Month: April 2017

In “Plant friendship’s tree” and “Thanks be to God”, Hafez shares his controversial praise of worldly pleasures. Hafez may be viewed as a Sufi, but his unconventional interests in wine and love say otherwise. In my opinion, I believe Sufis are self-disciplined and abide by strict rules. Based off my definition, I think that Hafez is complicating his apparent asceticism because he is seeking pleasures by indulging in wine and love. In “Thanks be to God”, Hafez writes “[wine] brings us drunkenness, and pride, and pleasure” (Line 5). Hafez is sharing his unorthodox views of seeking pleasures by embracing love and alcohol, but is also teaching others how to be content and satisfied.

Rumi and Hafez were both Persian mystic poets, separated by roughly a hundred years, whose writing encouraged unity with God. Both poets focus heavily on the belief that God is not only a deity that exists in the heavens, but is also someone whose presence can be felt within communities on Earth. Rumi and Hafez also differed in their personal religious beliefs. Although both were considered Sufi Muslims, they had differing opinions on the traditional customs outlined by Sufism. Hafez focuses much of his work on material pleasures, whereas Rumi opts for a more minimalist approach on life’s necessities. Another notable difference between the two was that Hafez had grew up in a lower class, working family, which influenced the style of his poems relative to Rumi. Hafez began writing poems by improvising his form, and thus, some of his older poems may differ from Rumi in terms of structure.

Rumi and Havez are both Persian lyric poets. Their works are similar and both engage their connection with God and love. Also, their poetry consists of metaphors. For example, Rumi in his work “The Question”, says about the fire as something difficult and anxious and if you face it, you will purify after accomplishments. For Havez, the metaphorical representation is connected with alcohol and love of union with God.

In Hafez’s poems, it is apparent that he enjoys indulging in the finer things in life. Even though he is a Sufi, he takes great pride in drinking alcohol and admiring the beauty of women that pass him by. It may seem from the outside that his urge to indulge in pleasure only complicates his role as a Sufi. That is not the case. Hafez is acting in this way to show others the path they need to take to get to heaven, as people need to do the exact opposite of what he does. A Sufi is meant to be someone who is admired for his ability to teach others the right way to live a pious life. Hafez is just taking an alternate route as some people learn better by observing other people’s mistakes.

Comparing The Odyssey, The Aeneid, and “Inferno” from The Divine Comedy.

In comparing the 3 works of literature, I found the common element of the journeys the main characters adventure on as well as the guidance that comes along within those journeys.  We saw help from the gods in Odysseus’ travels as well as help from Venus and other divine powers in Aeneas’ travels.  In Dante’s journey through the paths of Hell, he receives guidance from Virgil. Since Dante was inspired by Virgil’s work, he perceives Virgil as trustworthy to guide him through the dangers of Hell.  However, the difference here is that while Odysseus and Aeneas couldn’t reach the equals to their gods and goddesses (forms of guidance), Dante was able to become close to his counterpart.  As Dante advanced in hell to gain spiritual reformation, his faith becomes stronger. The distinction is that because Virgil was not of higher power, but just a trusted mentor, so Dante was able to become equal, if not surpass Virgil spiritually. Also, what is interesting and different is that Dante and Virgil are in a totally different world in that they are able to put faith in a higher power, God, in a religion. Odysseus and Aeneas are not able to advance in faith of a higher power, because it’s harder for them to communicate with divinity.

Both Rumi and Hafez were Sufis who wrote poetry on their perception of Islam. As one reads both of their works, one can realize that Rumi as a Sufi does not indulge in pleasures, whereas Hafez does. In Rumi’s poem The Question, he talks about how fire is perceived to be bad, but in reality it actually is beneficial to the society. He shows that the people only view the stream (water) as the only thing that gives life giving qualities, but when people get so stuck on this mindset, they fail to realize that the fire can benefit them as well. On the other hand, when reading Hafez’s poems, one can see the impacts that alcohol and women have on his life through his writings. He shows that he indulges in drinking wine, and he mentions he in fact is in love, when Sufis themselves should only engage in higher connections with God.

Dante and Virgil’s relationship starts off as a guide and a follower. Virgil being the guide and Dante being the follower. Dante being lost in Hell seeks guidance and Virgil comes in the form of a guide. Later on as they move through different circles of Hell, Virgil takes the form of a teacher because he educates Dante of different punishments of the different circles in hell. Virgil sympathizes with Dante because Dante felt pity for the poor souls who had to face the punishment of hell. Gradually Virgil’s relationship with Dante turns into that of friendship.

In Dante’s Divine Comedy, the pilgrim (Dante) and Virgil have a close relationship. To begin with, the two have much in common due to both being poets and they seem to bond over this. Additionally, Dante has a great amount of respect for Virgil so this shapes how Dante interacts with him. Throughout the comedy, Virgil admonishes Dante for having sympathy towards the damned and their condition and each time Dante apologizes for this to which Virgil accepts his apology. Virgil also serves as a protector, interpreter, and spokesperson for Dante as they journey further into the underworld.

In The Commedia, Virgil is acting as a guide for Dante as they are making their way through hell and purgatory. One comes to an understanding that Dante does not only trust Virgil in guiding him through the terrain, but also looks up to Virgil as a teacher and a writer. Dante has great respect for Virgil, and he sees “The Prince of Poets” as his superior. However, as they are traveling together Virgil enlightens and teaches Dante, which leads to the relationship between the men becoming more equal and Dante is no longer inferior. The knowledge that is being passed from Virgil to Dante will, at the end of their journey, make Dante feel like he has surpassed his master.