El Viaje to El Paso, TX

I went to El Paso, Texas for winter break, and I saw all of my family on my dad and mom's side.  On Christmas Eve I spent the time with my mom's side, and being of Mexican Heritage I had about six bowls of Menudo and they were delicious.  Then I had about seven different pieces of pie, and six breads of my choice.  Then I topped all off with some tamarindo and candy canes. Then my Tio Turi showed me how to drive, but my mom is unaware of that little part of my vacation.  So I guess I beat her this time (chuckle).

Then on Christmas Day I went with my dads side (which by the way he has ten siblings and only one bathroom imagine that), and then I had a quick mass because we are all Catholic and my uncle is a priest.  Then I pigged out for the second time.  I ate tamales, enchiladas, nachos, pan dulce,  a lot of soda, menudo, and some cake.  I really wasn't feeling good later that night, so I had to drink some Pepto- Bismol and everything became OK.  The next couple of days I just saw all my family then I saw the Dallas Cowboys take a disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, I was very depressed that night I almost cried myself to sleep.  

The night before I came back to the freezing cold of Minnesota (which I despise) I went to Juarez to visit some of my family and we had loud music and a pinata which by the way I had accumulated the most candy that anybody else.  The next day I came back to Minnesota (depressed), and I was pretty angry the whole trip, except when I was eating some cotton candy (which I stole from my sister's purse).  That was my winter break to El Paso Texas and I can almost assure you it was better than everyone elses (Once again I chuckle).

Commentary

Aaron Fernandez

10 IB Ms. Peifer

8 January 2009

Inferno Commentary

"'I was still new to this estate of tears when a Mighty One descended here among us, crowned with the sing of His victorious years.  He took from us the shade of our first parent, of Abel, his pure son, of ancient Noah, of Moses, the bringer of law, the obedient.  Father Abraham, David the King, Israel with his father and his children, Rachel, the holy vessel of His blessing, and many more He chose elevation among the elect. And before these, you must know, no human soul had ever won salvation." We had not paused as he spoke, but held our road and passed meanwhile beyond a press of souls crowded about like trees in a thick wood.  And we had not traveled far from where I woke when I made out a radiance before us that struck away a hemisphere of dark"(Dante, 52-69).

This passage is significant because it shows that Dante has a sense of religion and he gives the chronology of the ancestors of Jesus Christ.  He also writes that no man had won had won salvation until there were these God elected people.  The theme in this passage is the fact that we need something to believe in that takes away our suffering and brings light to the world in his case God.  An emotional component is the way he expresses his religion and that he does believe in God.  He believes that there would be no light without him. 

An important literary device in this context is motif in this case the word "His or He."  Dante refers to God when he uses these pronouns, he tries to explain that he is the all powerful and that he can take what he gives to humans.  "He took from us the shade of our first parent, of Abel, his pure son, of ancient Noah, of Moses, the bringer of law, the obedient" (55-57).  Dante shows that he (God) choose these people to proclaim his word and to have others follow, and before them there was nothing.  That God is the almighty and that he is the one that helps humans bring light to the world.  Dante shows here why he is going through with going to Hell that he believes there is a better place that he is meant to be in, and that he wants to be there. "We had not paused as he spoke, but held our road and passed meanwhile beyond a press of souls crowded about like trees in a thick wood" (64-66).  Dante isn't afraid and he just listens to what his guide is telling him to do and even though he is scared he keeps on going.  He notices all the souls that are suffering and that they want to get out of Hell but cannot because they have to do their penance.

Point- of - view is another literary device that is used in this text.  "And we had not traveled far from where I woke when I made out a radiance before us that struck away a hemisphere of dark" (67-69).  Dante writes here that he believes that God takes away the darkness in the world and he shares that with his readers.  He writes what he believes to be real and writes about it.  This is a big part of the story as a whole because it shows why Dante quotes or refers to the Bible or to God so much in this story.  This literary device is important because it tells the reader where he is coming from and what his views are of the situation at hand.  

Dante uses another literary device which is a simile in the quote, "We had not paused as he spoke, but held our road and passed meanwhile beyond a press of souls crowded about like trees in a thick wood" (64- 66). Similes are important to the story because they make them easier to understand and the reader can find a common theme or idea with the author.  Dante described that the souls were all closely together with very little room to move, and it is like woods with a lot of trees.  That the souls were to close together to move around.

The reason to choose this specific passage is to really notice where Dante is coming from and why he refers to God and the Bible so many times in the Inferno.  The whole story revolves around God and Hell, and what happens if humans cause chaos on the Earth.  This passage brings to a realization what the story really means to Dante, and brings his point of view forth.

MacAllister, Archibald T. Inferno. Trans. John Ciardi. New York: Signet Classics, 2001.