Inferno

When looking back on Dante so far in the story I think he is much more than just an author. I think that he is using the Inferno to show others his view on what the after life is and where people go. Although I know Virgil is his guide through hell I think Dante himself is a guide to those who are reading his work. He is using himself to show others his view on what life is like when you die and to show what makes a sin a sin.
He uses his religion to make up the different levels of hell by basing them off of the ten commandments. I also think that he bases what a sin actually is off of many different things. Mainly though I think that he defines a sin as an absence of love. I know that we discussed this in class and it was pointed out that lust is a way of love so describing sin as an absence would not make sense. However I do not think that lust is necessarily a sign of love in all cases. I think that someone can be full of lust for someone but not be in love with them. Them may feel a sexual desire to be with them yet not have an emotional connection and I think to be in love there has to be more of an emotional connection than anything else. I do think that if a person is in love with someone then they will be filled with lust for that person but that it is possible for a person to be full of lust for someone without actually loving them. Based on these beliefs I feel that Dante mainly bases what a sin is off of the absence or lack of love towards something or someone.

The Inferno

At first I felt that Virgil was a suitable guide who could show Dante through the different levels of hell. After reading further into the story though my thoughts began to change. Yes, in the first few levels he is able to get Dante through the gates and deeper into hell however that begins to change when they try to enter into Dis. Virgil is a resident of Limbo and has not before gone deeper through hell. The residents in limbo are there because they either were born before the advent of christ or had not been properly baptized. None of the residents in limbo had committed sins as serious as those who lived in the deeper levels of hell. Although I think that Virgil does a fine job of explaining each of the levels to Dante I feel that a more suitable guide may have been someone who comes from a deeper level. Those from deeper in hell may have a better understanding of each level than those in limbo who have never actually had to reside anywhere past the first level.

The Ramayana

Today I want to discuss dharma and how it is followed in the text. Dharma is a cosmic order or law in the Hindu tradition that includes the natural and moral laws that apply to all beings and things. Basically it is the way that order is kept among all people. Respecting the dharma includes obeying those of higher authority without any question such as your father or husband. In the text I feel that many characters are going against dharma and doing things that will solely please themselves.
In the very beginning King Dasaratha states that it is time for him to step down from power and hand the kingdom over to his son Rama. As the result of this Manthara who is the maid-servant to Kaikeyi (Dasaratha's last wife) convinces Kaikeyi that she is being betrayed and that she should basically trick Dasaratha into making her own son Bharta king. This goes against the dharma because both Kaikeyi and Manthara are going against the wishes of someone higher in authority. Not only is Kaikeyi going against someone of high authority but she is also going against the wishes of her husband. To truly follow dharma both Manthara and Kaikeyi should have kept quiet and accepted the actions that were being taken by Dasaratha.
Another moment in the story where the dharma is not being followed is by Sita (Rama's wife) when Rama informs her that he is to go into the forest for fourteen years. He informs Sita that the forest is not a place for her and that she is to stay behind however she will not give in and eventually follows him to the forest. In order for her to have honored dharma she would have stayed behind and waited just as her husband had told her to do.
It is interesting to me that in a society where dharma is so important people are constantly going against it. I feel that if one believes in something strongly enough they will abide by and honor it no matter how much they may want to go against it. If the characters truly believe in dharma they would not be going against solely to gain what they wanted in order to be happy.