Thoughts and questions about Inferno - Osten
In Canto six there is a man by the name of Ciacco, or Hog because of his gluttony, askes a strange request from Dante. Ciacco askes Dante to speak his name to someone so that he will be remembered. This seems like an odd request especially since it was the last thing he said. Why would he be so adamant about being remembered? The first thing that comes to mind is the movie Coco but Ciacco would have no reason to be remembered and would probably prefer to be forgotten. the only other explanation I can think of is that he wanted to be mourned for or at least feel loved. But he wouldn't even feel that. Upon further deliberation, it seems that since Ciacco was at a higher level of hell he was more apt to be remembered because his sin wasn't as bad as those below him. Perhaps he still wished to gain fame after death even though he knew that his city would be destroyed and his fame would not matter.
Another interesting thing I noticed while reading was that when Poet and Dante descend past the unbaptized and meet Minos he offers Dante some very wise advice. He essentially tells him if you're going to be here, be careful not everyone is truthful. He also tells Dante to beware the broad and easy lifestyle suggesting to him that he should instead try to be pious and worship God. This is quite uncharacteristic for a demon. Its almost as if he wants to prevent Dante from ever ending up in hell. I understand that even demons don't want to be in hell but what is the purpose of Minos to tell Dante to fear God? To deceive Dante into thinking Minos isn't that bad of a guy?
Another interesting thing I noticed while reading was that when Poet and Dante descend past the unbaptized and meet Minos he offers Dante some very wise advice. He essentially tells him if you're going to be here, be careful not everyone is truthful. He also tells Dante to beware the broad and easy lifestyle suggesting to him that he should instead try to be pious and worship God. This is quite uncharacteristic for a demon. Its almost as if he wants to prevent Dante from ever ending up in hell. I understand that even demons don't want to be in hell but what is the purpose of Minos to tell Dante to fear God? To deceive Dante into thinking Minos isn't that bad of a guy?
I really liked the first part of your blog post, and the idea of being remembered. The best comparison I can think of for Ciacco, and it probably sounds crazy, is Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars. Gus's worst fear is oblivion, and to me that seems to be what Ciacco is trying to avoid. He may be in Hell, but ultimately what matters the most is that his name isn't lost to a void -- he wants to prove that he matters.
ReplyDeleteEveryone wants to be remembered by someone, because if people remember them thier lives have had an impact and it means something. Unfortunitly not everyone cares how they are remembered. There are people out there who do horrible stuff just so people will remember them.
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