Dante’s Inferno: Teach a Canto, Learn a Canto
Rationale: Inferno is a substantial work, and there is little time for us to work with
more than a few cantos as a class. So in the spirit of “Take a penny, leave a penny” we
will share the burden of looking through as many of the cantos of Inferno as we can.
IB Assessment Connection: This activity is designed to help us look at the stylistic
choices that Dante made in writing Inferno. This will help us with Criterion C on our
Literature in Translation Papers. We will also learn how to write literary analyses “like
IB students.” Additionally, talking in detail about our ideas concerning literature will
help us with our oral assessments (the Individual Oral Commentary and the Individual
Oral Presentation).
Procedure: You will be assigned one Canto of Inferno. You will prepare a short talk
(about 3-5 minutes) on your chosen canto that you will be able to “exchange” with your
classmates for their talk on the canto on which they have worked.
Your talk should comprise the following:
 Create a VISUAL representation of one part of the canto. This can be symbolic, or
a literal image of what Dante is depicting. If you do something 3-D or
performance-based, include a photograph.
 The Canto number and a summary (approx 200 words) of the main action of that
Canto.
 At least three passages from the Canto which depict SENSORY details, explaining
the effect of each.
 Identify and include at least three (3) different literary devices used by Dante in
your Canto. Explain the effect that each creates.
 Be sure to use textual evidence as support, citing line numbers after
phrases/quotations (#).
Refer to your literatus terms for device ideas. One that isn’t on there, which you may
find especially useful, is the term “Homeric simile” (AKA “epic simile”). You should
create a 2 page handout containing the relevant information for your presentation. This
should look professional and be a useful working aid for your colleagues.
-DUE NOVEMBER 2Submit a hard copy to me in class on November 2nd. This is the day you will present to
your peers, so along with your handout for me, be sure to bring your book.
Grading: 10 points for each bullet above. 50 points total
(10 = above and beyond, 9 = good, 8 = satisfactory, 7 = mediocre)
Example
Student X
IB English Year 1
Ms. Mitchell
29 October 2015
Dante’s Inferno: Canto X
Canto X of Inferno is expressly political in nature. Here, Dante meets Farinata, a Ghibelline who
was famous for persecuting Dante’s faction, the Guelphs, many years before Dante’s birth. Dante
encounters Farinata amongst the Epicureans – those who believed in the teachings of Epicurus
that the soul died along with the body. These sinners are kept in burning sepulchers, from one of
which Farinata rises to address Dante. Farinata seems proud and disdainful, despite his
predicament, and he and Dante exchange pointed comments about the history of the conflict
between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. In the middle of this conversation, another figure pokes
his head out of the same sepulcher as Farinata. This is Cavalcante de Cavalcanti, the father of
Dante’s friend, Guido. His nervous disposition contrasts greatly with Farinata’s, and he
misconstrues Dante’s comments about Guido. Cavalcanti sinks back into his tomb, believing
that his son is already dead. The conversation with Farinata resumes exactly where it left off,
though the two this time strike a more conciliatory tone. Farinata does, however, hint at future
troubles for Dante, prefiguring his impending exile from Florence. The canto ends as Farinata
introduces Dante to some of the other heretics and Virgil calms Dante’s mind about Farinata’s
ominous words.
SENSORY DETAILS:
SOUND:
Sound plays an important role in this canto as Dante is both recognized by his speech and
startled by the sound of Farinata’s voice. Farinata identifies Dante as “a native son” of Florence,
a fact “[his] speech makes clear” (25). At the same time, Farinata’s voice rising disembodied
from the tomb “so scared [Dante] that [he] drew/ close to the side of [his] leader,” Virgil (2930). This gives us a sense both of Dante’s privileged position as a witness of the goings-on of
Inferno, and also his human frailty, emphasizing that his journey is that of everyman.
SIGHT:
Farinata’s first appearance is exquisitely described by Dante to show the power, arrogance, and
dignity he possesses in life and death. He is described standing “with chest thrown out and
upturned head/ as if hell itself were contemptible in his sight.” (35-36). Farinata’s aggressive
and haughty stance tell us that he is indeed a powerful figure, with whom Dante should truly be
“appropriate in [his] speech.” (39). Perhaps in depicting the gravitas of his family’s ancestral foe
in this manner, Dante is attempting to reconcile the warring factions and regain his place in
Florentine society.
SMELL:
The canto ends with Dante and Virgil “sickened by the vile stench from below.” (136). As we
descend into the lower levels of Inferno, the conditions and tortures endured by the sinners
become progressively more horrifying, and Dante prepares us for what comes ahead by
transitioning to the next canto with an image of overpowering disgust. Canto XI begins with a
description of this smell, lending unity to the stages of Dante’s journey.
LITERARY DEVICES:
ALLUSION:
Farinata makes a poetic allusion to Proserpine when describing the passage of time. He
describes the four years leading to Dante’s exile as the time when “the lady who reigns here has
her face/relit another fifty times” (79-80). This association of the moon with Proserpine, queen
of the underworld, emphasizes the sadness and turmoil associated with this period in Dante’s
life.
ALLITERATION:
When referring to the bloody conflict that set his people against Farinata’s, Dante emphasizes
the harsh nature of the confrontation by using hard sound effects. He describes Ghibelline
persecution of the Guelphs as “The carnage and the savagery that turned/the Arbia’s current
crimson” (85-86). The repeated hard “c” sound of carnage, current, and crimson evokes the
bloody strokes of swords that caused the blood to flow into the river.
METAPHOR:
Dante uses the metaphor of a knot to describe the process of moving from confusion to
understanding. He begs Farinata to “resolve this knot for me/so that my understanding may be
freed.” (95-96). Dante’s journey through Inferno is in many ways a quest for understanding, and
the image of the knot being untied reminds us that understanding of the divine plan in Inferno
comes with freedom from the kind of bonds the sinners are kept in hell with. Given that at this
stage Dante is seeking to better understand what Farinata had to say about the events leading up
to Dante’s exile, the image of being untied and made free is all the more poignant.