Song of Solomon response:

So far, I have enjoyed reading this book which is unusual for me because i most of the time do not enjoy reading school required stuff. i definitely still have some questions at this point, but I think I will hold off on those till i have read more and gotten some more insight into the different characters. My lasing impressions so far, is that its kinda hard to believe anything anyone says. Ruth has her side of what happens, Macon has his side, and while they do have some blending points, they parts that matter are the parts that differ the most for both of them. my favorite character at this point is tied at the moment, I know its bad that I like Macon Sr, and I don't like him because of the way he treats people, hitting your wife is bad. I appreciate where he is coming from because he had to deal with some pretty harsh stuff, is father being killed, and growing up on his own basically. That can do a lot to a person, like make them cold and emotionally unattached. I don't excuse what Macon does, but there is a reason for I believe and I think that has to be taken into account before we can pass judgment on him as a person. That's just my personal take on him. I also like Guitar as well, just because he contrasts Milkman so well. Guitar has a purpose, which he believes is greater than himself, Im not saying that what he does is good, or right in any sense of the word, but he had a calling. You can even come close to saying the same thing for Milkman. I mean honestly what the hell is he motivated by? I can not think of a damn thing, other than being a naive, spoiled, unaware, overprotected punk kid who has not grown up even those he's in his late twenties. I know that his is purpose in the book, but I just really don't like him at the moment. I dislike him even more than Ruth who has so many weird issues going on with her. her daddy issues are huge, and i really dislike the way she provokes Macon just so he loses control. Which is smart, but also very self-destructive and i guess that's kind of the point of it.

The End, Cantos XXXIV.

And following its path, We took no care
To rest, but climbed: he first, then I-so far,
Through a round aperture I saw appear

Some of the beautiful things that Heaven bears,
Where we came fourth, and once more saw the stars.
(lines 136-140)

Thats gross, number one. Thats just gross. They climbed out of his back hair. That is just weird. okay, and the thing that really threw me off is that God if punishing Satan. I know the whole story and I guess that it makes sense but i also thought of the two as opposing forces. Gos is one bad ass, and the Devil is another. I never thought of it like God is better than the Devil, so he can punish hims as well. I guess my ideas of God and Satan came from Disney and comics. I know that Satan used to be an angle but i always though of him as like bad ass who was on equal footing with God, not his bitch. Thats what my problem is with this last part. I also dont like where they climbed out of it. GROSS. here is some analyisis i looked up so i could figure it out.Here in the Fourth Ring of the Ninth Circle of Hell, at the utter bottom, Dante comes to the end of his hierarchy of sins and thus completes the catalogue of evil that dominates and defines Inferno. Although Inferno explores most explicitly the theme of divine retribution and justice, the poem's unrelenting descriptions, categorizations, and analysis of sin makes human evil its fundamental subject. The positioning of fraud as the worst of sins helps us to define evil: fraud, more than any other crime, acts contrary to God's greatest gift to mankind—love. This makes sense to me now. AWESOME

Why Dante?

I guess people like Dante so much and think He's timeless because of the whole religion thing. To be honest, I know all literary teachers think he is the next best thing since sliced bread, but what did he do? really, besides write a book where he put all the people who screwed with him in hell. That really what he did, I believe that the timeless piece of it comes in with the religion and the mention of so many prominent figures. Everyone wants to know where they go when they die, especially in the 1300's where the church basically ruled over the minds of everyone. If the religious aspect pf Dante was removed, and it was just some guy going through hell, who would care. Not too many people i wager. Dante really just spouted his anger and frustration in the only way he really could, which was through writing. Now, i understand the way he wrote was exceptional and I'm not knocking that. how he wrote it was also extremely inventive for that time period and I'll give him props for that as well. What i fail to understand is the adoration with which the piece is received. That does not really make sense to me. Now, after you factor in the whole religion bit, I completely understand. But i think that is really the only reason that people consider it to be timeless in any sense of the word. people ate it up at the time because of the thinking and circumstance of that particular time. people eat it up now, because its considered a classic by absolutely everyone. That why i think its timeless. For the ideas that it represent, not the way or the quality of the writing.

Cantos XXI-XXIII

And run his fastest after a fleeing thief
The sinner sank below, only to rise
Rump up-But demons under the bridge's shelf

Cried, "Here's no place to show your Sacred Face!
You're not out in the Sericho for a swim!
If you don't want to feel our hooks-like this!-

Then stay beneath the pitch" They struck at him
With over a hundred hooks, and said, "You'll need
To dance in secret here-so grab what scam

You're able to in darkness.........(pg 213, lines 49-55)



So I extended this one a little bit because it seemed kinda dumb to cut off the demons in the middle of their dialogue. I choose this part mostly because it sounds really awful. Like I was thinking about it yesterday, and this hell that Dante has put together would truly be terrible. Think about it, being in a river of boiling pitch........forever. Forever is a really long time, like that is really really long. Not sure how I would deal with that. Another just general question that i have is so, these souls are down in hell right, do they feel pain like people or what? Is the deal like they feel pain, but they are already dead so pain that would kill people does not kill them? That just makes the situation even more terrible. okay, on to actual educational stuff. i looked this up on the internet, Cantos XXI and XXII are called the Gargoyle cantos for the reason that the demons who guard the grafters are winged and armed with grappling hooks with which they rip sinners apart who dare rise above the tarry pitch into which they've been shoved. That makes sense as well, The demons are the malebranche, I think. I also found out that malebranche means "evil claws" So yeah, that interesting. Um, lets see here, The one problem that im having know, is keeping all these historical names in my memory. I mean I read it, then I look it up and jot it down, so i have them all but its kinda hard for me to keep them organized in my mind as I am reading. This is a short post, i cant think of anything else. im tired.

Cantos XII-XX

His head and chest from the deep to rest on land
Before us, not drawing his tail up onto the bank.
His face was a just man's face, outwardly kind,

And he was like a serpent all down his trunk.
He had two paws, both hairy to the armpits;
His back and breast and both sides down to the shank. (pg 171, lines 7-12)


I picked these two passages mostly because I like the description of this guy. The one thing that im really enjoying about Dante is the detail that is put into each Canto. It really helps, because the on thing that is awful when reading for school is not enjoying the book that you are reading. What i gather from this passage so far is that this obviously some kind of creature that is coming out of the gloom after Virgil threw the coil of rope into the river. What I'm not qute understanding as of yet, is what exact purpose it serves. I mean i kinda get that it like blocked Virgil and Dante's path. but Not sure what else its supposed to be doing. I looked up Arachne and she was a weaver who screwed with the gods and got turned into a spider. So, that really does not help me to much. And the rest of the page just goes on into Dante learning about the next circle. So, I guess i just picked an insignificant passage or something. I will now reflect on how The Inferno and the fact that they are making a video game out of it and how completely ridiculous that will be. The fact that they are making a video game out of a poem. Given that its a really long poem, that has a pretty cool plot line. but i watched the trailer and you like this warrior dude who fights off demons with a giant scythe that has a skull on the end. That is very silly to me, not sure what geniuses at E.A came up with this brilliant idea. Besides who on earth is the market for a game based on this??????? Seriously. Okay, back to school work. The main thing Ive got to say about the Inferno at this point is its really detailed, Ive been trying to understan how it realtes to the political climate; I get how he has inserted people from the church and fromw those two factions with the G names, what i dont understand at the present is what is he saying as a big picture kinda thing? I guess that might come with the end of the book and finishing it, but I guess like, I understand the Cantos individually but i am a little fuzzy on how to relate them all to each other. Thats my trouble at the moment, I guess i should start taking better notes while im reading. That would probably help with that. Not too sure what else to write about, The video game did not have Virgil in it now that i think about it. That is stupid, he's like almost a main character. Thats a serious screw up, he should at least be like a part of it somehow.

Cantos VI-XII

As I'll explain.By violence, death and wounds
of grievous kinds are inflicted on one's neighbor;
And on his property--arson, ruinous offense,

Extortion. So the first ring is the harbor
Of torment for the homicides and those
Who strike out wrongfully: despoiler, robber,


I'm not exactly sure why I chose these two passages. I would hazard a guess and say that I chose them because they made really logical sense in the context of what I have read so far. The main issue that I have been having with the Inferno so far is that, I really have never been that great at reading poetry. So when a section comes along where it is logically explained to me is very beneficial to my understanding of the text as a whole. The other person who I'm unsure of right now is Virgil, I know he is guiding Dante through Hell, but Im slightly confused on who Dante keeps calling master. Hold on a second, i will look that up now...............Okay, so I was right, Dante is calling Virgil master. That makes things a lot more clear. I think they thing that i like most about the Inferno is that its peotry inits most basic form and its about hell. i think thats cool, all the poetry ive read in schol is about silly, inconsequential things. like teapots, and cats, and flowers and other such nonsense. its almost refreshing to read about misery and other things that those prim and proper english poets tend to shy away from. Its nice. The only real problem Ive been having so far, is that I usually read quite fast and am used to getting through books very quickly. Now, with Inferno, im having to read very slowly and methodically to make sure I dont miss a detail. I guess that is a good thing, making me slow down and read for the tiny deatils, but its kinda frusturating. I guess I will get used to since its for my benfit and what not.

Cantos I-V

So I descended from first to second circle
Which girdles a smaller space and greater pain,
Which spurs more lamentation. Minos the dreadful

Snarls at the gate. He examines each one's sin,
Judging and disposing as he curls his tail:
That is when an ill-begotten soul comes down,


So, i choose these two passages from a couple of reasons. First and in my mind most importantly, i actually understood this one. Cantos 3, 4, and 5 made a little bit of sense to me. Cantos 1 and 2 were just weird. i had no idea what was going on in the part of the story. Second reason that i had was that i liked the specificity of this part of the inferno as well. I felt like i could really visualize where and what this circle looked like. As for Minos, I looked him up online, and i now understand how he tells each soul where they are supposed to go, by wrapping his tail around his body that number of times. I really did not get it from reading, but it makes sense now.