Dante Alighieri's Road to Success

To many outsiders, America is known as the Land of Opportunity. Many believe that by coming to this country that they will suddenly gain a new life. The American Dream is one that many philosophers have studied, and seems to this day very real, yet rare. However, the reason it isn’t very common isn’t strictly due to the economy, but the laziness that is acquainted with the term “freedom.” Dante Alighieri’s famous text The Inferno outlines many moral ideas. In this tale, a man named Dante the Pilgrim takes a voyage into Hell with Virgil. They go through many different levels and circles of Hell that each represents an important sin or crime. Though it is a highly controversial book, there is one specific passage that is important to finding success. In this quote, Virgil is speaking to Dante who has tired along his path through the seventh circle of Hell: “‘Up on your feet! This is no time to tire!’ my Master cried. ‘The man who lies asleep will never waken fame, and his desire and all his life drift past him like a dream, and the traces of his memory fade from time like smoke in the air, or ripples on a stream. Now, therefore rise. Control your breath, and call upon the strength of soul that wins all battles unless it sink in the gross body’s fall. There is a longer ladder yet to climb: this much is not enough. If you understand me, show that you mean to profit from your time.’” (Pg. 207, lines 46-57) By careful analysis and critique, we can pick apart this passage and see the important themes portrayed in Dante’s famous book The Inferno and how they can relate to success.

First of all, we can look at the very two sentences in Dante’s text, and see how it portrays the shortness of life. We’ve always been told to live li...

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... they were meant to be.

We can choose how we become prosperous, but if we simply follow after human thought we will find ourselves in Alighieri’s Inferno. The importance of the passage we’ve analyzed is that it helps to show people what truly matters. Success does not come easily, and it’s an up-hill battle. Yet, if you follow what he outlined, you can find what you’re looking for. All you have to do is acknowledge three things: life is short, you have the strength to overcome anything, and the obstacles are forming you into a better person. No critic could argue that this wasn’t in that passage. Alighieri may be seen as a Hellion, or a Sadist, but the fact of the matter is that he knew what he was doing. He played a game in his book, and in the end, the reader is changed. This was the entire purpose of his book, and with his words people can become great leaders.