Author: x.yin

” O glory love and light of all other poets, let my long study and great love avail that made me delve so deep into your volume. You are my teacher and my author”

Dante shows his praise for Virgil. He thinks that virgil occupies an immortal literary position. He see Virgil as his academic mentor.

When Dante got lost in the forest, Virgil is the person who find him a way out. Moreover, Virgil is a famous poet. So he represents light, knowledge and a right direction.

Plato describes that there are several different types of love. He mainly emphasis about erotic love. Such as gay love and love between an older and a younger man.

For the symposium, each person interpreted their thought about love. The most interesting part is Aristophanes’ argument. He use a myth to explain his idea. He said there were 3 genders, man, woman and half man half woman. Zeus chopped every person into half for punishment. So those who were men and women, they always wanted the other half back, became homosexual. In other words, homosexual is made by god.

I think the most important part is the conversation involved with Socrates. He said love is the thing that people pursue. They want to possess it forever. Meanwhile, as we mentioned in class, Plato thinks that the reason people are falling in love is because of the body. Human is actually pursuing other’s beauty. In addition, love also can be resulted by soul. Breeding between two people makes love immortal. It generated timeless and universal truth. Plato believes this is the most valuable thing.