How many differences can people see with just their eyes? For example, take a coconut tree and an oak tree and compare them. Anyone can spot the obvious differences between the two trees such as one grows coconuts, and the other does not. Many differences between the trees, however, take more than the eye to find. The age difference between the trees can not be spotted by just looking at a tree. A person would need to cut the tree and the count the rings on the inside of the wood. These hidden similarities can also be found between “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens and “Dante’s Inferno” by Dante Alighieri. A book about a grumpy man on Christmas, and a lone man traveling through the depths of hell may not sound similar, but at a closer …show more content…
In A Christmas Carol for example, Marley, a ghost, says, “A very little more is all permitted to me. I cannot rest, I cannot stay, I cannot linger anywhere. My spirit never walked beyond our counting house--mark me!--in life my spirit never roved beyond the narrow limits of our money-changing hole; and weary journeys lie before me!” Marley, who in his time alive sinned, now roams the earth for eternity. While he roams the earth he also must wear chains. “Again the spectre raised a cry, and shook its chain and wrung its shadowy hands. You are fettered, said Scrooge, trembling. Tell me why? I wear the chain I forged in life, replied the Ghost. [Marley] I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?” (A Christmas Carol). In Scrooge’s world spirits roam the earth lamenting over their sins while some form of punishment accompanies them. This displays quite a contrast from Dante’s world. Dante must travel to Hell to view the dead, and the dead become punished at Hell. The dead also receive their punishments in Hell as well. “Both soles of every sinner were on fire; their joints were writhing with such violence, they would have severed withes and ropes of grass,” (Dante’s Inferno, Canto 19). The sinners in Dante’s world suffer in hell with much more violent punishments. The dead spirits show …show more content…
The first difference occurs in the number of spirit guides each character uses. In Dante’s Inferno Dante’s spirit guide is the great writer Virgil. In A Christmas Carol Scrooge needs the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come to guide him on his journey. Another difference between the spirit guides appears in their manner towards the person they guide. Dante’s spirit guide Virgil for example, explains to him the layout of Hell when he asks. “My on, within this ring of broken rocks, he then began, there are three smaller circles; like those that you are leaving, they range down. Those circles are all full of cursed spirits; so that your seeing of them may suffice, learn now the why and how of their confinement,” (Dante’s Inferno, Canto 11). Virgil explains to Dante that their are now levels of Hell and the farther down you go, the worse the sinners and the punishments for the sinners become. Scrooge’s third guide the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come does not even talk to Scrooge. “I am in the presence of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come? Said Scrooge. The spirit answered not, but pointed onward with its hand,” (A Christmas Carol). Virgil acts as a way for all of Dante’s questions to become answered while he dwells in Hell unlike Scrooge’s guides who only guide Scrooge to try to make him change his greedy ways of life. The
Upon entering hell with Virgil, Dante becomes witness to the true perfection of the justice done to sinners after their earthly life is over. This divine justice inflicted by God chooses to punish the souls in hell in a way very similar or representative to how the souls sinned on Earth. For instance, those guilty of the sin of wrath "tear each other limb from limb" (133), a punishment which directly relates to the actions of the sinners. However, there are also punishments that are more symbolic of the actions of the sinners, such as th...
Some traditional stories are so influential, they are born again in modern-day books. Such as, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Ebenezer Scrooge lives in London in the 1800’s. He is selfish and greedy. His ex-partner comes to visit him as a ghost. He warns him that he will be visited by three spirits: The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present, and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Just like A Christmas Carol, How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss, The Grinch is mean. He tries to steal the Who’s, from the imaginary town of Whoville, Christmas spirit and happiness. Cindy Lou Who helps The Grinch become a better person. And of course, The Grinch’s dog, Max, tags along.
Behaving wrong could ruin many friendships. Especially the ones you love. A Christmas Carol is a perfect example of this. It shows how greed and anger can destroy some great companionships. The main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is the very greedy man of this play/movie. All he cares about is making money and using it all on himself. Until he gets visited by three ghosts which are the past, the present, and the future. This drama and movie have many similarities, yet many differences.
In the fictional play, A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley, by Israel Horovitz, Scrooge’s first impression is not very good. He refuses to donate to the poor, he dismisses family who want a relationship, and he is miserable and tries to make others the same way. When two men come to see Scrooge, they were asking for donations for the poor. Scrooge, being one of the wealthiest people in the community, is very dismissive, wrongfully so, and asks the two men to leave empty handed. When Scrooge asks if there are workhouses for the poor to go to, the men explain that most people would rather die than to go there. In response Scrooge states, “If they would rather die, than they had better do it and decrease the surplus in population.” (649) When
Ring, Ring, Ring! People begin to celebrate the spirit of Christmas. I walk through town seeing everyone celebrating Christmas and having a good time with their family. Around these times you can tell how generous people become and people begin to change due to the holiday spirit. People don't always change due to the holiday spirits. In the stories of “Dante’s Inferno” and “A Christmas Carol” both show many similarities and differences through them. Some similarities consist both have guides, both have chapters that represent different places or times, and they both have consequences on their actions. Then the differences consist that they have different places they go through, the age differences, and Scrooge changes his lifestyle while Dante
Throughout the history of literature, many interesting and unique characters have been presented to readers. Characters that have appeared in the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald and J.R.R Tolkien, are such characters will never be forgotten. Not only are these characters and their stories unforgettable, but they also relate to each other. This case is true in multiple ways between Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” and Dante’s “Inferno”. “A Christmas Carol” and “Inferno” are similar because the main characters are very similar to each other, the stories start out the same, and the plots run very closely.
How do we know when or how to change ourselves as people? Sometimes, we all need a shove from something or someone to help us better ourselves. The most dominant factors are kindness, fear, and regret. These three things can make us willing to go through the hassle and hard work of breaking out of a habit, whether it be putting your feet on the couch, or your attitude.
In "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes a transformation as a result of his encounters with three ghosts and becomes a kind, happy, and generous man. His greedy, cruel, and grumpy demeanor is replaced seemingly overnight, but he doesn’t just wake up and decide to be nice. It takes three Spirits to change his outlook on life - The Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future. The Ghost of Christmas Past makes Scrooge begin to regret his selfishness, and the Ghost of Christmas Present begins to teach him about others. This second Ghost helps to make him realize that money doesn't buy happiness. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, however, teaches the most profound lesson of all: unless he changes, no one will care if Scrooge dies. Because of the Ghosts, by Christmas morning Ebenezer Scrooge is a completely different person from the man who went to bed on Christmas Eve.
... All of these differences between the two authors contributed to the different visions of the underworld in The Odyssey and Dante’s Inferno. There is no doubt that the two different descriptions of the underworld share many traits, nevertheless, the differences outweigh the similarities. Hell primarily focuses on punishing sinners; the House of Death does not. In fact, Odysseus meets many more people who are not being punished, than those who are.
The Divine Comedy and the Bible are similar and different in many ways. Dante includes Paradiso (Heaven), Purgatory, and Inferno (Hell) in The Divine Comedy. It talks about where people go when they die. The Bible differs from this because there is only Heaven and Hell. There is not a middle place, such as Purgatory, where people go to repent of their sins even after death. Also, unlike Inferno, Hell is not split up into many categories. In the Bible they go straight into Heaven or Hell. Also, everyone’s new bodies in the two stories are different. The Divine Comedy and the Bible have several complex ideas, and the comparisons and contrasts of the two are interesting.
Dante’s The Divine Comedy illustrates one man’s quest for the knowledge of how to avoid the repercussions of his actions in life so that he may seek salvation in the afterlife. The Divine Comedy establishes a set of moral principles that one must live by in order to reach paradiso. Dante presents these principles in Inferno where each level of Hell has people suffering for the sins they committed during their life. As Dante gets deeper into Hell the degrees of sin get progressively worse as do the severity of punishment. With that in mind, one can look at Inferno as a handbook on what not to do during a lifetime in order to avoid Hell. In the book, Dante creates a moral lifestyle that one must follow in order to live a morally good, Catholic
Despite the obvious flaws of Dante himself, he does give a clear vision of how punishments will be taken forth in the afterlife. He gives reason to fear and respect the law of God lest eternal punishment be your only promise in the afterlife. These punishments are as relevant as can be, so he offers a very vivid picture of hell. The men that he puts in hell give it a realistic twist, enhancing the fear that is felt upon reading this work
In Dante’s Inferno, the relationship between Dante the Pilgrim and Virgil the Guide is an ever-evolving one. By analyzing the transformation of this relationship as the two sojourn through the circles of hell, one is able to learn more about the mindset of Dante the Poet. At the outset, Dante is clearly subservient to Virgil, whom he holds in high esteem for his literary genius. However, as the work progresses, Virgil facilitates Dante’s spiritual enlightenment, so that by the end, Dante has ascended to Virgil’s spiritual level and has in many respects surpassed him. In Dante’s journey with respect to Virgil, one can see man’s spiritual journey towards understanding God. While God loves man regardless of his faults, His greatest desire is to see man attain greater spirituality, in that man, already created in God’s image, may truly become divine, and in doing so, attain eternality.
Dante’s work Inferno is a vivid walkthrough the depths of hell and invokes much imagery, contemplation and feeling. Dante’s work beautifully constructs a full sensory depiction of hell and the souls he encounters along the journey. In many instances within the work the reader arrives at a crossroads for interpretation and discussion. Canto XI offers one such crux in which Dante asks the question of why there is a separation between the upper levels of hell and the lower levels of hell. By discussing the text, examining its implications and interpretations, conclusions can be drawn about why there is delineation between the upper and lower levels and the rationale behind the separation.
In his first article of The Inferno, Dante Alighieri starts to present a vivid view of Hell by taking a journey through many levels of it with his master Virgil. This voyage constitutes the main plot of the poem. The opening Canto mainly shows that, on halfway through his life, the poet Dante finds himself lost in a dark forest by wandering into a tangled valley. Being totally scared and disoriented, Dante sees the sunshine coming down from a hilltop, so he attempts to climb toward the light. However, he encounters three wild beasts on the way up to the mountain—a leopard, a lion, and a she-wolf—which force him to turn back. Then Dante sees a human figure, which is soon revealed to be the great Roman poet Virgil. He shows a different path to reach the hill and volunteers to be Dante’s guide, leading Dante to the journey towards Hell but also the journey seeking for light and virtue.