Consequences Of Cheating In Dante's Inferno, By Dante Alighieri

In the modern contemporary society, copying from another person, whether it be on a test or any other assignment, is frowned upon. However, there aren’t any consequences for this act in the period of time depicted in Inferno, by Dante Alighieri, as this wasn’t recognized as a punishable sin. During this period, the deepest and darkest parts of Hell was home to thieves and liars, where their souls were lost and tortured for eternity. One who cheats does so by committing thievery as they steal another person’s ideas and pose it as their own without the owner’s consent or knowledge. In the process, they lie by saying it is an original piece of work. A person that copies shows no self restraint; moreover, it brings out their immaturity and inability …show more content…
Such recognizable actions of cheating include, but are not limited to, looking at another student’s paper during times of a test, assisting others and exchanging information, or taking out electronics and manually searching for answers. Partaking in such actions is unethical, and morally incorrect since one is taking someone else’s ideas and hard work, and ultimately claiming it as their own. In our contemporary society, cheating is looked down upon, however a fifth grader wouldn’t receive the same punishment as a college student if they cheated on their tests. This is because the magnitude and importance of the two tests as well as their age greatly differ and one may not know the difference between right or wrong. Nevertheless, if cheating was a sin in the world of Dante, even the smallest of offenses should result in the same consequence and land the cheater in the 8th circle of Inferno. Consequently, both scenarios will warrant the same punishments of equal severity. Saying false words and pilfering from others are examples of extreme sins in Dante’s world, which means copying from others would be just as worse as the aforementioned wrongdoings. One who does this would be violating orthodoxy, a generally accepted theory or practice in a …show more content…
For example, when instructions on a test are unclear, someone may ask a question, prompting a response from the teacher to that specific student, and that one only. Due to the unique circumstances, the rest of the class is at a disadvantage, as one student has benefited greatly from an instructor’s help, while the others, unaware of the problem’s command, is left sitting in the dust. At this moment in time, one has the right to ask that person for what was spoken to him during the interaction with the teacher, as this would eliminate any drawbacks the rest of the test takers have suffered. However, if the test taker that has received the benefit doesn’t speak up, he is the one that is dishonest and therefore should be inflicted with the consequences of cheating. Rarely is it okay to talk and cooperate during tests, but on occasions such as these, one must communicate in order to stabilize the uneven lead others