"Here, there, up down, they whirl and, whirling, strain with never a hope of hope to comfort them, not of release, but even of less pain" (Dante 949). Instead of him whirling around in just a whirlwind, I suggest that his punishment is him stuck in a whirlwind of a reminder full of his greatest mistake and his biggest victim. Although the whirlwinds impact the sinners physically, this will impact Genji mentally as well. By having a whirlwind full of dolls haunting him, his mind will never be at rest. Eternally, he will be in pain and think of the mistakes he made, always haunted of the terrible mistakes and the terrible person he was. His lust for the young girl and his want for control doesn't make up for how badly he treated her. She was too young and he knew exactly what he was doing. For this, he shall be punished by a whirlwind full of dolls. A reminder for eternity.

In this second circle, the storm is not just a whirlwind and lust is portrayed through phones and technology. The people are always straining and chasing the illusion of love through apps and different images. Those who scrolled endlessly for their own desire are now stuck in a storm of flashing screens. Whether it be influencers or cheaters, their fingertips blister as they scroll forever, the punishment fitting the crime of wasting their life away on desires. They are always alone and yearning for more but never being able to reach it.

It is a reminder to not waste time on the things that don't matter, chasing after vanity.

• This image was generated by ChatGPT, 11/4/2025.

-Adi

I can't draw so ai made this.

Such mindless indulgence reminds me of modern-day overconsumption. From technological addictions to fast fashion, contemporary society is obsessed with convenience and efficiency. Many now live wasteful lives, chasing trend after trend as they spend hours consuming superficial content. People are glued to their phones (hence the "bedrotting" phenomenon), while fast fashion becomes increasingly difficult to escape. The allure of cheap prices draw consumers in, only to wind up discarding the environmentally harmful materials once the fad passes. In this version of Circle Three, both electronic and synthetic waste litter the landscape and drown the damned, a mirror of today's piling trash heaps.

• Aleksandr Smagly

These social media influencers are also like Dante's Flatterers, who "were so smeared with filth" for their false flattery (Dante 1008). These influencers are now trapped in a world of their own digital deception, and in that world every reflection lies back to them in the mire of their own digital deceit.

Eamon Turna

It reminded me of our past reading from this week, something that was discussed in both The Pillow Book and The Tale of Genji. In both, the authors describe how women from the court view others with disdain and how gossip runs rampant. It holds similarities to real life as well, reminding me of those who will speak freely about others but will hold their tongues when asked directly. I think those who might find themselves in the fifth level of Hell are individuals who spread lies and half-truths, unable to do anything else in their anger but spread disinformation about an unknowing person or one who cannot do anything about it, like Genji's mother. A fitting punishment seems like one that forces them to confront the people they've been discussing, forced to watch as they are rewarded while the sullen sees their words have had no effect on the recipient's quality of life. In the end, despite their backhanded efforts, their words have not reached other ears and the individual whose character is being tainted remains untouched.

• Leila Nelson

If I were choosing how they were to be punished, I feel that they should reap what they sow. What I mean by that is that as soon as they achieve their lifelong dream or aspiration, it is taken away in the same way that scammers, crooked people, etc., took the livelihoods from other people.

~ Shaan Segran

(Written by Arrick Alvarado)

In addition to his personal matters, Facebook as a whole has disrupted the lives of the masses. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram thrive on addiction. They create an illusion of community, which often further isolates the user from their actual community. Their algorithms feed the user content that creates strong emotions and continues their addiction. To make matters worse, while the user is addicted to the platform, Meta collects and sells the user's data without their knowledge.

Based on all the harm Mark Zuckerberg has caused, his punishment would fit a combination of the categories in the eighth level of Hell. He would suffer the consequences similar to barrators, thieves, hypocrites, sowers of discord, and falsifiers combined. In an effort to maintain contrpasso, I think his punishment should have some kind of social media aspect. That might include constantly hearing notifications, endless digital entrapment, and blue lights burning his eyes. In general, he will face constant physical and mental torment for all the harm he has caused to humanity. :D

-Jen Denning

On the Tower of Babel of information, the rumor-monger built his gilded plaza. He wove lies like a spiderweb, igniting the flames of prejudice, and inch by inch, hollowing out and tearing down the dam of reason. He knew that divided groups were most easily exploited and enslaved, exchanging fabricated truths for clicks and money. Now, retribution has come; his cave is complete, and he hangs upside down, his head stuffed into an endless echo screen—all the evil words and poisonous phrases he spread in his lifetime, now amplified a million times, pouring back into his own ears. Every word becomes a red-hot nail, every rumor a boiling asphalt. The flames beneath his feet are the anger of the public he fooled, and the waves above his head are his own endless repetition. In the abyss of data, he sinks deeper and deeper, unable to escape; the crown of traffic he forged for himself has ultimately become a shackle.

Because of the strict focus on profit motive and productivity, a good amount of the environmental crises we face today can be traced back to the practices that were pioneered in the Gilded Age. For example, constant oil drilling not only proved a sustainability issue, but also resulted in severely contaminated waters that primarily impacted more urban areas. We don't see much of a difference in the specifics today of course, but these practices- and by extension, these men- laid the groundwork for the climate crisis, and ought to have a particularly heavy weight on their souls for it.

As for the punishment, I figured an eternity spent enduring the conditions they were able to escape in life would be fitting: drowning in contaminated waters, forced to breathe in polluted air, with the only land in sight being completely barren and deforested. (Please forgive my very, very amateur drawing; I thought it might be a little too ironic to discuss environmental crises while using generative AI).

Kylee Hilvers

The sinner I will be focusing on is Ian Watkins, a former lead singer of the band known as Lostprophets, a world known convicted child abuse offender that atrociously included infants. He would fall into Dante’s ninth circle as he committed treachery against thee most innocent of people in our country being children and betrayed their trust. Savagely taking advantage of their precious innocence and utilizing his presence for trickery. Just as Alberigo betrayed Manfred and his son scheming inviting them over for dinner then viciously having them killed for his personal delight. Just as Watkins feasted on children for his own amusement.

A man influenced by impulsive desire

That robbing innocence of the most innocent brought him great desire

What oh what could have set off his lighter

Possessing support of even the victim children’s mothers

Nothing could stop him not even a mutter

Endlessly praying his victims have peace

Vividly picturing the torments that man evil man now experiences with no cease

~Sylvia N. :)