UM Honors Blog 2020-2021

         Reading about the liturgical drama and church plays really brought me back. Almost all of my acting career, from beginning to end, is thanks to the music camp I went to just about every summer at Manassas Baptist Church. And by "acting career" I mean all of the extras I played until I finally got a main part in our play about Daniel and the lion's den. I was Tax-a-lot... one of the mean dudes who wanted Daniel gone. I wore a red bib with a dollar sign on it and a money hat. Anyway, those plays were classics. A lot of them were plays that my parents performed as kids. At these camps we would learn songs, do crafts, and rehearse. By the end of the week we would all get so excited for our "dress rehearsal." The teen leaders would pass out those cheap, stiff shirts that don't wash well (usually they were in a very unfortunate color, like yellow) and we would quickly put them on only to discover that they were too big and looked more like gowns. Of cour...

 Hildegard was a remarkably progressive woman for someone born in the late 11th century. She petitioned the church and fought against its ridiculous laws, wrote on theology, and was heavily devoted to the practicality and benefit of music. Honestly, I think she would be vehemently despised in this current day and age if she spoke against the church like she did. She was bold and held to her beliefs in a remarkably admirable way. I am truly saddened that this is the first time I have learned about her in my education. I have spent countless hours learning about men who spoke against the church, like Martin Luther, but never about Hildegard. (Granted she didn't start a new church but she still was incredibly progressive and should have been recognized.) I love how she stood her ground and fought for what she believed in. She did what I would wager almost no one did at that point, and she argued so well, that she swayed the church into relenting and allowing her convent to re-particip...

  I cannot remember how old I was when I watched T he Hunchback of Notre Dame  but I was at least 8 or 9. I didn’t realize until probably a couple of years ago that the song  “Topsy Turvy” and the corresponding event was actually based on a real festival. The Feast of Fools was usually held on January 1 though it could have also been held on the 6 th  or the 13 th  of January. It was portrayed as a parody of Catholic feasts. Church bells were rung improperly, songs were sung out of tune, and the celebrants “wore strange garments and masks, and used puddings, sausages, and old shoes as censers.” (Seaton, p 77) In the song “Topsy Turvy”, it says “It’s the day the devil in us gets released / It’s the day we mock the prig and shock the priest / Everything is Topsy Turvy at the Feast of Fools… And it’s the day we do the things that we deplore ‘ On the other three hundred and sixty-four.”  I commented on Haylee Lynd’s and Jamie’s posts. Sources: https://www.brita...

I know everyone, at one point or another, was in some sort of play during their childhood. If not, then you will most likely get to experience that joy during this upcoming honors project or maybe have already experienced it during last semester. Anyway, I feel as if people today take the gift and privilege of being in a Christian based play for granted. I know being in a play in general can be a wonderful experience, but for the sake of this blog post and going along with the article discussing the liturgical drama, we will stick strictly to the premise of a Christian play. The article discusses that even though liturgical dramas were "taking off," it was still rare to have them performed in a church. It was a marvelous and complex thing to see and accomplish back then. It shared principle stories from the Bible and brought about the opportunity to show others the love of Christ. Today, kids gripe and complain about being in plays when they are younger (or maybe that was onl...

Liturgical dramas, where have you been all my life? Such poetic history seems like it should be something worth mentioning in the church today, as it holds so much weight in the history of the church.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Ordo Virtutum. Giving each virtue a voice to share their purpose and meaning gave so much depth to each one, and made them more than just a word. I particularly enjoyed how, when the Soul calls out to the Virtues saying "Woe is me therefore, because I fled from you", the Virtues responded with grace and mercy, accepting the Soul (Bingen, 8). Regardless of the fact that the Soul fled from Virtues and served the Devil, Virtues was quick to forgive and take back the Soul. After this exchange between the Soul and Virtues, the Devil butts in saying "You embraced me, and I led you forth, but now by turning back you defy me. Yet my assault will hurl you down." The Soul, having been rescued by Virtues, has a new vigor, and responds with "...

 I've found myself in a recent struggle between God's command to submit and my own convictions on personal boundaries. What does God call me to submit? I must lay down my life for my brothers, love my neighbors, and somewhere in the future, submit to my husband as unto the Lord. That is a lot of submitting going on for a stubborn, selfish, prideful woman! I mainly ponder the idea of submitting to authorities and the government while reading about Hildegard. In our American society today, there is a lot of controversy regarding how much one should submit to the government. Rather than ramble about my own opinions on this matter, I think it's important to look at Hildegard as an example. Her first priority is obedience to God, then to authorities. No one becomes Prioress of an Abbey by disregarding rules; by entering the convent at age 7 and taking her vows at 16, Hildegard illustrates a clear devotion to the Church. However, she does two things that conflict with The Church...

 Well... I never thought I'd have to recall on my childhood within a church. Yes, there might've been times where we'd have nerf wars or sneak out during service to play hide-n-seek within the church, but there's one thing I never liked, church plays. While reading through the Liturgical Drama section for our reading, this was honestly the first time I have ever heard that term, so this was an interesting read for me. Around 5th grade we did this one play where trees led a young traveler to a man who preached the Good News. No I do not remember the name of it, but I do remember being one of the trees who had no lines and decided in the opening scene where "the trees woke up," I stayed asleep. I feel like that should tell you how much I hated doing these things. But it was all for a good reason. See, as young children, we would go to church because we were forced or because we loved to. Those are the only two reasons. While being that young elementary age, thes...

 I don't know if it is just me, but I got a very Oedipus Rex  vibe from the Ordo Virtutum. No, I am not talking about the plot line being that a person has unknowingly had relations with his mother. Instead, look at the chorus of virtues. Although each of the virtues have their own "personality", their moments of talking/singing as one reflect the council of elders seen in ancient Greek plays. In this "new" way of performing, the council that provides the audience with exposition has a much more active role in these plays, but they still serve the same function. In the Ordo Virtutum , the council of Virtues guides the audience through the different weapons the soul uses to combat the forces of the Devil. These virtues, though appearing weak in the face of the adversary, are strong when led by the virtue of Victory, who shows that the Virtues have already proven their value in the fight. I commented on Clabo's and Braylan's posts.

      I work at a church. I do a lot of behind the scenes work and I see a lot of the behind the scenes. There are so many meetings throughout the week to discuss what is going to be preached on  Sunday, what songs will be sung, what words will be spoken in transitions, what is going to be posted about on social media, etc. Every discussion is important and every discussion takes place between a number of people so that it can be ensured that what we are doing as a church lines up with scripture and is making an impact for the gospel. So howwwww in the world did the Feast of Fools get started and how did it not get stopped sooner?  I mean, it's not like it was like really really close to scripture and easy to miss that it was unbiblical. It was extremely reflective of Pagan practice. Anyways, they should have had more meetings than they did. Someone in charge should have said and done something a lot sooner. P.S. I commented own Braylan's and Leanne's ...

***DISCLAIMER! WARNING!: There will be spoilers for the ending of the PlayStation game “Until Dawn” in this post! You have been warned.   I was a little disgusted at first when Dante introduced Count  Ugolino  in Canto XXXIII. I can barely handle raw meat for my dad to grill on Sundays, let alone read about a man gnawing on the neck and brain of an Archbishop. Once the Count told his story, his punishment for his "crimes" hit me right in the emotional tendon. The Count was locked in a tower with his sons after being betrayed by the Archbishop. He had to listen as the only way out of the tower was sealed off (46-47). The only human contact  that Dante mentions   he had in this tower was that with his sons. Along with dealing with the pain of his own hunger, he had to listen to the cries of his sons as they (LITERALLY) starved to death. He watched them fall one by one, powerless to help them (70). “Then fasting overcame my grief and me” (Dante, 75). The mental tor...

I really enjoyed reading about Hildegard Von Bingen and some of her works. I found it very interesting and beautiful. I especially enjoyed reading her Liturgical Drama Ordo Virtutum . I noticed that it has a similar feeling as morality plays and that the purpose behind them both are similar. The big difference is that Liturgical Dramas have a systematic rhyme while a morality play does not. The character’s lines seem to have a poetic system and formula which I find beautiful. The story line and the lines that were said were beautiful and profound. One of my favorite parts is where Devil says, “You embraced me, and I led you forth, / but now by turning back you defy me” (Bingen, 10). I am not exactly sure who Devil was talking to at this point. He could have said it to Virtues or to Soul. Both make sense, however, I like to think he was talking to Soul because of how Soul responds. Soul responds saying, “I recognize that all my ways were evil, / and so, I escaped from you. / But now, de...

      So I had never heard of liturgical drama until I read the reading for this week. I don't know if it's something that just isn't popular among evangelicals but I had never heard about this thing that is embedded in the roots of our faith. It filled me with pride to read about liturgical dramas because they are a part of our tradition and our history and something for us to look back on. Although Christian culture is so focused on the present day and the changes that are happening now, there are volumes of history just waiting to be uncovered that stem from the amazing gift God gave us through Jesus Christ.      When we get caught up in the moment and the here and now we lose sight of the rich heritage that has been left to us by the believers that came before us. Not to mention learning from the past helps us succeed and prevent failure. I guess what I am getting at is that it was amazing to see how people took truths of God's word and expressed t...

 For this blog post, I am just gonna go right into the main topic. How was the feast of fools even allowed to exist much less become establish in the 12th century. Many people died from doing some of the stuff done at this feast. Before getting into specifics, the entire thing resembled pagan rituals. Just that should have been enough to shut the thing down. The early church was not very tolerant of pagans even to the point of killing the pagans who did not convert to Christianity. In the feast of fools, certain aspects of the church were mocked, specifically church leaders and church life. People who had an opinion that was against what the church said were banished from the church. It makes no sense that the church itself would then do the same thing against itself. It is just absurd that this ritual was able to go on for four centuries like it did until it was finally shut down. Honestly, it seems a little hypocritical. I commented on Clabo's and Haylee Lynd's post

Hildegard von Bingen is a woman to be admired, not just because her opera Ordo Virtutum was one of the the first plays about virtue, but also because she wrote it during a time where everyone was hesitant to explore what the natural human was like. An interesting thing to note about it is that while the purpose of the Ordo Virtutum was to encourage its audience to do better so that one day they may inherit eternal life, it does not really go into detail about biblical events, what the life of a saint looks like, or even so much as miracles. Rather, it elaborates on more of the virtues by giving human-like characteristics to them, and also about the Devil fighting over the destiny of a human soul.  At first, I was not quite sure what to make of this portrayal of hers on the virtues. To me, it sort of sounds like she was implying there's a sense of danger in trying to find our destinies, paths, purposes in life, as if all this struggling and searching allows some sort of crack that t...

 After trying to remember how to spell Hildegard, I can finally write how much of a strong female character she is. Like, wow, I could not have enough mental strength to stay away from sugar, and here Hildegard is dedicating her entire life to God. It is needless to say that I have a deep respect for nuns and monks. It is extremely impressive that Hildegard came from a noble family. My reasoning is that it can be assumed that she had luxuries for that time period, yet she took vows to work for God and not on finding a  wealthy husband or other traditional routes. She stuck it to people who tried to take music away from her when she permitted a excommunicated person’s burial. Hildegard was at a ripe old age when she defended what she worked most of her life for, and my brain is likening the famous musician to Joan of Arc.  I commented on Abigale and Hailey’s posts. 

Liturgical dramas gained popularity a long time ago and slowly developed into the dramas we know today that reenact the stories of the Bible, particularly with Jesus. Today, in the Church, dramas and plays are seen as cringe-worthy and cheesy events that the youth group puts on. Believe me, I have performed in many (do not judge me), and even lay awake at night haunted by embarrassing moments from the past-most of which are church dramas. Whether you enjoy them or wince at the thought, it is important to acknowledge the form of worship is, in fact, a form of worship. Just like praise bands and musical worship, it is not for your entertainment but rather to encourage you to entertain the Lord. I replied to Hailey Morgan and Abigaile Bell

Hildegard Von Bingen makes me want to stand up and shout "You GO, girl!" She is my new role model, my hero. Her devotion in faith to take vows at only sixteen and stay true to them speaks to a determined will. This is further brought to light when she faces opposition from the church and continues to stand firm in her beliefs. In a world predominantly male, Hildegard's achievements are all the more incredible.  A few thoughts on her views of music: When reading Hildegard's letter about the disallowance of music in her convent, I was struck by her strongly held beliefs evidenced by her sharp criticism of the church. I was reminded of Augustine's musings about church music. I think Hildegard and Augustine each show unique perspectives.  Hildegard made mention of the Biblical significants of song from Psalm 150. She stated her opinion that music as worship pleases God.  "Thus they who without the weight of sure reason impose silence upon a church in the matter o...

The one aspect of Purgatory that took me forever to get over is how backwards it all seemed to be. After all, in Hell, the deeper you travel the worse it becomes. This is a pretty standard set-up and was very unproblematic as the whole idea moved along in a seamless downwards spiral. And then, the mountain! While I understand that this knowledge is entirely composed of basic video game tendencies, it killed me how the higher you climbed in Purgatory, the easier it all became! Like, huh? I was reading Dante and thinking, "What cheat codes did you apply, sir? 'Cause unless I'm mistaken, a boss battle is in order once you reach the top of this thing!" But, no. Sadly, Dante is not a video game developer. Instead, he breaks-in each of his characters at the very start of the journey, weeding-out the determined from the dull. Even though everyone in this area is destined for Heaven, those who are more eager to climb reach their final destination much sooner than their lazy ...

     Liturgical dramas are definitely an underrated part of the worship experience, especially in the time period that they experienced a wave of popularity across the known world. Some interesting details I picked up on were that lines of dialogue were chanted instead of spoken as if to simulate a conversation, some plays ranged from having two to twenty-eight characters (so actors would sometimes have to double up on roles), and the set design for these dramatizations drastically improved over the centuries with the addition of props such as ropes and pullies. The details about holidays such as Easter and Christmas being the most dramatized highlights where the people of the Church were trying to place a focus in the worship services they put on: The birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Interestingly enough however, the storylines of liturgical dramas that took settings from these celebrated events usually did not depict the actual climatic event of the Biblical stor...

   Hildegard von Bingen was called into the ministry at a young age of only sixteen. This makes me think how important time is in the eyes of God. God gives us only one lifetime on earth to fulfill His plan for our lives, and it is our duty to use our time efficiently for God. As a college student, it can be easy for me at times to miss the big reason for why I am receiving an education. I visualize walking across Weaver's lawn and touching the globe to receive my degree in a few years. Of course, that is important, but I am not thinking about that what I am doing is for the glory of God. We have all had those weeks of never-ending assignments, and we become so stressed that we forget the big picture.      We are all called to do some sort of vocation for the Lord. It does not matter what occupation we choose, but what matters is our motives for choosing that occupation. 1 Samuel 16:7B says, "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on outward appearance, bu...

      In Canto XI Dante places three Florentines in Hell who he admires. He speaks well of them in this Canto as well as in Canto VI. These Florentines are Jacopo Rusticucci, Guido Guerra, and Tegghiaio Aldobrandi. These are not the only individuals who Dante places in Hell that he also speaks highly of  with in his Inferno. My question is why place those you greatly admire in Hell, and quite low in Hell as well. The specific individuals are in the seventh circle of Hell. Their sin is violence against nature and art. However, Virgil says, "...these are souls to whom respect is due" (XI, 15). They were famous on earth. Guido Guerra, in his life, "won great fame in  counsel and in war" (XI, 39). Yet, they suffer for sin. I think it is fascinating that Dante lists so many of those whom he admires as Sodomites burning in Hell within his Inferno. I also think it is a great testament to how little earthly fame and reputation matters. It all passes with death. We ...

      So I do not know if anyone else is loving it, but I am loving how much Greek mythology Dante includes in his depiction of hell. It is almost as if the monotheistic Christian hell and the polytheistic Greek hell had a child. Even more interesting is the fact that Dante's depiction of hell reveals a lot about the time period he lived in. The world of thought around him was swirling with ancient mythology and Christianity alike.      I can only imagine the different ideologies that fought for prevalence and the badge of truth during Dante's day and age. So many differing opinion were colliding and creating explosions of art, literature, and entertainment. That indeed is clear enough because now we have amazing works such as The Divine Comedy. We see the same thing in western culture today. We are a conglomeration of so many different ideas, backgrounds, upbringings, and religions. All these different factors come together to create fantastic things that ...

     Ok so Dante has now included just about every major mythological story or monster that he can besides the Scylla monster and Charybdis. Multiple people have pointed out how the story includes references and callbacks to various other works that Dante no doubt was a fan of. Speaking of fandom, Dante’s love of Greek mythological stories is quite obvious from Cerberus, Charon, and many other characters being included thus far. One specific creature that Dante describes in Canto XVII intrigued me extensively, mainly because of the fact that the Spanish King that this creature is based on took a much different form in Greek stories. Geryon was depicted by the old stories as a three-headed, three-bodied giant who would lure weary travelers to his realm and then kill/rob them. Dante uses Geryon as an embodiment of fraud here, and it works well, but he takes on a more peculiar form in   The Inferno   that I wanted to point out in specifics. Dante’s description of t...

 Once again, this post is not going to be particularly profound, but rather an observation that I made while reading Inferno. One thing that I found to be particularly interesting was the plight of Francesca. She was forced to be in the second circle of Hell after she kissed her husband's younger brother while reading the tale of Lancelot and Guinevere. Of all the things she had to be sent to Hell for, she got sent to Hell for kissing someone? They didn't even consummate the relationship in the 'traditional' way, but yet she still got sent to Hell? I just think that is quite extreme given how minor the act was compared to others she could have committed. I also find it to be sort of ironic because we often idealize the sort of love stories like the one she was reading, but she got swept up into it and got sent to Hell as a result. In all honesty, the whole time I was reading this I had the image of a high school student comparing their relationship to Romeo and Juliet...

Okay, I promise I read through all five cantos, but the thing that piqued my interest most just so happened to be the first few lines of the book. I feel like Dante's journey through life and wandering off of the straight and narrow path of truth is something everyone can relate to. He says that he doesn't exactly remember when it happened or when he exactly strayed into the dark woods of error, but that it was almost like he fell asleep and woke up there. Personally, that hit very close to home. I feel that whenever I enter a season of me slowly becoming lazier and lazier, the farther I get from actually being in good health physically, spiritually, and emotionally. It's not like anyone plans to just take a nice little stroll into the dark woods of error and off the "true path." It just seems as if it happens every now and then, and it feels as if sometimes if we’re not careful, life will just begin to drain us of our energy and effort slowly until we are either ...

As a fan of mystery novels, I enjoy how Dante's Inferno begins with Dante waking up with no knowledge of how he got where he is, knowing only that he strayed from what he calls the "True Way". In Canto 1, I found it interesting that upon encountering the leopard, lion and she-wolf, Dante agrees to follow the shade of Virgil through the depths of hell. Virgil promises that once they have passed through some of hell a worthier guide with lead Dante to heaven, but it would seem that journeying through hell would be a more arduous decision than simply overcoming the animals and carrying on, attaining the right path by some other means. By placing the protagonist in the "Dark Wood" with the drive to get onto the "True Way", Dante symbolizes the spiritual journey of humanity. Dante realizes his own humanity and strives to attain greatness before God's eyes, and thus is willing to make the trek through the layers of hell to reach true goodness in heaven. ...

 I don't know why, but what really caught my attention was in Canto 3 when he first entered hell. In Canto 3 he writes, "There sighs and moans and utter wailing swept resounding through the dark and starless air. I heard them for the first time, and I wept." At the beginning of the book, he gave what I thought was a visual description of his Christian walk. I could have completely misinterpreted what it was meaning, but that's what I understood it as. During this visual, he talks about how he wondered so far off the "straight and true." What I thought was most interesting throughout thus whole sequence of events was the he wept for those souls wailing and screaming. Now, Dante doesn't strike me as the type that would cry over everything, but even then, he was weeping. If he had wandered so far off the path, then why did he weep for those lost souls? Maybe because they were tormented and he thought he might end up there as well? Or maybe it broke his hear...

                In Canto III of The Inferno, Dante enters the "Vestibule of Hell" and is introduced to "the opportunists." These are the people who did not choose evil or good, but chose personal gain. " They took no sides, therefore they are given no place. As they pursued the ever-shifting illusion of their own advantage, changing their courses with every changing wind, so they pursue eternally an elusive, ever-shifting banner."                How accurate is this concept regarding how so many of us live life today? We live in a culture that is so scared of offending others that people rarely speak out about how they truly feel. I believe as Christians we are becoming like these opportunists in a sense. Yes, we might choose good over evil, but we also tend to stay where we are most comfortable for fear of offending someone or causing conflict. Instead of standing firm in what we know is true, our...

       The biggest question I had while reading Dante's Inferno was "Why Virgil?" Why does this one poet get to represent human reason and lead Dante through Hell? Then, I realized...Virgil has already led someone through Hell, Aeneas. Now, this is metaphorical. Virgil does not literally lead Aeneas through Hell as he does in Dante's Inferno. Rather, he write Aeneas' journey through the underworld in The Aeneid . By writing Virgil into his story, Dante in a way gives credit to his inspiration.       The similarities between the two works is, obviously, that they are both written as Epic journeys. Also, both are led by a guide. Aeneas is led by the Sybil, a priestess, of Apollo's temple, while Dante is led by Virgil. In addition, they both contain many sections within them designated to certain types of individuals and sinners. Virgil's version of the Underworld includes a place just inside the gate for the dead souls who have not received proper b...

     There is an interesting female presence in the first and second cantos of Dante's The Inferno .       One female is mentioned in the first canto: the She-wolf. Dante encounters a leopard and a lion first while he is lost in the woods. They are described in around four or five lines, and he does not assign them a gender. However, the She-wolf is given seven lines, in which the utter despair she drives Dante into is described. Overall, the She-wolf is the most successful in keeping Dante from his destination. The She-wolf represents incontinence, or lack of self restraint. (Canto 1, lines 33-55) This "beast" represents despair and obstacles for Dante. She is keeping him from reaching his soul's desire.      There are three women which have an impact on Dante's journey in the second canto: Rachel, Lucia, and Beatrice. "Why / this heartsick hesitation and pale fright / when three such blessed Ladies lean from Heaven / in their concern f...

 This is my second post about Tolkien this semester but I am unashamed. I have always loved Tolkien but I never really realized all of the greats he pulled from to create his works. While reading Canto III, I realized something about Tolkien. His portrayal of The Paths of the Dead is parallel to Dante's description of the Gate to Hell. Enscribed on Dante's Gate is "Abandon all hope, you who enter here". Meanwhile, Tolkien's Path is described in a manner that highlighted its sublime eeriness and hopelessness. Both caves host ghosts who are caught in an almost-hell, or ante-Inferno. Tolkien's ghosts are damned to stay behind as they are cursed for abandoning their oath to protect the heir of Gondor. They are in-between, not quite living and not quite dead. This is similar to Dante's souls who are in the ante-Inferno; they are in the Medium-place. While they did not commit enough bad to merit Hell, they did not commit enough good to earn Heaven. This is very ...

 Of all the people Dante could have picked to lead him through Hell and eventually Purgatory, why did he choose Virgil? I know that in the translation I have, it says that “But just as all seems lost, a figure appears to him. It is the shade of Virgil, Dante’s symbol of human reason.” (Dante, p 3) Why was Virgil Dante’s symbol of human reason? It’s possible that Dante chose Virgil because he was one of the greatest poets known. It may also be that Dante wanted a native Italian to lead him through part of his journey. Dante may have also wanted a fellow author and writer of an epic to lead him.  Did anyone have any thoughts on this? I commented on Caroline’s post and Jamie’s post.

 Dante’s Inferno is a very interesting read with a lot of interesting symbolisms and concepts. There is so much that can be discussed and even argued about. One thing I found very  interesting is the concept of Limbo. Limbo seems to be a place of peace and of longing. At first, it does not show that there is punishment. That is because it is full of people who “were sinless. And still their merits fail, / for they lacked Baptism’s grace” (Dante, 33-35). They lacked sin but were not saved. Because of this, they were cast into limbo. Limbo is full of philosophers, mathematicians, and heroes. Mainly, it was full of smart people who did not know God. The thing about Limbo I find interesting is that at first glance it does not punish. If we look deeper, however, it is seen that there is an underlying punishment. The punishment is that they all are held by their desire (42). From what I could gather, Dante is not very clear as to what the desire is. I believe that there are two poss...

     In canto 1-5 of Inferno Dante presents himself in a distressed state of mind. He finds himself in a dark wood, drenched with fear. It is not until he sights his "lord" and hero Virgil that he begins to calm down. Virgil then begins to give a tour of Hell acting as Dante's tour guide. While I was reading this I tried imagining what it would be like if God took me on a tour of Hell. Would I be afraid? Would I be saddened? Would I feel sympathetic for the souls suffering in torment there? One thing is for certain, I would have a different perspective of my life goals if, or when, I returned.      If I was given a tour through Hell, I think the image would be seared into my mind. There is no chance that I would forget that horrific sight anytime soon. Along with that horrifying image would come a reminder: God does not want anyone to have to suffer in or experience that. He wants everyone to experience His love and presence rather than eternal torment. The...

  From a modern perspective, courtly love is something that is hard to understand. It's hard to imagine that people were able to separate their desire for physical connection form their admiration of a person. Compared to a modern view of love, which is often completely focused on the physical aspect, courtly love is very clearly an idealized version of love. However, it is too far of a stretch to believe that every "relationship" that began as courtly love remained pure. Canto V of Dante's Inferno  gives us a clear view of the line that should not be crossed.  Canto V describes Dante's experience in the second circle of Hell. He has descended from the first circle, Limbo, to a place of greater punishment. As he looks around, Dante sees two spirits floating side-by-side, Francesca and her lover. He asks how they came to be there. Francesca tells their sad story. What began as an innocent meeting (the two simply reading together) ended in their surrendering to the ...

     It goes without saying that hell in the Bible is nothing like hell in The Inferno . In the Bible, hell is the same for everyone there no matter what someone did on earth. But in The Inferno , hell is divided up in what I look as different punishments for different things, similar to how there is different punishments for crimes in today's judicial system. The one I find most interesting is circle I.      Circle I is where the virtuous pagans go along with those who were not baptized. Circle I is the least severe level of hell. What I find interesting is the reason as to why virtuous pagans get the least severe punishment. Dante said, "The signature of honor they left on earth is recognized in Heaven and wins them ease in Hell out of God's favor" (Dante 29). It is almost like works-based salvation, but instead of heaven you get "easy hell." Also, the reason they get to go here is because they did not know about God. So now its like a "you didn't...

                Ok so first impressions of   The Inferno   for me so far: First, the continuity that   Beowulf   had continued by explaining the banishing of all the monsters that were in works by Homer and Virgil allowed me to plot a sort of time line in where the stories had taken place in this fictional world, and I was all for a continued timeline by Dante! But, and I say this with the utmost sincerity, the choice of creating what his depiction of the afterlife would look like and creating a whole other fictional world actually helped set the scene for the first portion of the story. Second, and the main focus of this week’s blog, I really have to applaud the choices made in the world building by Dante. I typically put some sort of music on whenever I am reading, and playing some mysterious/ominous sounding music while imagining Dante’s first couple rings of hell was terrifying to say the least. The...

       Reading Dante’s Inferno has been a whirlwind of biases. At first, I was mad since people who were in Hell were there purely based off of what Dante thought of the characters. Sure, some of the people featured in Hell had reasons to corroborate their place, but others are there for reasons that are simply ludicrous. For example, Helen, most commonly known from Homer’s Iliad, was in the position of the third circle, Lust. If I remember correctly, Helen probably did not have a say as to who kidnapped her and used her body for pleasure which would fit the era that the famous story took place.       As I was writing the sentence right above what you are reading now, I thought of what the story would be like if Dante did not write with a bias, and I imagine that it would be very boring. Hell would be practically empty without biases. If you were Dante in modern era, who would be the people in your version of the Inferno? Of course, most people wi...

  According to Dante's Inferno, Hell is made up of nine circles that descend in order of severity-Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery. After reading Cantos 1-5, I have a lot to say to Dante here, but before I go off on my main rant, there's a side note I'd like to make. First off, while suicide is the murder of one's self, I'm not sure I believe that that would immediately send someone to Hell. Nine times out of ten people who do this usually have a chemical imbalance in their brain upon their death, and while this was unknown about the body back then, God sure as heck knew. So why in the heck does Dante put suicide victims on that sketched map, turning them into a wood with harpies (what the heck is harpies)?  I don't understand and I'd like to say more, but that would make my post long-winded even before I got to the meat of it. Moving from the seventh circle back down to the circles closer to the beginning, I find t...

Okay, since I was shot down so quickly in class, I am going to write about the first level of Hell and the first category of sin, incontinence. I am fully aware that the place that all the pre-Christ characters are is in Limbo, a more "space between" than an actual circle of hell, and without it, the number of circles would be eight. In numerology, the number eight symbolizes balance, an equal give and take, which honestly makes sense considering that Hell is considered to be divine justice and judgement for our sins (numerology.com). In relation to that, the added ninth circle of Limbo gives the whole place a different meaning, pretty much symbolizing a mockery of the Trinity. This reasoning makes sense, considering that Hell is run by Satan, who abhors justice and God, so these two ideas combined apply perfectly. Back to the point at hand, the first three levels of hell, Limbo, Lust, and Gluttony, deal with the sin of incontinence, or lack of self-control. In Limbo, the anc...

I said this same thing when reading John Milton's Paradise Lost , but Dante is going to be receiving a bit more credit since he, apparently, did it first. And to what am I referring, you ask? Well, isn't it obvious? This so-called Divine Comedy is no mere epic, no! It it something far more important . . . This trilogy is the world's first original fan-fic! While this may seem like a very non-scholarly topic to write about, I feel as though it is extremely vital to the betterment of this class to point out each of the scarily accurate similarities. To begin, Dante's Divine Comedy can be correctly classified as a self-insert fan-fiction. Unlike Milton's now-famous fan-fic, Paradise Lost , which was written as a mere re-telling of a classic tale, the Italian poet had to be a bit more creative. Dante decided to write about his take on the afterlife and, instead of publishing a lengthy philosophical work, he decided to produce a much more thrilling, first-person advent...

      As a Christian, I find Dante's writing eye-opening. Dante's interpretation of Hell is interesting since everything has a deeper allegorical meaning; he really thinks about the things which we do not like to think about-- unbelievers burning in Hell for eternity. I believe human nature makes us steer away from the negative and only look or think about the positive. For example, when someone has to tell us about a certain scenario with good news and bad news, most people choose to hear the bad news first and the positive news second.      Why are we like this? Sometimes, I think we need to talk about the bad subjects in life. I feel like the only way to change issues in society is by speaking up and by striving to change. I am sure Dante knew he would have many naysayers against him, but he also knew he would have many people who wanted change in their culture.      I believe  The Inferno is meant to bring conviction to Christians to...

I find it very interesting the order of actions in lines 2115-2140. What I am curious about is which part of the king's statement to beowulf encouraged him to kill grenades mother. "And so the heartsore king beseeched me in your royal name to take my chances underwater, to win the glory and prove my worth. He promised me rewards." line 2131-2134. Was Beowulf more inspired by the kings lavished gifts or driven by his sense to prove himself. In my limited experience with the military especially the marines there is a great emphasis placed upon proving ones worth. Beowulf being a warrior categorizes him similarly to a modern day military man or at least combat veteran. I would love to get more opinions on the matter. I don't see much of problem with the idea of being a hero for hire (cough cough Mandalorian cough cough) although some may disagree because it allows for malleable morals. I see Beowulf much more inspired by the idea of proving ones worth. Now I wouldn't...

 In continuation of my last blog post, I still do not believe that Grendel's mother was totally in the wrong here. Matter of fact, I believe that her actions are totally justifiable. That being said, I do not believe that Grendel's mother is good. She came from darkness, was made with darkness, and was created as innately evil. However, her actions were not malicious in the way that could be categorized as evil. Her actions were spurred by the death of her son. she simply did what any good mother would do and avenged her son. Now, naturally, this would spur a whole debate about the capabilities of something inherently evil doing something morally good, but if we're being honest, I don't currently have the brainpower to dive into that. All I'm saying is that even though Grendel's mother is supposed to be evil, she somehow managed to do something that many would argue is good. Obviously killing someone isn't good, but her motive was pure. She was grieving her ...

 One of the themes found in Beowulf is loyalty but nothing quite describes the loyalty of Wiglaf. When Beowulf fights the dragon and it seems that the dragon is regaining its strength, Beowulf’s comrades-in-arms turn tail and run into the woods. “But within one heart sorrow welled up: in a man of worth the claims of kinship cannot be denied.” (Beowulf, line 2599-2601) Wiglaf isn’t an experienced warrior like  Beowulf; in fact, this is his first fight. Wiglaf addresses his companions and remembers the times that they all swore loyalty to Beowulf when they had been hand-picked. Wiglaf then stands beside his master and fights the dragon. When I read this part, I noticed a similarity between Wiglaf and God. God is always there for us even when we feel He isn’t. We as fallen man will always chase after things to fill a hole inside of us and some will keep chasing after things till the day they die. The only thing that can fill that hole is God. When we ask God for help, He will hel...

 During class we discussed some escape questions with one being "What is a Christian hero in the work and does Beowulf live up to those standards? As we read, there are definitely elements that point towards a type of Christian philosophy. A philosophy that I've thought on a lot is the protection that God gave Beowulf. Throughout the story, Beowulf makes it recognizable as to how God is his protector and how he is shielded, but to be protected, you have to earn his protection. When I think of this protection, I always think of God's armor for us, mostly the shield within the armor. We use the armor to resist attacks the have setbacks and harmful energy constantly coming at us. The shield protects us from fiery darts and enemies that want to take control of our lives and others. God never leaves us defenseless. His power will forever be on our back for fights.  I commented on Emma Kate and Leanne's post.

      Mothers. We love them. We have a special day every year to celebrate every mother whether it be blood relations or not. However, does being a mother make mothers good?      If one thinks rationally, motherhood does not include the automatic title of being a mother. Follow my train of thought. I promise this may make sense afterwards. Think of someone who birth another person, but was not sufficient in supplying the needs their child needed. I am not referring to a person who simply could not supply the needs, but someone who will  not supply the needs for their children. This is not a good mom; some may say that the person in question is not even a mother. If you are familiar with an advertisement that is commonly played over the radio to promote adoption, and it talks about how a someone does not need to be a father in order to be a dad. I believe that the same principle resides in this post.      For example, a mother in Flo...

 Instead of doing something creative or profound, I'm just going to discuss my thoughts on one of the questions we talked about in class: the question about whether or not Beowulf won against the dragon at the end. In determining whether he won or not, we should consider his goal. That is, killing the dragon and gaining fame. Does he do it? Well, obviously. The dragon is killed by his hands (or rather, his dagger), and the tale of Beowulf lives on. Since his tale is still told today, I think it is fair to say that his goal of attaining fame has been reached. But then again, he is a fictional character, so who cares? But the question remains: does he truly win if he dies in the end? Well, there is a literary term called a Pyrrhic Victory. It means a victory at a terrible cost, usually a cost in resources or men. In this case, it was Beowulf's life. But again, the term is Pyrrhic VICTORY, so I believe he did win in the end. At least, those are my thoughts on it. Edit: Commented o...

The women in Beowulf are written leaning heavily on the nurturing aspect of a woman. Both Hildebuhr and Wealhtheow are written pouring mead into glasses (page 83). They are displaying a mothering spirit towards the soldiers. In the poem, Hildebuhr is written in grieving heavily for her son and his uncle (page 73). Grendel's mom is even included in this nurturing character, as she is written to be evil. Despite this, she still grieves her son. This displays that the culture in which Beowulf  came to be valued mothers, as they put them in poems about fighting and soldiers.  It's interesting that Wealhtheow shows up to the mead hall after everyone has already arrived and taken a seat. She is described as being adorned in gold. This must be a note to her position as the leading lady. This may be a simple coincidence, but I couldn't help noticing the similarity in Grendel's mother's entrance and Wealhtheow's entrance. They are described as looking and acting complete...

      In lines 1932-1962 a beautiful story of change from bad to good is displayed. It is the story of Queen Modthryth and how she grew into a charismatic woman following her marriage to Offa. In lines 1932-1943 it discusses her cruel ways and how she tortured innocent people. The book says,":he was kept bound in hand-tightened shackles, racked, tortured until doom was pronounced- death by the sword, slash of blade, blood-gush and death qualms in an evil display." (Heaney, 133) By this quote we can assume that the innocent people were tortured and killed just for making eye contact with the queen. The book even goes on to say that even a queen does not have the power to do what Queen Modthryth did. I think this can bring up the question of how far a queen's power extends. To what extent can a queen go before she exceeds her power? Even in today's society we struggle with the idea of power. This is the reason a balance of power must exist in our government. Our govern...

    In the first two acts(if you will) of Beowulf , Beowulf appears to represent the "Christian hero." He fights in the name of God, gives praise to God for his wins, and says that it is up to God to determine the winner of the fight. He fights for the Danes and is given the opportunity to rule their kingdom as a result of it(further in the story after King Hrothgar's death) but chooses not to take it, rather he assists the more rightful heir to the throne in ruling. In the first two acts of the story, it is okay that Beowulf fight, despite the risk it puts on his life, because he is not leading a kingdom. His death would, arguably, not leave an entire kingdom in ruin devoid of leadership. In Act III of Beowulf, the case is different.     The threat within the third act of Beowulf is a dragon who has terrorized the Geats. They "bore the brunt of his[the dragon's] brutal assaults and virulent hate" (2317-2319). The threat posed by the dragon bring into ...

 What makes a Christian hero? It's fairly straightforward. In Biblical literature, a hero is someone who is or acts like Jesus Christ. This can be in his selfless acts, defeat of evil, or sacrificial acts. Jesus selflessly came to earth and ministered to those around him. He will defeat the evil of Satan. He sacrificed Himself on the cross for our sins. Naturally, His actions are those of a Christian hero, because He is what Christians strive to be.  I believe that Beowulf does exhibit the characteristics of a Christian hero. He selflessly chose to fight Grendel and Grendel's mother, risking his life. He sacrificed himself at the end against the dragon. I would even argue that he knew he was going to lose - who thinks they're going to win against a dragon? - but chose to go anyway. In a way, he did win: he slaughtered the threat and made sure his people were safe. Like I said, it's pretty straightforward here if you look at those specific points. PS Emmett and Abigale