I wonder why all the sex sins aren't all punished the same. Why are the sodamissts sentenced deeper in the circles of hell than the lustful? what determines, which one of these sins get sent to each circle of hell? What makes one poison any worse than the next? If all bad is bad, why are there different levels of it?

Thesis Log #5

Thesis Log #4

I like virgil, although he's apart of the whole hell thing. It seems so unfair that he isnt allowed to heaven just becccause he didnt believe in christ. I mean, could you blame him, christ wasnt even born yet! When he speaks to the pilgrim, he speaks with such reassurance. when he is scared or uneasy, Virgil always saves him and makes him feel better, Isn't that what godly people, or spirits, are supposed to act like? Like this quote here, he seems so good, "wait here for me and feed your weart spirit with comfort and good hope; you can be sure I will not leave you in this underworld". I would say, Virgil not being in heaven is one of the biggest contradictions in this book, yet.

Thesis Log #3

~Okay, so these thesis logs may be all over the place at times because I handwrote some stuff, then read further and added onto my thoughts in these blogs.

"The pain you suffer here perhaps disfigures you beyond all recognition..."(Canto VI) The pain described that the man is feeling in hell, is pain that many feel here on earth. As I keep reading I think of struggles could dante have possibly went through to be able to write with such depth of feelings such as this despair. Although most of these sins are in the bible I get the feeling that some are only his interpretation and experiences from rotten people. Maybe dante had a bad life and expressed his feelings in this book. I dont know if im right on or even close, but he writes these feelings so vividly and as if some of these lines are really written from the heart of someone who's felt firsthand.

Thesis Log #2

Continuing with my reading, i noticed a word that was mentioned more than once. Coward. Bigger than simply a word, coward, cowardly, cowardice is a message. As a person, i dont particuarly respect people holding that virtue, and in those years and even further back it perhaps never was. Is a person that spent their life in fear and cowardly behavior, worthy of a circle of hell? What is a coward? someone who is constantly fearful? just off the top of my head, cowardice is worthy of hell because as a believer of god, faith is supposed to play in before fear. faith that god will take care of you in any situation is supposed to if not relieve you, keep you going despite the fear you may have. "Do not let fear defeat you, for whatever be his power, he cannot stop out journey down this rock." (Canto VII)

Thesis Log

In the first canto, I was immediately intruiged by the first lines alone. "i woke to find myself in a dark wood, for i had wandered off from the straight path." Not neccesarily a spark for a thesis, but moreso a realization. Although this quote was written so long ago, it amazes me that so many faces and hearts can feel and empathize with the meaning of the passage. Whatever the "straight path" is, why is it that after 800+ years, so many still find themselves straying from it? Superficially, it seems humans have come so far since this was written, yet so many identifying with the quote directly suggests otherwhise. The evolution of the mind possibly? I'd like to look into that some more.