Describe a moment and analyze: “Write about a single experience or moment, and ask: how does this moment, experience, or encounter relate to my essential question?”

• You can also compare it with learning experiences you have had elsewhere, whether in or out of a classroom, at LREI or elsewhere.

On Monday, I spoke with Barbara Rosenblit about her experience with Dante’s Inferno. One of the questions I posed to her was what does Dante’s journey mean to you? which branches from my own essential question. I am still thinking about her response which was (in paraphrase) that much like the bible, a powerful text can feel like you are reading it for the first time at any point in your life. And it’s so beautiful that the text is not restrained to any age, instead it is for all humans. In Inferno – throughout the entire Comedy – Dante deals with human themes like struggle, fear, need for a mentor, loss, politics, sexuality, love, hope, weakness, strength, etc. Therefore, the journey means different things each time I read it, it drills into every part of us as humans. Later on in our conversation, she said something that has resonated with me tremendously: “when you’ve finished reading Inferno, then you’re ready to read Inferno. Inferno begins when it’s over – Dante’s not going through it, he’s telling us what he went through.” I think that this analysis is very parallel to the human experience – it is only once you’ve been through a journey that you can fully appreciate and learn from it. I’ve been feeling a little spacey about my work recently, but I feel that my conversation with Barbara reaffirmed my interest in my project and inspired a lot of reflection within.