Dante's Inferno: The Effective Use of Writing Tools

Dante (Ciardi) uses imagery to further exemplify the extent or magnitude of a description or emotion.

For example, in lines 11 to 12:

"the mother leaped into the sea with her other son and drowned."

By giving the reader a description of a mother leaping into a sea shows her mixed emotions; if he presented her as simply murdering her son, then she would be seen as ruthless, power-loving, incompassionate, and unmotherly. "Leaping into the sea with her son" gives the impression that she has him in her arms (her maternal instincts) and wants to protect him even as she brings about his downfall. She is certainly quite uncomfortable with such a revolting action, and her reluctance is shown because leaping into the water makes her seem helpless, as if that was the only solution to her problems. It also shows her futility and helplessness in comparison to her husband, King of Athames, because she is portrayed to act in undignified ways. By explicitly showing her in such a way, it undermines her respect. It lowers her status and the readers perception of her.

In addition, the beastly furies are presented as animal or beast-like, even though they were human (or somewhat human). However Dante (Ciardi) does not simply give the reader a basic presentation of the scene. No, he paints a picture with each scene utilizing imagery to transport us ffrom our room right into the heart of the scene. "Snapping" and "sank his tusks so savagely into Capocchio's neck," show Dante's attempt to give a greater meaning to the furies; he presents them as ruthless and revolting creatures. This connects to a greater theme in the poem, violence. Dante (Ciardi) used detailed and descriptive scenes to give the notion that violence is ubiquitous throughout Hell. His use of images allows him to place further emphasis on themes, events, and emotions.

Based on what Ciardi presents, the tone is often indicative of the intensity of emotions and complexity of the scene. Tone connects to many other literary elements such as word choice and cadence. When Dante and Virgil are in a situation of highly extreme emotions, the tone shifts from an observing and analytical tone to a more personal and reflective one. The ideal example of this occurs towards the end of Canto XXX, when Virgil reprimands Dante for being so enchanted by the violence between Master Adam and Sinon. His tone shows a quick shift interested observation to shameful repentance.