Works

Literature

Dante Alighieri's Inferno

    When the word fear is brought up, we often think of the term in a negative way. Some even use fear for their own, unmoral purposes. Some of these purposes include turning fear into intimidation to control a certain group of people to obtain power. However, can fear ever be used for a good and righteous purpose? In Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, Dante, the poet and the main character, embarks on a journey through hell, describing his horrific experiences on the way to the readers. Doing this, he makes people fear committing sins that will later be accounted for in hell. In other words, Dante Alighieri makes us fear doing the bad to make us do the good.
           Dante Alighieri’s Inferno begins when Dante lost in a dark wood trying to get home. When Dante sees that his way is blocked by a lion, a she-wolf, and a leopard, he suddenly becomes frightened and runs back into the dark wood. Beatrice, Dante’s dead wife, sees that he is in a dire situation and sends the ghost of Virgil to guide him back to his path. This begins Dante’s journey through hell itself. The journey takes Dante through the nine circles of hell; limbo, the lustful, the gluttonous, the prodigal, the river Styx, the heretics, the violent, the malebolges, and the traitors. Each circle features its own set of distinct people that have committed their own unique sin, each with their own unique punishment. For example, the lustful suffer the punishment of circling around in a terrible storm, and the traitors suffer the punishment of having to endure being in a frozen lake up to their necks for eternity. After reaching the river Lethe, Dante finally makes it out of Hell and back to Earth.

http://www.worldofdante.org/media/images/inf/full/inf.29.57.dore.jpg
            http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/inferno/summary.html
            Books: Dante Alighieri - Edited by: Harold Bloom
            Inferno by Dante Alighieri

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Even within the first known epic there are topics and lessons that are relevant to our lives today. The Epic of Gilgamesh, translated by Herbert Mason, is the story of a king who is detached from the people around him. From his journey, we see how friends overcome fear for each other in times of need. Gilgamesh has no friends and is the king of Uruk, so has no fears in life. Leading a completely different lifestyle is Enkidu, a man who knows only the way of animals. Although the two men lead opposite lives, they have one similarity. Neither know what it feels like to have a relationship with another human being. After Enkidu is introduced into society, he meets Gilgamesh and the two instantly become friends. Gilgamesh decides to hunt down Humbaba, the guardian of the forest with aid from Enkidu. Enkidu is rightly afraid, but Gilgamesh shows only bravery, convincing Enkidu that they can succeed. When the fighting begins, Gilgamesh is overcome by terror and hides. He is only brought out by the cries of Enkidu, which encourage him and bolster his confidence. Once Humbaba is dead, the pair travels back to Uruk where another foe awaits them. The Bull of Heaven was sent down after a god was angered by Gilgamesh. With aid from Shamash the sun goddess, the two defeat the Bull of Heaven, but Enkidu does not walk away unscathed. He is affected by terrible dreams and falls extremely ill while Gilgamesh can only watch and wait. Enkidu finally dies, and Gilgamesh is distraught. This is the first time that he has experienced anything like this, and will go to any length to bring his only friend back. After realizing that death is permanent and how much he truly misses his friend, he returns to Uruk, defeated. Gilgamesh is deeply affected by this loss and will never take any relationship for granted, possibly avoiding them, for he has truly felt loss. The fear of losing another human being affects all of us. For some people, it causes them to distance themselves from the people in their lives. Others value the relationships and spend each moment making the best of it.

http://www.historywiz.com/galleries/gilgameshking.htm

The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

During the dust bowl, many tenant farmers were forced off their land by banks that were consolidating properties in order to make a profit. The human variable was eliminated from the farming equation as they were being replaced by large machines. This novel follows the Joad family as they make their way to California in hopes of finding work. The 'Okies', as they were called by the Californians, were all leaving their lives behind and heading into uncertainty. This uncertainty leads to many doubts about California which causes them to fear if California will live up to its expectation. Along with the uncertainty, the Okies had to face challenges on the way from Oklahoma to their final destination, California. The journey that the Joad family faces strengthens their bond as a family as they whether all of the tragedies that come along with it. Throughout the novel, the Joads and the Okies face prejudice from the Californians. This prejudice was a result of too many Okies coming into California. The Californians were afraid of the Okies that they might "steal" their jobs. The Californians were also afraid of the Okies because they were also Americans, rather than immigrants, and that they were more rebellious. A theme that is evident throughout the book is that the fear of the migrants turns to anger. This anger is what drives them to keep on going and fight to survive.

http://www.rachaelreads.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/JohnSteinbeck_TheGrapesOfWrath.jpg

The Hunger Games - suzanne collins

The Hunger Games takes place in the post apocalyptic world of Panem, the place where America, in all its glory, once stood. In this world, the government resides in a central city called the Capitol, where all the rich and wealthy live. Surrounding that capitol is 12, poorer, districts. There used to be 13 districts, however, in the past, the people of the districts in Panem rebelled against the capitol. The capitol ended up winning and to make an example, destroyed district 13 along with its citizens to strike fear into the other districts. To add an insult to injury, the Hunger Games, an annual, broadcasted show to everyone in Panem was created. This event featured a death match in survival and skill between 24 tributes, 2 from each district. How do you win the Hunger Games? You have to be the last one standing. The tributes for the annual Hunger Games are people from the ages of 12 to 18, showing that not even the young can escape the capitol's grasp. The main character in the novel, Katniss Everdeen, a 17 year old girl trying to support her mother and her sister after his father died, is chosen for the Hunger Games. At first, Katniss's 12 year old Primrose was selected for the Hunger Games, however, Katniss offered herself in place of her sister. Throughout the novel, we can see that the capitol suppresses those who are against it. For example, in the novel, there are people called avox who are people that spoke out against the capitol and had their tongues cut off.

http://www.scificool.com/the-hunger-games-movie-gets-a-march-2012-release-date/

Harrison Bergeron - Kurt Vonnegut

In the year 2081, the U.S has passed amendments making everyone equal in every way. To accomplish this, everyone in this society was forced to wear handicaps. These handicaps were created limit talents and ablitiles to an average individual. For example, if you were intelligent, mental handicaps were installed so that you can't think clearly. If you were beautiful, you would have to wear a face mask to hide that beauty. The only person that was not handicapped was the Handicapper General, the person who keeps order among the society. In this society, what to be feared is the control of the government over the society, which in a way, goes to a farther extent than communism itself. The book's main character, Harrison Bergeron, one day escapes from jail . He then proceeds to go to a TV station where ballerinas were performing and takes off his handicaps on live television. He then tries to inspire people into taking off their handicaps and to rebel. He takes one of the ballerinas, takes off her handicaps, and declares himself superior than any other. Later on, the handicapper general, Diana Moon Glampers, kills Harrison Begeron, causing people watching the show to be afraid of rebelling, therefore, keeping the order through fear.

http://outsidernarratives.blogspot.com/2011/04/harrison-bergeron_2475.html