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Symbolism In The Inferno

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The function of a literary device plays an important part in literature. They provide a deep analyzation of the structure in a novel or poem. In Dante’s The Inferno literary devices play a significant role in providing a clear explanation of the Pilgrims journey through hell, allowing one to better understand the concept of eternal punishment.
TS Dante uses symbolism in order to dehumanize the sinners in hell. Ex1 Symbolism in Canto 30 provides insight to the reader on the Falsifiers’ animalistic behavior. Elab As Virgil and Dante enter Bolgia ten of circle eight, they approach the Falsifiers; the committers of impersonation, counterfeit, and false witness. The sinners feel lost and alone; therefore, when Dante and Virgil enter, “they [run], …show more content…

Ex1 Diction in Canto 29 accentuates the Alchemists’ gruesome suffering. Elab Virgil guides Dante into the last Bolgia of the eighth circle, leading them to the Alchemists. As they approach, “shrieks and strangled agonies shrill through [Dante]” (29.43) leaving him with a significant amount of pity that his “hands / flew to [his] ears” (29.44-45). Specifically, the words “shrieks” and “strangled agonies” create a sorrowful tone. Dante’s word choice here actually puts the reader into the story because of their ability to hear the sinners’ agony. Ex2 Dante uses diction in Canto 32 to form a lively scene of the Falsifier’s torment. Elab In Bolgia ten, Dante and Virgil meet the Falsifiers, who he splits into three classes according to sin. The first class, the evil impersonators, must run for all eternity while chased by the furies. One of the sinners begins to “bark and growl like a dog” throughout the “mad seizure of her misery” (30.20-21). Dante’s elaborate description of the sinners suffering leads the reader to feelings of pity. Their pity allows them to have an open mind about who the sinners are on the inside. Concl Without the strong diction used here, the reader would not be able to fully comprehend its meaning or what Dante intended the reader to feel.
Symbolism and diction work together to facilitate the identification of ideas and thoughts in a novel

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