Level 2
I tremble as I enter the second circle of hell
I’m completely terrified by my surroundings
If only I could live again and change my past
I take a few steps as my heart starts pounding
I know now what I’ve done, and I know why I’m here
I cannot believe all this terror that’s around me
I approach a large mirror and I see my biggest fear
I used to be beautiful, not a blemish in sight
My appearance was my world—something I held dear
Into the mirror I gazed, everyday and every night
Vanity was my obsession and my only true care
Now my own face gives me an absolute fright
A new defect appears for every second that I stare
Black and blues, scars and stitches engorge my face
How can anything be worse than this horrid nightmare
My eyes are participating in some sort of sick race
As they swim through my tears and down my cheeks
Even my nose has taken part in this chase
I cannot stare anymore at this face of a freak
My ears are getting bigger as time goes by
I’m traumatized, revolted, and I cannot speak
Now All I can do is repent and wonder why
I was always so lustful, self-righteous, and vain
Once I was conceited but now I am so shy
What used to matter most is now causing me such pain
My body is deteriorating and my face is melting down
Insects enter my ears and throw a party on my brain
My teeth have fallen out—I cannot smile, only frown
Why wasn’t I humble? Just look at me now
full of misery—In my own body, I will drown.
Explanatory Paragraph
My canto is in the second circle of hell, which is the upper level. The canto is about a girl who lusted over her appearance her entire life. She was completely vain and only cared about her physical appearance. She was not humble and did not care about others. Because she was so lustful and vain, her punishment fits her crime very well. As she stares in the mirror, her face is quickly becoming mutated. These deformities are her greatest nightmare. Her eyes and her nose fall off her face, and she has become completely ugly. Because she only cared about being beautiful during her life, she now appears to be the exact opposite of beautiful.
Jennifer Elovitz, Period 2
Sunday, January 2, 2011
The Scam Artists
Level 4
As I passed through the wretched circle of avarice I came to a halt. a
Taken aback by those horrid screams, I drew more near. b
Men and women both alike stricken with the worst of that plague, that greed c
I saw them there, on that wicked road, their bodies laid out reeking of fear b
It was when I adjusted my view that I saw it was no road c
Nay, it was a pile of bodies laid out in such a fashion, it appeared as a pier b
On the bodies lay many leeches fighting their way through the skin, all trying to feed c
Leopards with their sharp claws and serrated teeth mauled with much gore d
Through the skin of the horrid disfigured bodies, the open wounds let filth breed c
I turned to The Guide and asked “What have these souls have done to erode their core?” d
“They’re the embodiment of avarice; they trampled over their fellow man stopping at nothing in the pursuit of the material. How unsound” e
“These here preyed on those who are unsuspecting, the weak, and the vulnerable. These were the con artists, and nothing more.” d
What sounds of horror! The groaning and moaning of bodies bound e
The mauling and roars of leopards echoing in dark empty halls f
A wave of pleas, begging of mercy filled said halls. Echoed the walls: “There is none to be found” e
I then saw blood empty to into a river which then fed the River Styx through a water fall f
The blood boiled and darkened as it reached the mouth of the fall thickening as it went g
The guide told me that it was this source of the fall that fed Satan most of all f
The guide called out to me to approach this road so bent g
As we approached we noticed a demon so dismembered named Madoff h
It was from this demon that the road of deceit began and went on and on, without repents g
We approached the monster, so fat and bloated; we asked of it if he knew whom he prayed off h
He struggled to utter a word, for his tongue became so twisted for all the deceit he’s committed i
We stood over and wondered if he now felt it was worth it, all those lives he went took and made off h
The guide then turned once again, told me that is all the time we’ve been permitted i
Carry on we must to the next circle of hell j
Indeed, I pondered, no act against our fellow man will be omitted i
The leopard, she gazed upon me as if to say farewell j
It was unsettling feeling, her gaze k
Almost as if it had locked me into a jail cell j
Explanation
In my canto, I had laid all the con artists out on a road as punishment for them “walking” on people their entire lives. In this sense the punishment fits the crime (contrapasso) because just as they have walked all over their fellow man all their lives, demons of hell shall literally walk on theirs while leopards, the animal depicted greed in the Inferno, maul and claw at them just as they have clawed through the lives and fortunes of so many. Furthermore, they spend eternity with leeches biting through their skin sucking out their blood just that they leeched off of the vulnerable and the unsuspecting. The blood expelled by these leeches actually almost fuels Satan through the river (since all the rivers eventually empty out to Satan’s circle) because they are the embodiment of what it is to be evil and greedy (just as Satan went against God for more power).
I placed my canto within the fourth circle of hell (greed) for obvious reasons; however I structured it so that if mapped out it is a lower section of the fourth circle. I did this because these con artists take it one step further than all the other souls that have lived greed. Con artists trick and trample over (again referring or alluding to animals on a road) innocent people to satiate their hunger for material goods and hence there is essence of betrayal and almost violence to their acts. Just as Dante used allusions to modern day figures that the reader could place a face to the crime, I used Bernie Madoff since he is arguably the most famous scammer or con artist (if not the most proliferous).
Bart Michalak, Period 6
As I passed through the wretched circle of avarice I came to a halt. a
Taken aback by those horrid screams, I drew more near. b
Men and women both alike stricken with the worst of that plague, that greed c
I saw them there, on that wicked road, their bodies laid out reeking of fear b
It was when I adjusted my view that I saw it was no road c
Nay, it was a pile of bodies laid out in such a fashion, it appeared as a pier b
On the bodies lay many leeches fighting their way through the skin, all trying to feed c
Leopards with their sharp claws and serrated teeth mauled with much gore d
Through the skin of the horrid disfigured bodies, the open wounds let filth breed c
I turned to The Guide and asked “What have these souls have done to erode their core?” d
“They’re the embodiment of avarice; they trampled over their fellow man stopping at nothing in the pursuit of the material. How unsound” e
“These here preyed on those who are unsuspecting, the weak, and the vulnerable. These were the con artists, and nothing more.” d
What sounds of horror! The groaning and moaning of bodies bound e
The mauling and roars of leopards echoing in dark empty halls f
A wave of pleas, begging of mercy filled said halls. Echoed the walls: “There is none to be found” e
I then saw blood empty to into a river which then fed the River Styx through a water fall f
The blood boiled and darkened as it reached the mouth of the fall thickening as it went g
The guide told me that it was this source of the fall that fed Satan most of all f
The guide called out to me to approach this road so bent g
As we approached we noticed a demon so dismembered named Madoff h
It was from this demon that the road of deceit began and went on and on, without repents g
We approached the monster, so fat and bloated; we asked of it if he knew whom he prayed off h
He struggled to utter a word, for his tongue became so twisted for all the deceit he’s committed i
We stood over and wondered if he now felt it was worth it, all those lives he went took and made off h
The guide then turned once again, told me that is all the time we’ve been permitted i
Carry on we must to the next circle of hell j
Indeed, I pondered, no act against our fellow man will be omitted i
The leopard, she gazed upon me as if to say farewell j
It was unsettling feeling, her gaze k
Almost as if it had locked me into a jail cell j
Explanation
In my canto, I had laid all the con artists out on a road as punishment for them “walking” on people their entire lives. In this sense the punishment fits the crime (contrapasso) because just as they have walked all over their fellow man all their lives, demons of hell shall literally walk on theirs while leopards, the animal depicted greed in the Inferno, maul and claw at them just as they have clawed through the lives and fortunes of so many. Furthermore, they spend eternity with leeches biting through their skin sucking out their blood just that they leeched off of the vulnerable and the unsuspecting. The blood expelled by these leeches actually almost fuels Satan through the river (since all the rivers eventually empty out to Satan’s circle) because they are the embodiment of what it is to be evil and greedy (just as Satan went against God for more power).
I placed my canto within the fourth circle of hell (greed) for obvious reasons; however I structured it so that if mapped out it is a lower section of the fourth circle. I did this because these con artists take it one step further than all the other souls that have lived greed. Con artists trick and trample over (again referring or alluding to animals on a road) innocent people to satiate their hunger for material goods and hence there is essence of betrayal and almost violence to their acts. Just as Dante used allusions to modern day figures that the reader could place a face to the crime, I used Bernie Madoff since he is arguably the most famous scammer or con artist (if not the most proliferous).
Bart Michalak, Period 6
The Gluttonous
Level 3
The face of Minos, was what Sam Brannan stared at
Scared of what his fate would become,
This was the moment he lost his high hat.
He no longer was in charge, this was now not his Kingdom
As the soul sorter begun to analyze
This now helpless life, he felt like nothing but scum.
The leopard lead Sam’s way who constantly tantalized.
He wasn’t sure of where he was headed,
Down to the third circle, Sam felt paralyzed.
When he arrived to his place Minos decided,
He noticed the crowd filled with faces like his,
Dealing with valuables that seemed outdated.
The leopard led him to a fate that was this,
A corrupted version of his greatest obsession.
The car that was his pedestal that is.
The car was most definitely no longer his acquisition.
For he had to push the immobile vehicle
Sam no longer had a chance for benediction
Pushing this broken down idol became chronicle.
Around the 3rd ring of Hell for eternity,
Oh how that became a spectacle.
The leopard staring with such ambiguity
At this man who has sinned unconsciously
His love for cars was no longer modernity.
Upper Hell became a home, lugging his selfishness continuously
There was no more remorse or second chances
He is held here forever ignominiously.
Sam didn’t have any more alliances,
For life was lonely in the Hell below.
Maybe there would’ve been hope, if he had made some sacrifices.
Explanatory Paragraph:
The level I have chosen to write about is in Upper Hell located on the 3rd Circle. This circle deals with Glutenous actions. My character that gets sent there is names Sam Brannan, whom i researched and in real life has a greed for money when mining for gold was founded in California. In the canto i have written, Sam was a man who was obsessed with cars. Not in a good way, but in a selfish, greedy and flauntous manner. Because of his obsession with cars, he over looked the basic idea of kindness and respect. Because of this obsession Sam had, when he enters Hell, Minos places him in the third circle because he was glutenous over his cars. The punishment he receives in hell is to be constantly pushing an old beaten down model of his favorite car around the circle for eternity. This punishment reflects that since his cars were so important to him in his lifetime, he now has to continuously face and manually deal with a car, in which was what his life was consumed of.
Monica Pineiro, Period 0
The face of Minos, was what Sam Brannan stared at
Scared of what his fate would become,
This was the moment he lost his high hat.
He no longer was in charge, this was now not his Kingdom
As the soul sorter begun to analyze
This now helpless life, he felt like nothing but scum.
The leopard lead Sam’s way who constantly tantalized.
He wasn’t sure of where he was headed,
Down to the third circle, Sam felt paralyzed.
When he arrived to his place Minos decided,
He noticed the crowd filled with faces like his,
Dealing with valuables that seemed outdated.
The leopard led him to a fate that was this,
A corrupted version of his greatest obsession.
The car that was his pedestal that is.
The car was most definitely no longer his acquisition.
For he had to push the immobile vehicle
Sam no longer had a chance for benediction
Pushing this broken down idol became chronicle.
Around the 3rd ring of Hell for eternity,
Oh how that became a spectacle.
The leopard staring with such ambiguity
At this man who has sinned unconsciously
His love for cars was no longer modernity.
Upper Hell became a home, lugging his selfishness continuously
There was no more remorse or second chances
He is held here forever ignominiously.
Sam didn’t have any more alliances,
For life was lonely in the Hell below.
Maybe there would’ve been hope, if he had made some sacrifices.
Explanatory Paragraph:
The level I have chosen to write about is in Upper Hell located on the 3rd Circle. This circle deals with Glutenous actions. My character that gets sent there is names Sam Brannan, whom i researched and in real life has a greed for money when mining for gold was founded in California. In the canto i have written, Sam was a man who was obsessed with cars. Not in a good way, but in a selfish, greedy and flauntous manner. Because of his obsession with cars, he over looked the basic idea of kindness and respect. Because of this obsession Sam had, when he enters Hell, Minos places him in the third circle because he was glutenous over his cars. The punishment he receives in hell is to be constantly pushing an old beaten down model of his favorite car around the circle for eternity. This punishment reflects that since his cars were so important to him in his lifetime, he now has to continuously face and manually deal with a car, in which was what his life was consumed of.
Monica Pineiro, Period 0
The Plagiarizers
Level 3
After passing the level of gluttons I came
To the section of plagiarists, they were
Stuck in a school with only themselves to blame,
This area of hell made me defer
From ever thinking about copying, their fate
Was so bad it should never occur,
They were forced to be in a state
Of writing, forever would they be
Copying texts, never given the chance to create
Original work, there they sat
In desks, writing until their fingers fell
Off, text after text for all eternity
I pitied them as I walked past, eyes
Glued to the books from which
They never they loved so dearly
With their time on earth, row
After row of sinners, destined to
Spend eternity in a classroom,
The whole time I was there
All I could hear was the silent scribble
Of poor souls writing constantly,
With an evil teacher patrolling
The classroom, passing out more paper
When needed, making sure everyone was
Doing their assigned work,
After a few minutes the silence started
To get to me, for me being mute
For eternity is an unimaginable fate,
I begged my master to move on,
And he granted my request.
Explanation
My canto would be placed in circle 3 of hell, right after the gluttons. Plagiarism is a serious sin that gives you credit for someone else’s hard work. Their punishment follows contrapasso by masterfully fitting the crime. The plagiarists are forced to stay in school forever, rewriting other people’s work for all eternity. This never gives them the chance to write an original statement again. There are destined to follow read and rewrite books they did not even create.
Stanley Szeliga, Period 0
After passing the level of gluttons I came
To the section of plagiarists, they were
Stuck in a school with only themselves to blame,
This area of hell made me defer
From ever thinking about copying, their fate
Was so bad it should never occur,
They were forced to be in a state
Of writing, forever would they be
Copying texts, never given the chance to create
Original work, there they sat
In desks, writing until their fingers fell
Off, text after text for all eternity
I pitied them as I walked past, eyes
Glued to the books from which
They never they loved so dearly
With their time on earth, row
After row of sinners, destined to
Spend eternity in a classroom,
The whole time I was there
All I could hear was the silent scribble
Of poor souls writing constantly,
With an evil teacher patrolling
The classroom, passing out more paper
When needed, making sure everyone was
Doing their assigned work,
After a few minutes the silence started
To get to me, for me being mute
For eternity is an unimaginable fate,
I begged my master to move on,
And he granted my request.
Explanation
My canto would be placed in circle 3 of hell, right after the gluttons. Plagiarism is a serious sin that gives you credit for someone else’s hard work. Their punishment follows contrapasso by masterfully fitting the crime. The plagiarists are forced to stay in school forever, rewriting other people’s work for all eternity. This never gives them the chance to write an original statement again. There are destined to follow read and rewrite books they did not even create.
Stanley Szeliga, Period 0
The Teen Stars
Level 2.5
The next victims we came to, they were heard before seen
These unfortunate souls, singing songs overdone
In autotuned voices; I held in a scream
They came into sight, I wanted to run
Their voices were grating, their movements obscene
But our visit had only just begun
There was Miley and Demi, screeching loud as can be
Big Time Rush and Selena
Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron and the Jonases three
Annoyances their sin, they were doomed to an arena
Where they must listen to each other forever;
A sound worse than a thousand hyenas
I wanted to leave, I didn’t want to persevere
But Virgil’s strong arm prevented my exit
Leaving me with no alternative whatsoever
So I turned to Miss Cyrus, in life so unfit
For stardom and fame, lacking talent and grace,
To inquire about the punishment her crimes befit
Blood from her ears trickled down her face,
A result of the torturous sounds she’d endured
Confined with the others in so small a space
She cried as she spoke, falling to the floor
Telling her tale of sadness and woe
How she couldn’t stand her own voice anymore
She’d sang many concerts, been in many shows
Never considering the damage she’d cause
Never thinking of all the eardrums she’d decomposed
So she, with the others are doomed to stay paused
And suffer through their own performances
With no applause
This circle of hell is reserved for annoying teen stars. Their music is so horrible, and they are so careless with their fame and influence that they deserve their very own circle. I placed them in Upper Hell, level two and a half, because this is a hotblooded sin. The celebrities punishment is that they have to listen to themselves for all of eternity.
Margaret Biedenkapp, Period 0
The next victims we came to, they were heard before seen
These unfortunate souls, singing songs overdone
In autotuned voices; I held in a scream
They came into sight, I wanted to run
Their voices were grating, their movements obscene
But our visit had only just begun
There was Miley and Demi, screeching loud as can be
Big Time Rush and Selena
Vanessa Hudgens, Zac Efron and the Jonases three
Annoyances their sin, they were doomed to an arena
Where they must listen to each other forever;
A sound worse than a thousand hyenas
I wanted to leave, I didn’t want to persevere
But Virgil’s strong arm prevented my exit
Leaving me with no alternative whatsoever
So I turned to Miss Cyrus, in life so unfit
For stardom and fame, lacking talent and grace,
To inquire about the punishment her crimes befit
Blood from her ears trickled down her face,
A result of the torturous sounds she’d endured
Confined with the others in so small a space
She cried as she spoke, falling to the floor
Telling her tale of sadness and woe
How she couldn’t stand her own voice anymore
She’d sang many concerts, been in many shows
Never considering the damage she’d cause
Never thinking of all the eardrums she’d decomposed
So she, with the others are doomed to stay paused
And suffer through their own performances
With no applause
This circle of hell is reserved for annoying teen stars. Their music is so horrible, and they are so careless with their fame and influence that they deserve their very own circle. I placed them in Upper Hell, level two and a half, because this is a hotblooded sin. The celebrities punishment is that they have to listen to themselves for all of eternity.
Margaret Biedenkapp, Period 0
The Gluttonous
Level 3
Focus: Dante is traveling through those who sinned through food. Focus on how they are punished and if this contradicts or is the same as the life they lived on earth. Also see the monsters in this level, how are they a punishment?
In the third level are the excess eaters.
They are there to serve the beasts
Who are the people’s personal feeders.
If not fed in time, your own meat they feast
Since you ate so much when living
Now dead you eat the very least.
Forced into almost disappearing
Cook, clean and serve the masters
If you do not listen, your soul you will be giving
You live in mud and the filth
You create. The ground you walk on is full
Of the food you ate as a living soul.
Hidden beneath glass so you can not
Ever obtain it. There are 5 monsters here
They have no name, no real face or form
The monsters that stand before you
Take the form of what made you eat from the start
Horrifying pictures only they can see
Don’t forget not to flee
The spot you hold, because the farther you run,
The worse your curse may be.
If caught by the lady who strolls the land
Your doom is forever hers
The form of a wild spotted cat she holds
Fast on her feet, and lustful to those who watch her
She loves the taste of rotting souls
Beware of the she-leopard.
Beasts stand around waiting for their food
Waiting for each and every one of you
To take a chance and go feed those who
Guard your soul for keep. As you pass through
This circle, you may hear screams and cries
Because those who ate until their death,
Now starve until they die. Over and over
This happens to thee, so take none
For granted, for your soul is theirs to keep.
My canto takes place in upper hell where the gluttonous live in the layer of hot-blooded sins. In this circle of hell the punishment is opposite the crime. These people spent their whole life eating and turning into an enormous beast. As a punishment they see food, serve food, but can never touch food. Unfortunately if they don’t follow the rules and feed the beasts, they become dinner for the hungry monsters. As you read the canto, you can see that food is a big part of their lives, but not like it was when they were alive. They are forced to look at the things that made them sin in life, and serve those things with kindness.
Alyssa Cullere, Period 0
Focus: Dante is traveling through those who sinned through food. Focus on how they are punished and if this contradicts or is the same as the life they lived on earth. Also see the monsters in this level, how are they a punishment?
In the third level are the excess eaters.
They are there to serve the beasts
Who are the people’s personal feeders.
If not fed in time, your own meat they feast
Since you ate so much when living
Now dead you eat the very least.
Forced into almost disappearing
Cook, clean and serve the masters
If you do not listen, your soul you will be giving
You live in mud and the filth
You create. The ground you walk on is full
Of the food you ate as a living soul.
Hidden beneath glass so you can not
Ever obtain it. There are 5 monsters here
They have no name, no real face or form
The monsters that stand before you
Take the form of what made you eat from the start
Horrifying pictures only they can see
Don’t forget not to flee
The spot you hold, because the farther you run,
The worse your curse may be.
If caught by the lady who strolls the land
Your doom is forever hers
The form of a wild spotted cat she holds
Fast on her feet, and lustful to those who watch her
She loves the taste of rotting souls
Beware of the she-leopard.
Beasts stand around waiting for their food
Waiting for each and every one of you
To take a chance and go feed those who
Guard your soul for keep. As you pass through
This circle, you may hear screams and cries
Because those who ate until their death,
Now starve until they die. Over and over
This happens to thee, so take none
For granted, for your soul is theirs to keep.
My canto takes place in upper hell where the gluttonous live in the layer of hot-blooded sins. In this circle of hell the punishment is opposite the crime. These people spent their whole life eating and turning into an enormous beast. As a punishment they see food, serve food, but can never touch food. Unfortunately if they don’t follow the rules and feed the beasts, they become dinner for the hungry monsters. As you read the canto, you can see that food is a big part of their lives, but not like it was when they were alive. They are forced to look at the things that made them sin in life, and serve those things with kindness.
Alyssa Cullere, Period 0
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)