Significance of the Three Beasts in Dante's Inferno

In Canto 1, Dante encounters a leopard, lion, and a she-wolf. I believe that each of the beasts that Dante encounters are significant because they represent sin temptation. I agree with what the book says about the beasts representing lust, pride, and greed.

I think the leopard represents lust because she seemed to have been lusting to scare Dante. The leopard wouldn’t back off, and let Dante continue on his path. Dante said, “Blocking the path, she stayed before my face and more than once she made me turn about to go back down” (Alighieri, I, 27-29). The leopard tempted him to turn around and go back a couple times already, but still did not back off. She continued to stay in his path, like she was lusting for the power she had over him, which was his fear of her. So that’s why I think the leopard represents lust. Then, when Dante encounters the lion, it says, “A lion came at me, his head high as he ran…” (Alighieri, I, 36). This makes me think that the lion represents pride. I think it represents pride because usually when people walk with their head held up high, they are feeling proud of themselves and almighty. So in this case, the lion is running with his head high because he is feeling important and mighty, which is pride. Lastly, I think the she-wolf represents greed. I think the she-wolf represents greed because when Dante encounters the she-wolf, he said, “whose leanness seemed to compress all the world’s cravings…” (Alighieri, I, 38-39). Then at the side, it is explained that the phrase meant, “whose thinness seemed to squeeze together all the desires of the world”. So, the she-wolf is taking in all the desires of the world for itself, which is greed.

I believe that each of the beasts relate to Dante’s journey because they foreshadow the fears and despairs that he will have to go through, throughout his journey through hell. They all represent darkness, evil, and fear that he has to overcome to continue on his journey. The beasts each seem to be threatening Dante to turn back, or give up hope.

The first beast that Dante encountered was the leopard. When he encountered the leopard, he said, “Blocking the path, she stayed before my face and more than once she made me turn about to go back down” (Alighieri, I, 27-29). In that line, Dante was saying that he had to face the temptation to turn around and go back. He feared the leopard that blocked his path, and he had to overcome the fear of it to continue his journey.

The second beast that Dante encountered was the lion. When he encountered the lion, he said, “A lion came at me, his head high as he ran, roaring with hunger so the air appeared to tremble” (Alighieri, I, 36-37). I think he was trying to say that since the lion was so fearful, it made him feel like trembling, like people usually do when they are afraid of something.

Lastly, the final beast that Dante encountered was the she-wolf. He seemed to be most frightened and threatened by the she-wolf. He says that, “All the world’s cravings, that had made miserable such multitudes; she put such heaviness into my spirit, I lost hope of the crest (Alighieri, I, 39-41). The she-wolf made him feel such despair that he lost all his hope and happiness. It made him want to turn back, and it made him feel lost. He also expresses this in his next line, “Surrenders to gloom and weeps, so did that beast make me feel, as harrying toward me at a lope she forced me back toward where the sun is lost” (Alighieri, I, 43-45).

So, as you can see, each beast seemed to be threatening, and wanting to scare him. He felt fear and despair from them, and they also discouraged him. He lost all hope and courage as he encountered each beast. This relates to his journey that he will go on because his journey through hell is going to be a despairing journey. He will face many pains and dreads that he must overcome.

Reflection

Like usual, I did not enjoy writing this paper. It was not a very hard paper to write, but it was not a very fun paper to write, either. The topic was easy to write about, and it was easy to write the paper, but I just do not like writing papers, especially on Fridays at home.

Although I did not like doing the test, I like the new way of doing our assignments, blogging. It gave me plenty of time to do the assignment, and I did not have to worry about running out of time to finish the test. Also, I was able to put down everything I wanted to say and organize my ideas well. Typing the paper out and posting it on a blog made it easier to read over and check for mistakes. It also made the paper funner to do. I prefer typing then writing.

The significance of the Title: Cry, the Beloved Country

The title, Cry, the Beloved Country, represents the chaos, destruction, and corruption in South Africa. It is significant because it symbolizes the breaking of the nation through the historical context, the country’s turmoil, and the land.

Cry, the Beloved Country, was written in 1948 about the racial inequality. Paton wrote this novel because he had felt compelled to turn it into a cry against the injustice in South Africa and as a yearning for justice (Paton 24). During this time, the country went through great chaos. Both, black and white people suffered greatly. The people of South Africa suffered through both, racial segregation and prejudice. There was a very high crime rate, and many whites had been killed during this time due to the fear of the black people. The whites had the power, and they did nothing to help the blacks, which led many blacks to commit crimes against them. The blacks and the whites feared each other, and neither helped each other. This led to the breaking of the nation, and the cries. The people cried out for the breaking of the land, for the people, to God, and for peace.

There are three political leaders in this novel, who bring a cry of hope for changes to the people. These three political leaders are John Kumalo, Dubula, and Tomlinson. They were all strong men, each standing up for the people of their country. While the country was in chaos, these three continued to cry out for justice for the country they loved. Each had their own characteristic which they used to bring out hope to others. Dubula had the heart, and he did everything he could for his country. He was a dedicated man, who loved his country, and would do anything for them. John had the voice, he spoke out and gave out hope to the people. He was able to get people to listen to him, and he was a very loud man, who you couldn’t miss. He could change people’s opinions, and his voice was very fearful. And lastly, there was Tomlinson, who had the brains. Through all the difficulties that the three political leaders went through, Tomlinson was able to think things through, and bring out hope. He gave out ideas to the group to maintain the improvement of the country and the people.

The major theme of this novel, land, is a major example of the inequality among the South African people. The blacks and whites are separated by their lands, also. The whites get the good land, which is said at the beginning of the novel, “The grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil… It is well-tended, and not too many cattle feed upon it; not too many fires burn it; laying bare the soil” (Paton 33). As for the black peoples’ land, “Too many cattle feed upon the grass, and too many fires have burned it. Stand shod upon it, for it is coarse and sharp, and the stones cut under the feet” (Paton 34). The black people suffer from their land. They lack the materials that they need from it, which the white people are able to obtain. As we go on through the book, we get to Johannesburg, where more suffering from the land is seen. It is a loved place, but it is full of destruction. The blacks have nowhere to live, the crime rates are high, the people become corrupted and there is much destruction. Once family members leave their homes to Johannesburg, they are not heard from again. Their lives are turned around from good to bad. A perfect example is in Steven Kumalo’s son, Absolom Kumalo. He goes from being a good boy, to a boy who is trouble, to a head student in a reformatory school, to having a good job, then finally to becoming a murderer. But even after suffering from finding out about all that has happened to his son, Steven Kumalo still goes on trying to fix things.

Through the destruction of the sons Absolom and Arthur because of the land of Johannesburg, Steven and James try to mend what has happened to the broken nation. Their eyes begin to open to what is going on, and they cry out for the country, which they love. Through their strength and love for their sons, they help each other help the country. This makes me believe that the ending has an optimistic ending. The people all have hope left, even after what has happened to them. They realize what has gone on for so long, and join together and try to fix it. Both Jarvis and the blacks have a “cry” of hope.