You
will develop an underworld with SEVEN
sins. Please do not use the “seven deadly sins,” as those belong to
non-denominational Christianity. Choose sins that reflect who you are as a
person.
2.
Your
underworld needs to be organized in a written and a visual format. The written format needs to be modeled after the following examples. Within
your written response you must include the following:
a. You need to identify the sin,
b. Explain why you have included it within your “Inferno.”
c. Identify the
punishment, with underlined text/bold,
and include an explanation as to why it is symbolic of the crime, and this
should be written in italicized type.
d. Five references to Hades must be included
within your underworld. Just as Dante
connected references to Hades within the “Inferno.” An explanation as to
why you connected that part of the Greek underworld to your hell, must be
included within your explanation. (see example #2)
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EXAMPLE
#1 : “Wesley’s Wells of Woes”
Circle
1: Pessimists: The
sinners at the top of my well are those that never seem happy; they are
constantly saturnine. They moan and complain about tasks that are a part of
life and simply must be completed. I have included them within my “well of
woes,” because I feel they “infect” their “sin” upon other people without
considering the effect. Punishment: These
sinners will be required to make lemonade for eternity. This
punishment fits the crime. The pessimists were unable to find anything
positive about their existence; consequently, they will be required to take
lemons, which are sour and bitter, as they chose to be while alive, into
lemonade, which is sweet and refreshing. The paper cuts are symbolic of the
many times they moans or were negative about living, now while they make
lemonade, they will be reminded of their sour and painful attitudes.
EXAMPLE
#2”
Circle
1: Complaining:
The sin at the top of my inferno is that of complaining. I feel so frustrated
with people who choose to moan about anything, just because they think a job
is hard. Rather than finding the benefit from completing a responsibility,
they waste energy complaining. They also have a tendency to “pollute” others
with their “poison.” Punishment: My
punishment comes from the fact that pessimists are like bacteria, and they
cause decay among others. For every time they complained, a scratch will
appear on their skin, which will in turn grow into a bacteria infested wound.
The odor will increase, causing individuals to move away from them, and
eventually they will realize that their complaining was like a wound. I
have given this part of my underworld the Greek name of IXION, because his
burnt flesh is so similar to those “infected with pessimism. He will
constantly “reek of rape,” just as those who complain will smell of
negativity, due to the rotting flesh.
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3.
Your
underworld needs to be TYPED, SINGLE SPACED, with double spacing between each
explanation. You may use first person pronouns and passive voice for this
assignment. Please focus on STRONG WORD CHOICES!
4.
Each
punishment must symbolically match the sin/crime. You CANNOT punish the sin with the sin! In addition, please avoid
sadistic punishments!
5.
The
visual concept of your “inferno” is entirely up to you. Extra-credit will be
assigned if a three-dimensional visual
is created, and if the artwork
included on the visual is ORIGINAL! The following requirements are compulsory:
a.
Each
circle must be labeled as to the sin it
represents.
b. Your art work, or that of others, must be included to illustrate either the sin or the punishment.
c.
The sin and punishment must appear
on the visual.
The explanation as to why the punishment is symbolic is not required on the
visual, but you are welcome to include it if you wish.
Work
days/_______________________________________________________
Due
Date: _______________________________- (written
portion and visual representation)
Check-off List:
_______
1. Seven sins listed from least to worst in severity.
________2.
Sins and why you characterize the action as such.
________3. A punishment that is suitable for each crime.
The punishment must be symbolic. Please no sadistic acts. The punishment for
each sin must be written in bold type
and underlined.
________4.
Five connections to the Greek underworld, and an explanation as to WHY you felt
they were appropriate to use for certain sins.
________5.
Work is typed, single spaced, Times New Roman print, and double spaced between
each explanation.
________6.
Diagram portion of your underworld should contain a brief written explanation
of each sin and the punishment you assigned to it.
_________7.
Images that you created, or borrowed from another individual, that illustrate
the sin, punishment, or both.
_________8.
WORKS CITED page if you used
illustrations from a book, magazine, or from the internet.
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