The Inferno Commentary

Koumman Lee

Ms. Peifer

10 IB English Hr.4

7, January 2009

Inferno Commentary

"One of the damned came racing round a boulder, and as he passed us, a great snake shot up and bit him where the neck joins with the shoulder. No mortal pen-however fast it flash over the page-could write down o or i as quickly as he flamed and fell in ash; and when he was dissolved into a heap on the ground, the dust itself rose of itself and immediately resumed its former shape. Precisely so, philosophers declare, the phoenix dies and then is born again when it approaches its five hundredth year. It lives on tears of balsam and incense; in all its life it eats no herb or grain, and nard and precious myrrh sweeten its cerement"(Ciardi lines 97-111).

This passage is significant because it uses imagery, exposition, and metaphor. It has a special emotion which is the phoenix being used in comparison. The phoenix coming to life like the person being brought back is interesting since it causes the reader to wander about the person feeling pain for his sins.

Metaphor is used to describe the person to the phoenix. The person is bitten and dissolves but the person comes back to life and it is compared to the phoenix. "When he was dissolved into a heap on the ground, the dust itself rose of itself and immediately resumed its former shape"(Ciardi). Precisely so, philosophers declare, the phoenix dies and then it is born again"(Ciardi). The person dies but is reborn in a way like how the phoenix is born again on its fifth hundredth year. The person is instead brought back to life to feel more pain for the person's sins.

Imagery is used to evoke a picture of when the person is flamed and dissolves into ash. "He flamed and fell in ash; and when he was dissolved into a heap on the ground, the dust itself rose of itself and immediately resumed its former shape"(Ciardi). The phoenix creates an image that tells of how the phoenix comes back to life.

Exposition is used to explain the phoenix's background. "It lives on tears of balsam and incense; in all its life it eats no herb or grain, and nard and precious myrrh sweeten its cerement." The phoenix's background helps the reader understand what the phoenix does to survive in life. It also tells when the phoenix comes back to life which is part of its background. "The phoenix dies and then is born again when it approaches its fifth hundredth year"(Ciardi).

This passage was chosen because it talks about the phoenix and the phoenix is a favorite medieval animal of many people. The way it is used in comparison with the dead person's soul is incredible. The phoenix is incredible itself since it can come back to life as many times as it wants. The human soul being bitten and being brought back to feel more pain is also incredible. The soul being able to feel pain even though its out of a body makes the reader want to read the book further.