There are blogs about what you put in your body. This is blog about what you put in your head.
The main premise is, if this was the only lyric an individual had to use as guide for his life, where would they windup in Dante’s Framework -- The feral child effect.
The blog takes the lyrics of songs and categorizes them into the framework laid out in Dante’s Divine Comedy. The song can be categorized in one the three major regions in Dante’s framework Inferno, Purgatorio or Paradiso. Within each of these regions there are minor level of categorizations specialized for that region.
How to use the site:
Simply post a song an experts will categorize and will provide a rationale for the rating.
Or post your own rating and rationale
The Method:
Step One:
The first question is who is the subject of the song? Is there a Narrator? Is there a single subject? Are there multiple subjects?
The Method:
Step One:
The first question is who is the subject of the song? Is there a Narrator? Is there a single subject? Are there multiple subjects?
The Second question to begin the speculation is:
“If this was the only lyric an individual had to use as guide for his life, where would they windup in Dante’s Framework?”
a) Will it lead to a life of unrepentant, self indulgence? Hell.
b) Will it promote community and repentance in an impure state? Purgatory
c) Will lead to the purest statement of given virtue? Paradise
The major and minor categories are:
a) Will it lead to a life of unrepentant, self indulgence? Hell.
b) Will it promote community and repentance in an impure state? Purgatory
c) Will lead to the purest statement of given virtue? Paradise
The major and minor categories are:
The third question is can the song be interpreted literally or allegorically
Once these three questions are answered, a finer criteria is applied
Step Two:
Once the Major region is selected, there is a specialized criterion to be used for each Major region to place the lyric in the appropriate minor level.
Hell:
If the song has neither elements of (B) nor (C), the lyric is categorized by its dominant trait or sin (disease of the spirit). The levels are:
Purgatory:
If the song contains elements of (B), the lyric is categorized by its dominant trait or sin. If the lyric contains multiple sins, it must start at the lowest level sin.
Paradise:
If the song contains elements of (C), the lyric is categorized by its dominant trait of virtue. If the lyric contains multiple virtues, it must start at the lowest level virtue.
A Simple Example:
Once these three questions are answered, a finer criteria is applied
Step Two:
Once the Major region is selected, there is a specialized criterion to be used for each Major region to place the lyric in the appropriate minor level.
Hell:
If the song has neither elements of (B) nor (C), the lyric is categorized by its dominant trait or sin (disease of the spirit). The levels are:
Purgatory:
If the song contains elements of (B), the lyric is categorized by its dominant trait or sin. If the lyric contains multiple sins, it must start at the lowest level sin.
Paradise:
If the song contains elements of (C), the lyric is categorized by its dominant trait of virtue. If the lyric contains multiple virtues, it must start at the lowest level virtue.
A Simple Example:
Start with a literal interpretation.
Elvis Presley, Hound Dog
“You ain’t nothing but a hound dog”, “Crying all the Time”… Ain’t never caught a rabbit, and You ain’t no friend of mine”
“You ain’t nothing but a hound dog, crying all the time”. The song is one of rebuking an individual for being overly emotional”. We have a choice to rate the narrator or the subject of the song.
“You ain’t nothing but a hound dog, crying all the time”. The song is one of rebuking an individual for being overly emotional”. We have a choice to rate the narrator or the subject of the song.
“You ain’t never caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine”. The narrator is specifically rebuking the person for not achieving there purpose in life—a time waster. This song on the surface seems like a "the late repentant", but I don't know why the person is crying so i don't know if it is right or wrong crying. The song actually never tells me. The song actually never describes any hope of the person ever stop crying.
So I would recommend we turn to the narrator of the song.
Pay close attention to the particularly damning line and “you ain’t no friend of mime” which denotes a lack of community on the narrators’ part. The song and this line must be further decomposed to discover the narrator’s place of mind.
“When they said you was high classed, Well, that was just a lie.”
The narrator offers not criteria as whether high classed is good or bad, but say “they” are false in there assessment. As earlier, the narrator never says whether these are righteous tears or unrighteous. And finally, the verse turns back to the fact that this person being rebuked cannot join the community because they have never succeeded at hunting rabbits.
Because the narrator offers no criteria for “high class” or the "tears" to evaluate, but claims it as false, I believe this song resonates a form of sophism to me. It lacks humility. I find that the repeated listening of this song, without additional stimulus would land this song and listner in the Hell, on the Malebolge, under Evil Counselors.
“When they said you was high classed, Well, that was just a lie.”
The narrator offers not criteria as whether high classed is good or bad, but say “they” are false in there assessment. As earlier, the narrator never says whether these are righteous tears or unrighteous. And finally, the verse turns back to the fact that this person being rebuked cannot join the community because they have never succeeded at hunting rabbits.
Because the narrator offers no criteria for “high class” or the "tears" to evaluate, but claims it as false, I believe this song resonates a form of sophism to me. It lacks humility. I find that the repeated listening of this song, without additional stimulus would land this song and listner in the Hell, on the Malebolge, under Evil Counselors.
Rating on the Dante Scale
Interpretation:"Literal";
Artist:"Elvis Presely";
Album:"";
Song:"Hound Dog";
Subject:"Narrator;
Rating:"Hell:Malbolage:Evil Counselors";
Disclaimer
Note, this program is not meant as a tool to morally judge individual artists. It is just an assertion that if this was the only lyric an individual had to use as guide for his life, where would they windup in Dante’s Framework
Note, this program is not meant as a tool to morally judge individual artists. It is just an assertion that if this was the only lyric an individual had to use as guide for his life, where would they windup in Dante’s Framework
