SH+2015-16+P4++Dante+Alighieri

__Dante Alighieri__ Alyssa- Aim: What is the author's purpose?

Dante Alighieri, was a writer, political thinker, and a poet who greatly impacted thousands of people across the world. Not only has his work flourished for more than 600 years, but he has also been compared to another great poet such as Shakespeare. All his fame can be traced back to his greatly acclaimed epic poem, The Divine Comedy. As has been said in his biography, “The Divine Comedy is an allegory of human life presented as a visionary trip through the Christian afterlife, written as a warning to a corrupt society to steer itself to the path of righteousness: ‘to remove those living in this life from the state of misery, and lead them to the state of felicity’” (Dante Biography). The poem consists of three Christian realms: heaven, hell, and purgatory. During his exile from Florence, Dante, interprets his political experiences into his work. Primarily Dante’s main directive is to thoroughly convince the readers of the importance for rectitude before it becomes too late. His vivid descriptions of what lies ahead can be quite frightening as it is persuasive. In short, Dante Alighieri used his writing abilities to deliver his message of the importance of reverence to life.

Bibliography "Dante." // Bio // //. A&E Television Networks,// 2015. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.

Mariza, Ozzy. "Why Did Dante Write The Inferno?" // Write a Writing //. 08 Nov. 2011. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.

Ashley - Historical The levels of hell in Inferno, some based on the historical setting/political scene of Florence.

Dante Alighieri grew up around the political history around the 1300’s in Florence that has also influenced what and how he wrote. As explained in a biography,“Dante Alighieri was born in 1265 to a family with a history of involvement in the complex Florentine political scene, and this setting would become a feature in his Inferno years later” (Dante). Dante had been born into a family where there was a lot of political disagreements that took place where he lived. He grew up around a time frame where there was a civil war going on in Florence between the black and white guelphs. Because of the instability of religion in Florence due to political problems, Dante then decided to base his writings, such as Inferno, on the political issues he witnessed. The historical events that took place around Dante impacted his writing. Problems such as the various religious opinions due to political disagreements or political factions allowed Dante to come up with his own opinion and write his own beliefs, which was how he based this setting in his writing. History is very important to Dante Alighieri because he had based his most famous stories on the historical events around.

Bibliography

"Dante." // Bio. // //A&E Television Networks//, 2015. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.

McGinnis, Rachel. "The Tumultuous Relationship Between Dante and the City of Florence." //Literary Traveler//. N.p., 29 Nov. 2007. Web. 27 Aug. 2015.

Emma- Audience: What assumptions does the author have about his or her audience?

Dante Alighieri grew up in Renaissance Florence. During this time, Florence was not peaceful because there were opposing factions that continually battled for dominance. He favored the Emperor instead of the Pope. Because Dante favored the Emperor and was a part of the White Guelphs, he was exiled and he was not able to come back to Florence. As he was wandering from place to place in search of somewhere to settle, Dante began to write the Divine Comedies. Eleanor Hubbard explains “ The Inferno can therefore be read as a piece of propaganda against Dante's enemies, the Pope, the Black Guelphs” (Hubbard). Due to the fact that there was no printing press when he was alive, Dante knew that he was not going to be writing for a big audience. He mainly depended on and hoped that aristocrats would read his writings. Thus, Dante mainly wrote Inferno to please himself by gaining a revenge on his enemies. However, Dante makes the assumption,in Dante's Inferno, that whoever reads his book believes in God, but would ultimately favor the Emperor more. He also presumes that the people who will read his text, are confident in the existence of an afterlife where all of their enemies will end up. Bibliography

Hubbard, Eleanor. "Divine Comedy-I: Inferno Study Guide". //GradeSaver//, 4 July 2000 Web. 27 August 2015.

"Dante Alighieri." // Angel Fire // //.// N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Aug. 2015

Bailey - Cultural: How does the persuasion affect the cultural context of the written text?

In 1317 religion ruled politics, and countries were controlled by the churches; rebellion against could lead to punishments as severe as death. “It was not unusual for people to go to church everyday and pray five times a day. People believed that all the good things in life were due to the bounty of god and that the evil events of the times were due to their sins. Medieval religion was extremely important and even the doctors and physicians of the era were also well versed in religion. From birth to death, whether you were a peasant, a serf, a noble a lord or a King - life was dominated by the church and Medieval religion” (Medieval Religion). However, the Dark Ages were passing, and literacy was becoming more easily accessible. With this came knowledge and people moving away from the church. Dante Alighieri was a man against the church and for knowledge, he tested the churches theories and had revelations that challenged everything religion stood for. Dante had tested the Government before and was exiled from Rome as well as Florentine. However, he pushed his theories and ideas until his death. Though the church preached against Dante’s beliefs, he had strong political powers and never once gave up his opinions.

Bibliography “Bio.Com.” // Bio.com // //. A&E Networks Television//, n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.

“Poets.Org.” // Poets.org //. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.

“The History Of English: Early Modern English.” // The History of English: Early Modern English //. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.

“Medieval Religion.” // Medieval Religion //. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.