Moral truths are applied to human existence everywhere and at all times. In relation to this, a passage from ‘On Literature and Ethics’ by Eskin, Michael, says: “The distinctive ethical force of literature inheres not in the fictional world portrayed but in the handling of language whereby that fictional world is brought into being. ’’ On account of Christian education some believe in the notion that there is a heaven or a hell after death.

“Moral criticism concentrates on the moral dimensions of literature often judge literary works by their ethical teachings and by their effects on readers.” -by Cynthia Spangler Author Literary Piece Ethical Teachings through Allegory/Characters Readers

Dante Alighieri Divine Comedy Ethical Teachings through Allegory/Characters Readers

The Summary of Divine Comedy: Dante Alighieri: Born from a noble Florentine family He experienced being in an arranged marriage at the age of 12. Beatrice Portinari, a nine-year-old girl served as the framework of all Dante’s literary works. Married Gemma Donati and had at least three children. He began venturing upon political and military life in Florence where he held several chief positions in the government. During his exile, he started to write his La Divina Commedia. He died in Ravenna on the night of September 13-14, 1321.

Hell Purgatorio Paradiso Number of the Allegorical Sign Allegorical Sign 1Midway upon the journey of our life 2Dark wood 3Hill 4Leopard 5Lion 6She-wolf 7Gate of St. Peter 8Beatrice 9Virgil 10Greyhound

Number of the Character Name of the CharacterRole of the Character 1Beatriceheavenly wisdom 2Virgilworldly wisdom 3Luciailluminating grace 4Rachelthe contemplative life 5Aeneas(unbaptized) the ancestor of the founder of, which became the seat of the empire 6Virgin Marydivine grace 7Dioscorides(unbaptized) a physician in of the first century, author of a medical work; treating of the qualities of plants 8Hippocrates and Galen(unbaptized) Greek physicians 9Orpheus and Linus(unbaptized) mythical Greek singers and poets 10Tullius, Cicero and Seneca (unbaptized) writers whose ethical works were much read in the middle ages

Number of the Allegorical Sign Allegorical Sign Book Source Canto Source Page Number Frequency of Appearance 1Midway upon the journey of our life HELL111 2Dark woodHELL118 3HillHELL11, 56, 58, 71, 152, LeopardHELL11, 23,2 5LionHELL11, 24, 40, 44, 47, 61, 114, 124, She-wolfHELL11, 832 7Gate of St. PeterHELL121 8BeatriceHELL12, 61, 64, 76, 80, 89, 95, , 108, 110, 112, 113, 115, 118, 120, 122, 127, 129, 130, , 138, , 150, , 156, 61 9VirgilHELL12, 27, 34, 43, 47, 55, 56, 61, 62, 65, 67, 72, 81, 85, 86, 89, 91, 94, 95, , 132, GreyhoundHELL12, 192

No. of the Interviewee Preferred Meaning a. an extended metaphor b. a direct conversation c. a valid exaggeration d. a library of poetry e. none of the above 1√ 2√ 3√ 4√ 5√ 6√ Total6

Number of the Interviewee Preferred Response YesNo 1√ 2√ 3√ 4√ 5√ 6√ Total42

Number of the Interviewee Preferred Response YesNo 1√ 2√ 3√ 4√ 5√ 6√ Total6

Number of the Interviewee Preferred Answer a. maintaining the moral goodness of an action b. deciding to do bad in favor of one’s convenience c. doing nothing d. letting others decide e. others 1√ 2√ 3√ 4√ 5√ 6√ Total6

Number of the Interviewee Preferred Response YesNo 1√ 2√ 3√ 4√ 5√ 6√ Total24

Number of the Interviewee Preferred Response YesNo 1√ 2√ 3√ 4√ 5√ 6√ Total24

Number of the Interviewee Preferred Response YesNo 1√ 2√ 3√ 4√ 5√ 6√ Total51

Number of the Interviewee Preferred Answer a.reincarnation of life b. having a second life c. reuniting with God d.resurrectione. others 1√ 2√ 3√ 4√ 5√ 6√ Total42

Number of the Interviewee Preferred Response YesNo 1√ 2√ 3√ 4√ 5√ 6√ Total6

Number of the Interviewee Options a. hell is man inherited from Adam and Eve, heaven is man on the peak of his happiness b. man discovered hell in the Earth’s core while God created the sky c. hell is science, heaven is religion d. hell is man committing sins, heaven is man being saved by God’s salvation e. others 1√ 2√ 3√ 4√ 5√ 6√ Total42

Number of the Interviewee Opinion 1The significance of Morality in life after death is that it provides the guiding principles for us to attain the afterlife we wish or hope. 2This will affect how our lives will be evaluated after death for final judgment. 3It is a form of Retribution wherein the goodness that you have done will be rewarded and the badness, you will have to take its consequences. 4It will guide us to a life with God. 5Morality motivates us to build a good relationship with God. 6It determines whether our soul after death will receive its heavenly reward or not. Absence of Morality means not being able to experience a life of eternal bliss.

Items Asked Number of the Interviewee Perceived meaning of Allegory An extended metaphor An extended metaphor An extended metaphor An extended metaphor An extended metaphor An extended metaphor Is the Allegory a good literary device in expressing the goodness and the badness of a decision during critical moments? Yes No Yes Have you experienced a critical moment affecting your decision making skill? Yes What was your basis in making your decision during the critical moment? Maintaining the moral goodness of an action

Do you think the goodness or the badness of an action changes as time goes by? No YesNo Yes Do you think morality changes? No YesNo Yes Do you think people entertain differences between their concept of God before and their concept of God now? YesNoYes What is your idea of life after death? ResurrectionReuniting with God ResurrectionReuniting with God Do you believe that morals learned on Earth could affect your life after death? Yes

Give your opinion to the statement: “Hell is man’s creation. Heaven is God’s creation.” Hell is man committing sin. Heaven is man being saved by God’s salvation Others Hell is man committing sin. Heaven is man being saved by God’s salvation What is your opinion to the statement that Morality is significant to one’s life after death? The significance of Morality in life after death is that it provides the guiding principles for us to attain the afterlife we wish or hope. This will affect how our lives will be evaluated after death for final judgment. It is a form of Retribution wherein the goodness that you have done will be rewarded and the badness, you will have to take its consequences. It will guide us to a life with God. Morality motivates us to build a good relationship with God. It determines whether our soul after death will receive its heavenly reward or not. Absence of Morality means not being able to experience a life of eternal bliss.

Number of the Allegorical SignAllegorical SignAllegorical Interpretation 1Midway upon the journey of our life Dante was 35 years old 2Dark woodforest of the world of sense 3Hill type of the true course of life 4Leopard temptation of the flesh 5Lionpride 6She-wolf avarice 7Gate of St. Petergate of purgatory 8Beatriceheavenly wisdom 9Virgilworldly wisdom 10Greyhound Can Grande della Scala, great Ghibelline Leader

Number of the Allegorical Sign Allegorical Sign Frequency of Appearance Ranking 1Love1511 st 2Power622 nd 3Beatrice613 rd 4Stars384 th 5Virgil335 th 6A lady326 th 7Virgin Mary207 th 8Gold198 th 9Mirror169 th 10Keys1110 th

Percentage= F ____ x 100 n For the first question, 6 out of 6 or 100% of the interviewees preferred the meaning extended metaphor for the word Allegory. For the second question, it is found out that 4 out of 6 or 66.67% of the interviewees agreed that an Allegory is a good literary device to express the goodness and the badness of a decision during critical moments while 2 out of 6 or % of the interviewees disagreed.

For the third question, it is found out that 6 out of 6 or 100% of the interviewees agreed that they have been into a critical moment which affected their decision-making. For the fourth question, it is found out that 6 out of 6 or 100% of the interviewees preferred that in making a decision, one must maintain the moral goodness of an action. For the fifth question, it is found out that 4 out of 6 or 66.67% of the interviewees disagreed to the idea that the goodness and the badness of an action changes while 2 out of 6 or % of the respondents agreed.

For the sixth question, it is found out that 4 out of 6 or 66.67% of the interviewees disagreed to the idea that morality changes while 2 out 6 or % of the respondents agreed. For the seventh question, it is found out that 5 out of 6 or 83.33% of the interviewees believe that there is/are difference(s) between the concept of the God before and the God now while1 out of 6 or 16.67% disagreed. For the eighth question, it is found out that 4 out of 6 or 66.67% of the interviewees perceived the concept of life after death as being reunited with God while 2 out of 6 or 33.33% perceived it to be resurrection.

For the ninth question, it is found out that 6 out of 6 or 100% of the interviewees agreed that morality learned on Earth could affect life after death. For the tenth question, it is found out that 4 out of 6 or 66.67% of the interviewees agreed to the opinion that hell is man committing sins, heaven is man being saved by God’s salvation while 2 out of 6 or 33.33% have given their own opinion about the statement. For the eleventh and last question, 6 out of 6 or 100% of the interviewees said that morality has significance in life after death.

Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" is narrated through the use of Allegory. The Allegorical signs projected the moralistic view of the poem's plot by directly comparing the literal meaning of its content to moralistic ideas. Characters, events and abstract ideas especially about morality are best represented by allegorical signs because it can directly compare reality to imagination. Dante, as an author used his own experiences to show his love for morality through writing. He developed this passion through the personal struggles that he have encountered in his life. Those critical moments of his life gave rise to the existence of the epic poem "Divine Comedy".

Dante’s idea was to create an image of the world of the Christian God during his time through the poem. The content of the plot shows the soul’s journey from sin to salvation. It is a poem telling an imaginary adventure through the three worlds. Allegorical signs used in the epic poem clearly projects morality through the interpretation. The Allegory in Dante's Divine Comedy is an expression of his and every man's existence. Dante’s experiences as told in his poem are facts that were experienced during the old times and are still being experienced at present Morality is an absolute concept which doesn’t change in nature and cannot be explained in just plain language.

The school should give a broader scope of the works of Dante Alighieri for the following reasons: (1)to inculcate in the minds of the new generation the essence of moral ideals as his orientation to his literary pieces (2) to create an avenue for individual’s spiritual guidance (3) to put detail on the rhetorical use of allegory in writing poems

Suggestions for further investigations of this topic: (a)production of essays regarding “Divine Comedy” to contribute to the development of morality in educational philosophy (b)a thorough discussion of philosophical and theological issues concerning the literary piece, “Divine Comedy” (c)a comparative study about the philosophical criticism applied to Dante’s literary works: between the “Divine Comedy” and “The Convivio” It is also recommended that a related study will be conducted by the incoming students, either in Religious Education or Communication to sustain the moral value of literary pieces.