English

Many scandals have headlined today's papers and newscasts. For example, the Bill Clinton scandal. He was caught in an affair with one of his coworkers. The views placed on society in the Italian Renaissance era would frown heavily upon such actions, especially by one of the leaders of the country. The views of the Italian Renaissance are not reflected in north American society today. The relevance of Dante's views and the views of his society are insignificant in today's world because many highly respected and high profile people are homosexual and or violent towards themselves and others. Aside from a few violent actions, such as being violent against your neighbours (murder, assault) the morals and values of the renaissance society are not reflected in North-American society today.

The renaissance views about being violent towards your neighbours are still seen today. These are the only views, however, that seem to still exist in practice today. Homosexuality was as extremely bad sin in renaissance Italy. It was believed that all who were homosexual would go straight to hell. The seventh circle, which is not too far form the very bottom of hell, was where Dante placed these sinners. This shows that it was considered even worse than adultery, whose sinners were placed higher up in hell. Today, on the other hand, homosexuals are gaining more and more respect and power due to equality and the views in society. Suicidal people aren't treated badly in today's society. They are seen to have emotional or psychological problems that can be fixed. Dante shows, by placing them in a deeper ring of hell that these people sinned against god, and nature in a vile way. Today's society, however, is gradually accepting these people as being normal human beings. Such a thing would never have happened in renaissance Italy.

Dante views these sinners in much the same was as his society did. He places them deep in hell which shows he believes them to be sinners of a bad nature. The violent against god are viewed by him as being even worse than the people who were sodomites, or suicidal. One sinner in hell was his own father. His crime was blaspheming God. Dante shows his own indignation toward his father by saying in his thoughts, "I did not dare descend to his own level/ but kept my head inclined, as one who walks/ in reverence meditating good and evil." Dante thinks this about his own father. The fact that Dante does this shows that he does not respect these people in the least, and that he would treat his own family badly if they committed these sins. In today's society these values would not be put into practice. One can walk down the road and