Death and Despair: Dante’s Inferno
The Facts Behind the Fiction
Or …
What punishment could there be that's worse than
being in Hell?
Adapted from lesson plan by Margie Rohrbach and Janie Koszoru,
American Memories Fellows, 2001
“In the middle of the journey of our life,
I found myself again in [or through] a dark wood,
[so dark] that the straight way was utterly lost.
Alas how hard it is to say what it was like,
this savage and sharp and strong forest,
which even in thought renews my fear!
So bitter was it that death is little moreso;
but in order to speak of the good that I found there,
I'll tell of the other things I saw there.”
Best website for assistance: http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/index2.html
You may assemble your newspaper using a computer program (such as Microsoft Word,
Publisher, PageMaker, PowerPoint, etc.) or you may create a mock up by cutting and pasting the
typed articles and images to your newspaper pages. You may also use the newsletter maker that I
link to on the blog [very easy setup].
1. News (front page – 2 stories minimum)
o Write at least two fictionalized news stories based on details from Dante’s Inferno.
o Include all of the parts found on the front page of a modern newspaper including the "flag"
(newspaper name) date, headlines, pictures and captions, etc. (Examine the modern
newspaper provided for examples.) Use appropriate images from the Internet to support your
two stories.
2. Editorials (2 editorials minimum)
o Write at least two fictionalized editorials based on details from Dante’s Inferno.
o You might include several "letters to the editor" which concern both historical events as well as
fictionalized events in Dante’s Inferno.
o Include all of the parts found the editorial page of a newspaper including the "masthead"
(newspaper name and the names of editors) date, headlines, political cartoons, etc. (Study a
modern newspaper provided for examples.)
3. Lifestyles (2 stories minimum)
o Write at least two fictionalized lifestyle stories based on details from Dante’s Inferno.
o Include all of the parts found on the lifestyle page of a newspaper as well as headlines, pictures
and captions, etc. (Examine a modern newspaper for examples.) Use images from the Internet
to support your newspaper page.
4. Advertising (at least 2)
o Create at least 2 advertisements based on your research into Dante’s historical or fictionalized
world. Include a "classified" or "personals" section on your advertisement page, as well.
5. Obituaries (1 story minimum PLUS extras mentioned below)
o Write at least one full-length obituary featuring a historically prominent figure from Dante’s
time period or one based on a document/object that you located from your search of the
Inferno. If the document does not contain enough information, you may need to complete
additional research.
o
Include all of the parts found on the obituary page of a newspaper including the abbreviated
death notices. (Study the modern newspaper provided for examples.) Use mentions of figures
named as "the deceased" in Dante’s Inferno.
Suggested Resources
Dante’s Inferno: A Study Guide (Cummings)
http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides2/DivineCom.html#Dante%20Home
Cliff’s Notes: Character List
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/The-Divine-Comedy-Inferno-Character-List.id77,pageNum-10.html
Image Collections, Columbia University
http://dante.ilt.columbia.edu/new/images/index.html
Princeton Dante Project
http://etcweb.princeton.edu/dante/pdp/
Dante’s Inferno
http://www.danteinferno.info/
"The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in
time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality."