Sunday, March 26, 2017

Post 19: Hell and Suffering

                    Dante's concept of Hell is what seems to be the generally accepted Hell, as far as literature goes. It involves a gradual descent into the "9 Circles of Hell", which are, in order, Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery (http://historylists.org/art/9-circles-of-hell-dantes-inferno.html). In a metaphorical and lyrical sense, Dante has to go through Hell in order to reclaim Beatrice. It also shows that Dante was willing to go through anything to rescue Beatrice, which could be one of the appeals of suffering. The fact that suffering and pain doesn't normally last forever and usually, after experiencing it and going through it, one is rewarded for enduring it is almost always enough to make it worthwhile.
                    Although a common sexual practice throughout most of history, domination and punishment, masochism and sadism, commonly known as BDSM (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BDSM), is a sex practice that is seemingly growing in popularity. It involves, most commonly and most technically (without getting into much detail) one partner being subject to emotional or physical torment by the other partner. This sexual practice is seemingly common among millennials and others, and is often used as a means of spicing up a couple's relationship. It can be said that there is something appealing about suffering, as stated above, since it seems to always offer a reward in the end.

1 comment:

  1. I like how you compared Dante's determination to save Beatrice to suffering, because I never really thought of it that way until reading your post. Also, the sex practice you mentioned caught my attention as well. Your posts always make me think and view things in a different perspective.

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