This year, I'm very excited to watch the Super Bowl. Last year, I considered not watching it because of the blowout it was expected to be. The world was stunned when the seemingly flawless 18-0 Patriots lost to the upstart Giants in an epic back and forth game. However, this year, the match up is expected to be intense. The high flying Arizona Cardinals' offense led by veteran quarterback Kurt Warner and stellar wideouts Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin will crash into the Pittsburg Steelers' lockdown defense of All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu and Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison. My prediction: Defense wins championships. Although I am rooting for the Arizona Cardinals as the underdogs (they have never won a Super Bowl) I expect that Kurt Warner will be unable to deal with the complex blitz packages that the #1 Steelers D will throw at him. And if he does manage to get the ball out of his hands, The Flyin' Hawaiian Polamalu and the rest of the secondary are athletic enough to get picks and pass deflections. A key player to watch will be Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who has been playing nothing short of amazing in the post season. He has already shattered the all time record for receiving yards in a single post season (held by Hall of Famer Jerry Rice), and he has one more game to go. If Fitzgerald can get involved in the game from the get go, the Cardinals could be hard to stop. On the other side of the ball, Ben Roethlisberger leads a potent Steelers offense against a somewhat improved but still shaky Cardinals D. The Cardinals have stepped up their defense in the playoffs from their hideous regular season play, but it still has major weaknesses in the secondary. Look for Big Ben to hook up with the physical and extremely talented wide receiver Hines Ward, who was the Super Bowl MVP from the Steelers victory three years ago.
That's all for now,
Jake
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Inferno Commentary
Jake Wythers
Ms Peifer
10 IB Hour 5
1/8/09
The Inferno Commentary
“Ever upon the pitch was my intent,
To see the whole condition of that Bolgia,
And of the people who therein were burned.
Even as the dolphins, when they make a sign
To mariners by arching of the back,
That they should counsel take to save their vessel,
Thus sometimes, to alleviate his pain,
One of the sinners would display his back,
And in less time conceal it than it lightens.
As on the brink of water in a ditch
The frogs stand only with their muzzles out,
So that they hide their feet and other bulk,
So upon every side the sinners stood;
But ever as Barbariccia near them came,
Thus underneath the boiling they withdrew.”
This is a significant and illustrative passage of The Inferno because it reinforces one of the most important themes in Dante's Divine Comedy. The Grafters in this circle of Hell face Divine Retribution for their sins, and their punishment is representative of their crime. Because the Grafters had “sticky” hands in life, stealing and embezzling money, they are condemned to spend eternity in sticky pitch. And just as their dealings were hidden from the world in life, their souls are now concealed in the dark pitch in death. In addition, as the Grafters took pleasure in taking advantage of their fellow man, they are now among demons who use every opportunity to take advantage of them. This symbolic retribution is a recurring theme in the Inferno and this passage exhibits it well.
This passage uses simile to describe the behavior of the Grafters boiling in the pitch. “As on the brink of water in a ditch/The frogs stand only with their muzzles out,/So that they hide their feet and other bulk,/So upon every side the sinners stood;” The sinners attempted to relieve their agony by exposing parts of their flesh above the pitch, and Dante likens them to dolphins and frogs in the water. Dante’s comparison shows that he perhaps feels empathy for the sinners being punished. The way Dante shows the sinners’ attitude toward the demons is also significant. “But ever as Barbariccia near them came,/Thus underneath the boiling they withdrew.” The sinners were so fearful of the demons that they were willing to submerge their whole bodies underneath the boiling pitch. “Withdrew” gives the image of cowering and submissiveness, and the line puts a strong image in the reader’s mind.
These lines from The Inferno were fun to read because of the easily identifiable symbolic retribution. Unlike other parts of Dante’s novel, which can be extremely difficult to analyze, the sins in this circle and their punishments could clearly be understood. The personal touch that Dante used to describe the sinners also made for an enthralling study.
Ms Peifer
10 IB Hour 5
1/8/09
The Inferno Commentary
“Ever upon the pitch was my intent,
To see the whole condition of that Bolgia,
And of the people who therein were burned.
Even as the dolphins, when they make a sign
To mariners by arching of the back,
That they should counsel take to save their vessel,
Thus sometimes, to alleviate his pain,
One of the sinners would display his back,
And in less time conceal it than it lightens.
As on the brink of water in a ditch
The frogs stand only with their muzzles out,
So that they hide their feet and other bulk,
So upon every side the sinners stood;
But ever as Barbariccia near them came,
Thus underneath the boiling they withdrew.”
This is a significant and illustrative passage of The Inferno because it reinforces one of the most important themes in Dante's Divine Comedy. The Grafters in this circle of Hell face Divine Retribution for their sins, and their punishment is representative of their crime. Because the Grafters had “sticky” hands in life, stealing and embezzling money, they are condemned to spend eternity in sticky pitch. And just as their dealings were hidden from the world in life, their souls are now concealed in the dark pitch in death. In addition, as the Grafters took pleasure in taking advantage of their fellow man, they are now among demons who use every opportunity to take advantage of them. This symbolic retribution is a recurring theme in the Inferno and this passage exhibits it well.
This passage uses simile to describe the behavior of the Grafters boiling in the pitch. “As on the brink of water in a ditch/The frogs stand only with their muzzles out,/So that they hide their feet and other bulk,/So upon every side the sinners stood;” The sinners attempted to relieve their agony by exposing parts of their flesh above the pitch, and Dante likens them to dolphins and frogs in the water. Dante’s comparison shows that he perhaps feels empathy for the sinners being punished. The way Dante shows the sinners’ attitude toward the demons is also significant. “But ever as Barbariccia near them came,/Thus underneath the boiling they withdrew.” The sinners were so fearful of the demons that they were willing to submerge their whole bodies underneath the boiling pitch. “Withdrew” gives the image of cowering and submissiveness, and the line puts a strong image in the reader’s mind.
These lines from The Inferno were fun to read because of the easily identifiable symbolic retribution. Unlike other parts of Dante’s novel, which can be extremely difficult to analyze, the sins in this circle and their punishments could clearly be understood. The personal touch that Dante used to describe the sinners also made for an enthralling study.
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