Cerbeus - http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu

Schema: we reviewed what is needed in the project PowerPoint.

Use the rubric below as a guide to make sure you have covered all the critical information.

1. Canto ___ ________________________________
2. Circle ___ ________________________________
3. Sin ___ ________________________________
4. Punishment ________________________________
5. Mythic figure ________________________________
6. Character/sinner ________________________________
7. Citation __ _____________________________
8. Discussion Basic Proficient Goal Exemplar
9.Literary concepts Basic Proficient Goal Exemplar
10.Class work Basic Proficient Goal Exemplar
11.PowerPoint Basic Proficient Goal Exemplar
12.Presentation Basic Proficient Goal Exemplar

Remember to discuss literary concepts - allegory, archetypes, imagery, symbols. Also, don't confuse imagery and symbol. Imagery is language used to create a vivid image, like when you were grossed out by the worms and maggots eating the offal from the Opportunists. A symbol has a meaning outside of itself and its story context.

Edit the PowerPoint using the rule of six - no more that 6 bullet points and six words per point. We can violate this somewhat because of the quotes and the fact that this will be a resource to be read later on, not simply presented.

Two quotes are needed and they will be cited as such: (X. 23-24) A quote from the summary or notes simply lists a page number: (163).

I expect you'll have read the canti before and after your canto and that you'll use them if necessary to define the sin, sinner, or punishment.

Good luck - we begin presenting tomorrow.

November 9, 2006

Schema: SAT

Class reviewed Canto presentation rubric and selected information from Canto VI that might be used for a presentation.

Class time was given to work on projects.

Homework: canto project

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Michelangelos' Minos - Sistine Chapel

Schema: SAT question of the day – vocabulary.

We reviewed first section of Success with Words - the influence of Latin roots.

The Student Canto project was introduced. Students are assigned a canto that they will teach to the class. They must read the canto along with the canti that precede and follow. This will allow for a better understanding of the canto’s action, from where Dante came and where he is going. The PowerPoint must present specific information, have appropriate visuals, and quotes from the poem to support the presentation. The rubric and sample canto presentations are on Student Public (section below)

• Read assigned canto + canto before and after
• Create a PowerPoint with visuals to teach the canto to the class
• The PowerPoint will list:
– Canto # and Circle #
– the sin/sinners and their punishment
– Mythic figure (if in canto)
– primary sinner(s) if named
• and
– provide a brief description of the action
– Discuss symbols, allegory, imagery, archetypes
– Must cite from the text at least twice

Canto V finds us in the Second Circle with the Carnal. We meet Minos who assigns sinners to their appropriate circle with his tail (e.g. circle five is five wraps of the tail). The carnal are caught up in a terrible whirlwind (reflecting their passions) and see a number of lusty sinners such as Helen of Troy and Achilles. Dante is still sympathetic with the sinners and swoons; this is key since he must learn that the sinners choose to be in the inferno and he should not feel sorry for them.

Monday, November 6, 2006

Quiz Wednesday (11-8) on material covered to date. This will include highlights from Canti I - IV, and a reading check on Canti V - VI.

Schema was SAT question of the day. Remember to look for pronoun antecedents to make sure they work.

We covered Canti III - IV. Remember the Acheron as the first river in the Inferno, and the odd Charon as its ferryman. Remember the inclusion of Pope Celestine V into the Vestibule of Hell. Please note that Celestine, while reviled by Dante, was made a Saint by the Catholic Church.

The souls are "eager" to go into the inferno since they have exercised their free will and chosen their path to darkness. This concept of free will is critical to this section and others. Free will, as I understand it, is the power of moral beings (us) to chose without physical or other restraints - there are no excuses. Canto IV is about Limbo and Dante meeting the great poets, who embrace him as one of their own. This concept of Limbo is controversial and confusing.

Satire, parody, irony, allegory, imagery are all important concepts to keep in mind while reading Dante (and for the quiz). For those who are interested, here is the Cagle cartoon link. I think there is an interesting connection to Dante's imagistic writing and today's political cartoons. In case you missed it, Dante starts his journey on Good Friday, the day Christ was said to be crucified, and will exit on Easter, a symbolic resurrection. Look for all the water images in the text - the archetype of rebirth.

Homework: Canti V-VI, complete organizer

Friday, November 3, 2006

Schema today was on Canto I. Keep those facts in mind as they will help you understand why Dante is going to the inferno and how Dante uses allegory and symbols. You'll also see these questions on future quizzes and tests.

We did an SAT practice test - the reading section.

We reviewed Canti I and II and slide 3, main characters. II explains some facts and gives background that is helpful, not a lot happens. Remember Limbo and Aeneas for future reference. Dante's journey is a quest to find salvation or heaven. Virgil, human reason can only get him so far. To get to Paradise he needs divine love, represented by Beatrice and the three female saints. He can't get by the beasts, or sins, until he recognizes them and renounces them. Note that the day is Good Friday, the day Christ died according to Christians.

Homework: Canti III and IV - complete the organizer. Prepare for quiz...

Thursday, November 2, 2006

A Block caught up with slide 2. Myth presentations made up most of class. More than 1/2 the class was at the college expo.

Canto I finds Dante lost in the Dark Wood of Error - you need to use this full name when asked where we find him in Canto I. He is on his way to The Mount of Joy when blocked by the three beasts (leopard, lion, she-wolf). He meets Virgil, symbol of human reason, the Roman poet of the Aeneid, who was sent by Dante's great love, Beatrice. Virgil tells him he must go the long way to reach the mount.

When reading the canti, start with the prose introduction, review the notes at the back of the canto, and then read the canto. Complete the organizer. Make sure you look for archetypes.

Wednesday, November 1, 2006

Street sign in Florence with Dante quote.

This post's links are for information only - not required reading.

We began with a quiz on the Dante video and last night’s reading. A Block did slide 1 and B, C Blocks did slides 1-2. Keep in mind the importance of structure, order and numbers in the Divine Comedy, and the Inferno. Remember - you must list the books, Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise, in order, and the beasts, Leopard, Lion and She-wolf, in order. The number 3 is critical because of the Trinity and its parody, Dis, with his three hideous faces. 9 is the square of 3 and the number of rings in the Inferno. 100, the square of 10, is the number of canti in the Comedy: 33 + intro, 34 in the Inferno, and 33 each in Purgatory and Paradise. Also, keep in mind the concept of free will, which is important to the theology of Dante. It is the sinners who condemn themselves to the inferno, not God. Dante’s God is just but always offers grace, love and forgiveness. The horrors of the Inferno reflect Dante’s world of Florence and Italy; the physical torture a reflection of what he saw in his life. Keep in mind that as we walk with Dante through the inferno, it is Dante’s task (and ours, which is why he wrote the poem) to recognize that it is the sinners who brought this upon themselves.

We had Myth PowerPoint presentations today – good job by everyone.

Homework: Read Canto I and complete the organizer.

Ciao