ENGLISH
THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS
Dear students,
Dear students,
In short, the Seven Deadly Sins (Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath and Envy) are a collection of classic Christian no-no's. They were, and still – to some extent – are, used as educational tools by the church. Although being once almost unanimously considered the Highway to Hell, the way these septenary vices are seen has changed over time. Whether or not the collection is currently acknowledged as a public moral compass, the Seven Deadly Sins are, without a doubt, still popular. They are all around us – in one way or another. From the movie Seven (starring Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow) to a somewhat recent ad campaign for ice cream (Magnum). The sins are, obviously, popular in popular culture, but they rose to stardom quite a long time ago.
Most of you have heard about Dante's Inferno (the first part of The Divine Comedy), right? In this epic piece of medieval poetry (yes, the whole thing is a poem) a rather interesting description of Hell is given. Nine decending circles, each focusing on one of the deadly sins. At least, the first ones do – after a while it get's a bit more complicated. Anyway, in Inferno we get to follow Dante down through Hell as he observes the sinners being punished. The sins have, of course, been mentioned earlier, but the description given by Dante is the one that stuck.
SINce this is still an interesting topic I want you to look at how the deadly sins are currently viewed. Basically, are the sins still sins, today? This, my friends, is what you'll be investigating.
Your task is to write a discussion essay – for a high school newspaper. This will be done during class (yes, it is sort of a test). However, to prepare, you are encouraged to study – well in advance – material that deals with your topic (in this case – your sin) The actual writing of the essay takes place during approximately 80 minutes, in school. To this special occasion you are allowed to bring a few quotes (3-4) from the articles, books etc. you have studied and a 100-word source criticism, but no other assistance.
Introduction:
Present your sin and give some background information (i.e. examples from the bible, historical events, quotes from Dante's work etc).
Research question:
Is [your sin] still considered a sin today?
Main part (body):
1. Real life. Look at everyday situations (from both Sweden and the English-speaking world).
2. Fiction. How is the sin portrayed in various works of fiction? Give examples (use quotes and references).
3. Discussion: Compare and analyze the exampels from fiction and real life and discuss whether or not the sin is still a sin. Compare the Swedish view with the one(s) from the English speaking world). Add your own ideas and experiences. In short, answer the research question. "Yes", "no" and "yes and no" are all accepetable answers (as long as you can provide good examples).
Conclusion:
Present your answer(s).
Good luck!
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THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS PRIDE (superbia)
Dante’s definition was “love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one’s neighbor”. Pride was what led to Lucifer's fall from Heaven. The Greek word is hubris. Vanity and narcissism are good examples of this sin. Animal: horse (lion, peacock) Color: violet Punishment: broken on the wheel LUST (luxuria)
Obsessive desire, rape, depraved thought, unwholesome morality, desire for excitement and need to be accepted or recognized by others. Dante’s criterion was “excessive love of others”. Lust is symbolized by the cow and the color Animal: cow Color: blue Punishment: smothered in fire and brimstone GLUTTONY (gula)
Thoughtless waste, uncleanliness, and maliciously depriving others. Refusal to share. Destruction, especially for sport. Substance abuse or binge drinking. Dante explains it as “excessive love of pleasure”. Animal: pig Color: orange Punishment: force-fed rats, toads, snakes GREED (avaritia)
A strong desire to gain money or power. Disloyalty and betrayal especially for personal gain. Theft and robbery by violence. Thomas Aquinas on greed: “it is a sin against God, just as all mortal sins, in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things.” Animal: frog Color: yellow Punishment: boiled in oil SLOTH (acedia)
Apathy, indifference, idleness, and wastefulness of time. Laziness is particularly condemned because others must then work harder. Cowardice and irresponsibility. Abandonment, especially of God. Dante wrote that sloth is the “failure to love God with all one’s heart, all one’s mind and all one’s soul”. Animal: goat Color: light blue Punishment: thrown in snake pit WRATH (ira)
Inappropriate (unrighteous) feelings of hatred and anger. Impatience or revenge outside of justice (taking the law into one’s own hands). Wrath is the root of murder and assault. Dante described wrath as “love of justice perverted to revenge and spite”. Animal: bear Color: red Punishment: dismembered alive ENVY (invidia)
Resentment toward other people’s material objects, accomplishments, or character traits. Basically, being jealous. Wishing others to fail or come to harm. Envy is the root of theft and self-loathing. Dante defined this as “love of one’s own good perverted to a desire to deprive other men of theirs”. Animal: dog Color: green Punishment: submerged in freezing water |
ASSESSMENT AND GRADING
knowledge requirements:
| E) 2. Students can choose and with some certainty use strategies to search for relevant information and assess the reliability of different sources. | C) 2. Students can choose and with some certainty use strategies to search for relevant information and assess the reliability of different sources. | A) 2. Students can choose and with certainty use strategies to search for relevant information and assess the reliability of different sources. |
| E) 3. Students choose texts and spoken language from different media and in a relevant way use the material selected in their own production and interaction. | C) 3. Students choose texts and spoken language from different media and in a relevant and effective way use the selected material in their own production and interaction. | A) 3. Students choose texts and spoken language from different media and in a relevant, effective and critical way use the selected material in their own production and interaction. |
Sources are used in a relevant way if there is an obvious connection between them and your text. Quotes or references that improve your text are effective. A critical way to use sources is to apply source criticism (see above) and, also, to be selective and stick to reliable sources.
In short, write a somewhat idiomatic text. It's pretty much as simple as that.
| E) 4. In oral and written communications of various genres, students can express themselves in a way that is relatively varied, clear, and relatively structured. Students can also express themselves with fluency and some adaptation to purpose, recipient and situation. Students work on and make simple improvements to their own communications. | C) 4. In oral and written communications of various genres, students can express themselves in ways that are varied, clear and structured. Students can also express themselves with fluency and some adaptation to purpose, recipient and situation. Students work on and make well-grounded improvements to their own communications. | A) 4. In oral and written communications of various genres, students can express themselves in ways that are varied, balanced, clear and structured. Students can also express themselves with fluency and adaptation to purpose, recipient and situation. Students work on and make well-grounded and balanced improvements to their own communications. |
| E) 5. In oral and written interaction in various, and more formal and complex contexts, students can express themselves clearly with fluency, and with some adaptation to purpose, recipient and situation. In addition, students can choose and use essentially functional strategies which to some extent solve problems and improve their interaction. | C) 5. In oral and written interaction in various, and more formal and complex contexts, students can express themselves clearly, relative freely and with fluency, and with adaptation to purpose, recipient and situation. In addition, students can choose and use functional strategies to solve problems and improve their interaction. | A) 5. In oral and written interaction in various, and more formal and complex contexts, students can express themselves clearly, freely and with fluency, and with adaptation to purpose, recipient and situation. In addition, students can choose and use well-functioning strategies to solve problems and improve their interaction, and take it forward in a constructive way. |
english,
