Every famous author has something that makes them “special” or “unique”. Some are very good at personifying inanimate objects. While others find strength in the use of metaphors. Through the study of Dante Alighieri, there is a particular writing tool that he often uses. The tool he uses throughout the Divine Comedy is allegory. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as: “a story in which the characters and events are symbols that represent ideas about human life or a political or historical situation” (Merriam-Webster, 2013). inherent in the whole story. In his book The Inferno he describes Dante Pellegrino's descent into the Underworld and the different things he sees. There are a variety of sins and punishments outlined in his book. Of the many descriptions portrayed in Alighieri's Inferno, the punishments of flatterers, soothsayers, and traitors of God are the most allegorical. First, the punishment of flatterers included in Alighieri's Inferno helps to represent the pure definition of allegory. In Canto 18, Alighieri introduces the initial bedlam, or subtopics. The second bedlam of this song is aimed at flatterers. Seward defines flatterers as: “The punishment for being a flatterer is to be dug in your own excrement. They are sunk in the filth (flattery) that they expelled in life. They were full of it and now they are about to be engulfed by it. One of the sinners down here is a prostitute named Thais, who falsely praises her 'lover.'" (Seward, 2013) The common, censored, term for such people is "talkers" or "idiots." This is the punishment preferred by people because it is a common sin to this...... middle of paper......BR/Italian/DantInf29to34.htm#_Toc64099425>. This gave an idea of ​​Dante's Inferno Mahfood, Sebastian. "Inferno: Canto 20." Blogspot, January 29, 2005. Web.December 8, 2013. This gave a great definition of allegory. Pinsky, Robert. “The personal was political.” New York Times, 29 July 2001. Web. 8 December 2013. the-personal-was-political.html?pagewanted=1> was about Dante's impact on literature. Seward. "Dante's Inferno." Colleague Seward, 2013. Web. 8 Dec.2013.dante/circle8.html>.