The paragraph I've chosen is from Dante's "Inferno" or the first part of his three-part Divine Comedy. It reads as follows: " ' "Vexilla Regis prodeunt Inferni" Towards us; and therefore keep your eyes ahead,' My Master said, 'to see if you can spy him.' Just as, when night falls on our hemisphere or when a heavy fog is blowing thick, a windmill seems to wheel when seen far off, so then I seemed to see that sort of structure. And next, because the wind was strong, I shrank behind my guide; there was no other shelter. " Within the introduction to the final chapter of Dante's "Inferno" there is an underlying thesis that is meant to support the author's theological view - namely that evil is not a force in and of itself, but rather an absence of good and of God. This idea of evil as a void of good rather than an independent force can be found underwriting much of these crucial first three Cantos. In the first Canto we are immediately greeted with a sense of unfamiliarity. The choice to begin with a latin quote in the line “Vexilla regis prodeunt inferni” is bewildering. This Latin text alludes to a popular hymn “Vexilla regis prodeunt” or “The Royal Banner Forward Goes”. This hymn is a reference to God’s banners and as such the subversion of it with the addition of “inferni” (changing it to "The king's banners come out of hell”) establishes a theme of hell as an inversion of the divine that persists throughout the entire final chapter of Dante's work. The language used has the added effect of obscuring the reader’s clarity, causing a hesitation similar to the intended feeling of hesitance that comes with entry into the final layer of Hell. Additionally, here it is the mentor, Virgil, speaking with the command, “keep your eyes ahead... to see if you can spy him.” This is the first example of Virgil’s authority flowing through sight in these verses, he readies Dante and the reader to see and primes our understanding to come from that sight. The idea of knowledge and sight as a parallel is another crucial theme within these verses whilst this literary technique is simultaneously an excellent way of exciting our imaginations to expect a great creature on the horizon. It prepares us for the arrival of something we expect to be impressive and places Dante squarely in the middle of this ninth circle. The verbiage “keep your eyes ahead” reminds Dante of where he is and its inherent dangers, while allowing hope for escape. It is a clever way of both warning Dante and encouraging him at the same time. The next three lines are very quick to read, unencumbered by a great deal of punctuation. The presentation of the verses is equally as obfuscated as their content as they read, “Just as, when night falls on our hemisphere or when a heavy fog is blowing thick, a windmill seems to wheel far off,”. These lines contribute to our sense of distorted or restricted sight and our quickness in reading them stands in sharp contrast with the marked slowness of lines 1-3. With their Latin introduction and immediate break via a semicolon, “ 'Vexilla regis prodeunt inferni' toward us; and therefore keep your eyes ahead,” the pace of these first three verses is quickly escalated - making them much more easily misunderstood. Indeed, it is Dante now misunderstanding what he sees (lacking knowledge and sight), for it is Lucifer himself that he lays eyes upon. The “windmill” is rather the great shape of Lucifer and through his mistaken portrayal we see how his vision is impaired as is his knowledge of his surroundings. Additionally, it states “when night falls on our hemisphere” a succinct reminder of the scale of Lucifer, and of the danger he represents should Dante stumble at this final stage of his journey. In lines 7-9 Dante formally mistakes Lucifer for “some kind of structure” - a direct continuance from the preceding lines. Returning to emphasis on punctuation, lines 8-9, “And next, because the wind was so strong, I shrank behind my guide; there was no other shelter” employ a great deal of punctuation which weighs down the reader’s eye as it reaches the essential sections. This is where the theme of exposure is first introduced, and importantly it is introduced to us through Dante’s (the character’s) perspective. He is forced to shrink behind Virgil in an effort to shield himself from the great wind produced by Lucifer, another somber reminder that he is still subject to the dangers of this pit. It is critical that Dante remembers the danger now as the pit is Dante’s “final exam” in a sense. Throughout, Dante has fallen victim to the snares of various circles, but here he must avoid that trickery at all costs. The last thing I will draw attention to in these lines is the image of Lucifer as a sort of “structure”. This imagery of Lucifer as a thing, not as a living creature, is a symbolism which synergizes with the other descriptors applied to him. Cold, lifeless, devoid of freedom - he sits as the ultimate “evil” in a world where evil is nothing beyond the absence of good. Lucifer is barren of all things which God is, the opposite of Heaven, or perhaps better said: the rejection of it. This description of him continues the ideas of the very first four words of the Canto, that Lucifer is the inversion of God, a hellish parody.