Inferno literary analysis paper

Please follow directions to the tea. Have attached the book. The citation and ISBN for the book if needed. Damrosch, David, and David L. Pike. The Anthology of World Literature: Vol. B: the Medieval Era. Pearson Longman, 2009. 9780205625963

Topic: I thought we would try something different this semester. I want all of you to write a formal literary analysis on Dante’s Inferno. In this paper, you will research and write about one of the following:

1. Throughout Dante’s journey, what does he learn about himself? Discuss his self-discovery journey to enlightenment and attaining spiritual insight and balance in his life.

2. Do you agree with Dante’s arrangement of sins, and do you think the order is right? Include all 9 circles.

3. How does allegory function in Inferno? Think about the subject on both a universal level (Inferno as an Everyman story) and a particular level (the correspondence between specific punishments and specific sins).

4. Discuss symbolism and its significance throughout the story.

For this paper, you will need to carefully read in detail the nine circles of hell described by Dante. Think about the souls in which he encounters along the way to the Center of HELL. How does he react? What lessons does he learn? Our modern day conception of this should vary amongst all of you. Dante captures the imagination of many students who read the Inferno. Some students get upset, and some feel indifferent. You will need to discuss the nine circles, the details of each, and what Dante encounters and learns along his journey. Make sure that you make knowledgeable references to the Inferno. Your paper will be graded on the amount of knowledge that you present and all mechanics of good writing.

Depending on the topic you choose, your essay should make an argument that deals directly and thoroughly with the issue(s) raised in the topic. Support the specific points of your paper with evidence – citations and examples from the text. Keep in mind that citations alone are not evidence. You must accompany citations with your analysis. Focus your paper on the specific, close reading as opposed to general comments and observations.

Requirements:

1. The literary paper must include a:

A. Paper including in-text citations in outside sources
B. Cite all sources used on a Works Cited
D. 3rd person point of view

2. The literary paper must be typed (minimum length of 3-4 pages, excluding the Works Cited page in MLA format. Use a 12 point font size of Times New Roman and double space everything

3. Document all secondary sources

4. Make sure that you evaluate all secondary sources. Use your judgment on validity/credibility of .com sources or any other sources that are not .edu sources

5. You will not be able to use spark notes or cliff notes.

General points to remember: please follow them rigorously to write a good analysis and avoid misunderstandings.

1. Provide an interesting title – not something vague, and not just the title of the literary work. Do not underline it or put it in quotation marks because your essay is not published. Do not bold it or type in all caps, though you must capitalize all major words in the title. Do, however, observe the rules for titles of works you include in your own title as well as in the essay.

2. Identify the author (s) and title (s) or the work (s) you are studying in the opening paragraph. Use the author’s full name the first time you refer to him or her, then last name only thereafter. Do not use a title such as Mrs. or Mr. and never refer to the author by first name. Once you have identified the author and title, you do not need to keep repeating the full name and title.

Be sure to answer the following questions in your introduction as you write your paper:

1. What is the literary work?
2. Who is the author?
3. Are there important facts about the author that significantly affect the content of the literary work?
4. When was the literary work written?
5. What is the genre of the literary work?
6. What are the long-lasting effects of the literary work?
7. What themes or literary devices are evident in the literary work?
8. Your thesis should be the last sentence in the introduction paragraph.

3. At the end of your introduction, include the author’s name and the theme in your thesis statement. Whether you are analyzing imagery, character, conflict, symbolism or another technique, if you don’t specify it in your thesis you won’t have the focus you need to direct the critical analysis. In all essays for the course, be sure your thesis is clearly focused on the author’s purpose; keep that in front of your reader throughout the essay and especially again in the conclusion. Remember that you are analyzing the work, not summarizing the plot. Underline the thesis statement in the introduction and the conclusion in the body of your paper.

4. Write about literature in the present tense, and do not shift tenses. If you switch to past tense, do so because you are making a historical or biographical reference.

5. Do not under any circumstances write a plot summary or a biography of the author that the reader could find in the library – the resultant grade is an F. A sure sign of plot summary is switching to and remaining in past tense, using words like “then”, “next”, etc.

6. Grammar rules will be applied to a grammar grade.

7. When using research, use in-text citation rules (see MLA format if needed)

8. Quote accurately and use ellipses to indicate omitted material. Use square brackets if you must change something for grammar or explain a reference.

9. No long quotes

10. Don’t number your works cited entries

11. Critical analysis papers must include at least three incorporated, documented quotes from the primary source.

12. This is your analyses and you must include your interpretations.