Relevance of Dantes Inferno in the Current World - Essay Example

Relevance of Dante’s Inferno in the current world Introduction The aim of this paper is to confer on relevance of Dante’sInferno in the current world. The essay will look at the main issues that have been discussed in Dante’s and are believed to be important. There are some serious issues which were discussed when the comedy was written and are applicable to the current world; thus this essay will demonstrate them. Some of the issues discussed in the essay are not common in such, but the essay will try in demonstrating their relevance to the current world thus they will in the same line be useful to a current reader as they were in old days. Some of the issues the essay will discuss include the journey which even in the current world individuals do take as seen in Dante also the evaluation of worthy sins in the current world and how they were seen in Dante. Discussion Dante’s inferno is relevant in the current western environment, for it can be seen in the canto. In the comedy, it is seen that Dante is gone astray and regardless of the efforts made, he is unable to trace on how he can get to the way. Dante says, somewhere in the midst of life one wakes only to find themselves in the midst of what he refers to as dark wood-confusion (Dante, 1949, p71). This situation is well applicable to many people in the current world who in many times find themselves in situations which they are unable to explain. In the current world, a lot of people move by their own where they encounter challenges and difficulties which strengthen them in continuity of their desired life. In a self discovery journey, individuals are seen to be struggling which makes their life complicated. Similar with Dante’s encounter, it is evident that most people are unable to drive themselves from dark situations, for they will find going back-going back into places of darkness ever and ever again (Dante 73). As per the environment which Dante was, he was obliged to encounter situations which were challenging such as passing through fire and some difficult situations so as to pass the test and move out of the situations. Unlike most people in the current world, Dante was lucky simply because he had Virgil to provide directions in order to overcome the challenging situations. Most people walk alone where they face a lot of challenges before they move from dark situations. In most circumstances, individuals move alone in times of despair where they face a lot of challenges before they get to the other end. According to Dante, the sin of the world can be well described by the journey he went. At the atrium of hell, Dante narrates how he came across some ill-fates who had stayed in the hell for long. According to the comedy, those people who were in the vestibule of the hell had a lot to change their life simply because they had been given a chance to look at their moves. In the current world most, individuals run up and down being unable to decide on what they are required to do. On the same note, ill-fates in the hell were unable to decide what they wanted. The ill-fates who were unable to draw the conclusion on what they wanted was said to be unfit even for the hell and it was said that they held no reputation in the world (Dante 86). In the current world, we have such individuals who are of no worth being in the society. Examples of such people in the current world are those who have chances of changing their lives, but they usually do nothing. These types of people are reluctant to change, and they do contribute to the society very little. Such people tend to be gumptious simply because they do not want change and even they do not work towards innovation or development. These are individuals who do not change their working conditions even if they have opportunities to do so. In the current world, we have such individuals who are just there such that even the minor decisions they cannot develop. Given a situation where an inept is required to improve his or her condition, such people do not contribute in making sound arguments on decisions for they have a state of fear which cheats they might affect an opportunity that might come across. Most people who are unemployed in the current world are believed to be of this type simply because they think that by making decisions on improving their lives would affect an opportunity that might develop. Such people make life so difficult because they seem to develop bad situation sin their life (Dante 86). Limbo is one of the places which most people may think that it has no relevance with today’s world. As from my own view, I beg to disagree with this simply because there are places till now they have never found the teachings of Muslim. Even today there is a need to send some messengers to those places where the act of Muslim teachings has not yet arrived. Similar to the approach Dante used is ensuring that individuals have known God, there is still a need in the current world to have individuals who are sent as messengers of God simply because there still places which still hold their cultures strongly. Most indigenous people live in the world which looks like hell simply because they are surrounded by two cultures. In such a situation, an individual is confused in that he is unable to select the culture which seems the best. In an environment with indigenous people, the culture present there has totally changed although many reject to accept the change. In Dante’s hell, we have the sin of lust which in the current world is hard to point out. With a close assessment of the situation, it is evident that the situation still exists in the current world. Hundred of individuals in the present world go the torture of different types of romances, which do not stay for long before ending. In the present world, divorce is a common thing though most people do not think it is a form of sinful act. There are different ways under which lust is practiced in the current world such as practicing sexual activities with different people yet believing that there is no harm with that. Most people move from type of relationship looking the perfect match without success is a form of lust though most do not look the situation in that perspective "Bond thrall under the yoke of their lust". (Dante 98). Some cultures live in an environment where they consider unnecessary sexual activities as sinful acts thus they condemn such situations which they relate them with lust acts. During the time, of Dante it is clear that committing suicide was a form of sin. In the present world same thoughts exist for individuals who commit suicide. According to the comedy, individuals who committed suicide were considered unclean before God and no one wanted to be associated. They were considered as outcasts, and the society had no interest with them. Given a situation where an individual made an attempt for suicide and failed, the society punished the person by out casting him or her from the society. Individuals who commit suicide find joyful environment and, as a result they only find the best way is to kill them. In a situation where they are prevented from doing their wish, individuals who prevent them seem bad to them and believed to increase their pain instead of reducing the suffering and pain they go through (Dante 150). In the current world, situations of suicide still develop shameful scenarios though they do not have heavy charges as in the old days. Today we have doctors who try to help individuals end their lives. Such doctors are held responsible for the suicidal act and are charged heavily. Some legal actions are taken for doctors who are found in assisting patients to end their lives. The law states that no patient has the right to end his or her life for God is the sole provider of life and is the one who has the right to take it back. We live in a community or the society where there are different forms of government which serve us "Fellows who would swear blacks white for half a crown" (Dante 203). The society under which we live in encounters different challenges simply because our leaders do not have straight moves when using our resources. Most people feel that their leaders have abandoned them for they do activities which benefit them only. In the first place, most individuals enter into leadership with a single intention which is of serving the community. After the person is exposed to a corrupt environment, behaviors change completely whereby the person starts working for his benefit (Dante 203). Conclusion In conclusion, having highlighted some few aspects which are present the Dante’s hell, the Divine Comedy is relevant in today’s world. Most people still face challenges in their life same with life in Dante which make their life miserable and difficult to hold. As per the Dante’s information, individuals act as the sole developers of sinful environments which make their life difficult and so do the present human beings make their hell. Works cited Allen D. C. The Teachings of Dante, Ayer Publishing, 1970, Print Brand, P & Pertile, L. The Cambridge History of Italian Literature: Cambridge University Press, 1999, Print Terpening, R. T. Lodovico Dolce, Renaissance Man of Letters: Toronto, Buffalo, London: University of Toronto Press, 1997, Print Read More