1. Board work 1/30- IB

2. Literary Criticism What do the lines 61-63 on page 34 mean? What do they say about Dante’s poetry? What do they say about our role as a reader of his poetry? What is the benefit of taking things purely literally? What is the benefit of taking things symbolically? When talking about symbolism, do you ever feel that teachers and critics are reading too much into a text and way beyond what the author intended? Explain that feeling. Is it a problem to read in what an author never thought of? Why? What might be a benefit of interpreting without considering the author? What are some of the problems of interpreting only as we know the author would want us to?

3. Symbolism! What might the following symbolize? –Contrapasso of the wrathful –Contrapasso of the Arch Heretics (Epicureans) –Virgil’s inability to open the door –The Threat of Medusa –Virgil’s covering Dante’s eyes –All of the interruptions in the conversations in the city –The fact that circle 6 is arranged as a city –Guido de Cavalcante’s absence

4. Geryon Look at the description of Geryon on pages 61- 62. How does his physical body represent Fraud? What kind of creature is he? Draw him according to his description. If you were to personify a particular vice such as greed or laziness, how would you do so? Pick a vice and personify it symbolically. Explain how your description fits that particular vice.

5. Ulysses Why is Ulysses (Odysseus) in hell? What has he done? What does his story reflect about his sin? Dante writes a new ending for the epic hero, a sequel or alternate to the ending of the Odyssey. Why does he do this? What effect does changing a story everyone knows have? How is this version different symbolically than the original? Is Ulysses admirable here? How do hero stories inspire you, personally? What are the dangers of hero stories?