Literature Analysis: Inferno

The novel begins with Dante lost in a forest. This symbolizes him being in a bad place in his life. He is trying to get to the top of a mountain, but he is blocked. He soon finds a stranger named Virgil. Virgil leads him through hell, because it's the only way to get to the top of the mountain. They descend through hell and see Satan himself, at which point they climb into his loincloth and ascend to Purgatorio. The theme of this novel is that the oath to salvation is not easy. It is hard and takes many sacrifices. The protagonist, Dante, is dynamic, yet flat. He changes throughout the story, but not much is revealed about him. I chose this book because u wanted a challenge. It is really good.

Greek Drama Questions

1. What kind of prize is given for dancing choruses of worshippers?
Answer: The dancing choruses of worshippers were awarded a bull or a goat.
2. How many spectators would gather in the open-air theatre of Dionysos?
Answer: As many as fourteen thousand spectators gathered in the open-air theatre.
3. How does the mask affect the voices of the actors?
Answer: These masks had mouthpieces that amplified the actors’ voices.
4. Why was Antigone suspenseful to viewing audiences?
Answer: Suspense came from their knowledge of things the characters on stage did not know.
5. How is the shepherd to leave the infant on the mountainside?
Answer: The shepherd is to leave the baby with his ankles pinned together.
6. What is the riddle the Sphinx gave to Oedipus?
Answer: “What creature goes on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?”
7. Who are Oedipus' kids?
Answer: Oedipus’ kids were two sons, Polyneices and Etocles; and two daughters, Antigone and Ismene.
8. After Oedipus is exiled, who takes over Thebes?
Answer: Jocasta’s brother and Oedipus’ uncle Creon took over Thebes.
9. What did the family do to the dead body?
Answer: Creon decreed that Polyneices; body be left unburied, to rot in the sun outside the city gates.

Latin Roots #6

Roots and Derivatives 

1. corp(or) (body): corpse, corporation, corps, corpuscle, corporeal, corpus, corset

2. cred (to believe, to trust): credo, credit, discredit, credence, credentials, accreditation

3. cur(r), curs, course (to run, to flow): current, excursion, discourse, concur, recourse, curriculum, recurrent

4. dic(t) (to speak, to say): diction, indication, edict, jurisdiction, dictionary, addict, interdiction

Word List

1. benediction: the invocation of a divine blessing, as at the close of a religious service; a blessing or a state of blessedness
Example: He dismissed the congregation with a benediction.

2. concourse: a running or flowing together; a broad public walkway or hallway; a crowd or throng
Example: The woman was lost among the concourse at the concert.

3. concurrent: occurring at the same time; meeting or acting together
Example: Earthquakes and tsunamis are usually concurrent, causing massive damage.

4. corporal: related to the physical body
Example: Although corporal punishment is illegal in schools, some students see p.e as the same thing.

5. corpulent: very stout; fleshy and obese; fat
Example: More and more americans have steadily become corpulent due to fast food.

6. credibility: the quality of being believable or trustworthy
Example: The singer lost all credibility after being caught lip syncing the national anthem.

7. credulity: the (naïve)willingness to believe too easily without proof
Example: The internet has caused human credulity to become much more common.

8. cursory: done in a superficial or hasty manner
Example: The knot was cursory, ended up coming loose dropping the bag.

9. dictum: an authoritative saying or maxim
Example: His favorite dictum was, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

10. incorporate: to form into one body or functioning unit; to combine several different things into a whole
Example: The author liked to incorporate parts of her past into her writing.

11. incredulous: not believing, skeptical, or doubting
Example: The girl had an incredulous look on her face after watching the magician's act.

12. indicative: characteristic of or very much like; suggestive
Example: The results of the CAT scan were indicative of some type of tumor growth.

Antigone Quick Write

My favorite brother is dead. I would mourn his dead and pray for his salvation. My uncle has declared himself king. I would question his authority. If he said that my brother should not be buried then he is wrong. He must be insane and not fit to be king. I would argue with him the decision to call my favorite brother a traitor. He must not have heard the whole story, since it was my least favorite brother's fault that they both died. I would not listen to him and take my brother from the dump and give him a proper funeral and burial. I would also talk to my sister about our uncle. She obvious has no sense if she is afraid of that psycho. If all else fails, I would run away to Canada. The End.