Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy is an epic poem that begins with Hell. Hell is a hugely influential part of European literature. Story structure is for many people an element of the vision of Hell. On a religious level, this poem had great prevalence. Dante paints a picture of Hell that is both disturbing and justifiable. A whole world is created through his poem. The levels and intensity of sin are reflected. Crime is classified as small or large scale. Those who are intentional and calculated are considered more heinous than those who are driven by passion. There are many reasons why this literary work makes me think and develop my own ideas about what lies beyond this world. Dante's Inferno arouses religious thought and causes a person to question their own action. Dante invoked me to deepen my beliefs about life and death. This poem has a great scope of contemplation. “Even though I entered a new era of my life with Walden, I did not immediately build a cabin and live there… Walden's effect on me was internal and not material. I discovered my love for wise and moving voices, authors capable of casting spells and teaching truths” (Bonin 83). This quote from “The Education of the Soul: The Abandoned Ideal of Literary Study” by Michael Richard Bonin is one that I find compelling. Even though my experience with this literary work will not contribute to my craft, it still managed to move me as a person. Dante made me think about how I view my religious beliefs and what I will become when I die. Religion is obviously involved when you look at this epic poem. As a Christian, hell is viewed with fear. Hell falls into the nature of the sinner. This makes those in the middle of the paper continue to thrive in today's society because it poses a question of action and faith. The description of this work is both beautiful, in terms of wording, and grotesque, in terms of punishment. Dante makes his audience think about his reason for being. The seriousness of sin and its horrible punishment has made me think about how I live my daily life because I feel that hell is both real and a place of punishment. The action of doing the right thing grants a person heaven and theft will reward you with snake bites. Work cited Alighieri, Dante. “The Divine Comedy: Inferno.”‖ The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. 8th ed. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: WW Norton, 2006. 1465-1576. Print.Bonin, Michael Richard. “Education of the soul: the abandoned ideal of literary study.” » Rocky Mountain Review of Language and Literature 53 (1999): 83-89.