Period+6---questions+5,6

Umer Hasan, Zach Long, Pascal Dangtran, Jonathan Morrisey, Vinny D'Ambrosio, Ravi Saripella, Andrew Benfer Period 6---questions 5,6

Question 6: Demonstrate how Dantes uses the weaknesses and the secret sins of his enemies to defeat them.

 Many characters have weaknesses and sins that Dantes uses to defeat them. Dantes uses Madame Villefort’s ambition to give her a potion and tricked her into killing most of her family. She did this because she wanted her son to inherit the fortune. Dantes also takes advantage of Madame Danglar’s weakness for gambling, which led to her losing a lot of money. Monsieur Danglar’s greed for money almost lead to his death because he didn’t want to pay for food when he was kidnapped by the bandits. While held captive by Luigi Vampa, Danglar refuses to sepnd his money on food untill he is starving to death. Lastly, Dantes uses Caderousse’s greed for money to get information on his enemies and friends. Mondego’s secret sin of betraying Ali Pasha was revealed by Dantes, and he committs suicide after discovering his wife and son were leaving him.

Question 5: Despite Dantes' tragic past, he treasures some of his memories. Demonstrate Dantes' sentimental attachment to figures in his past by discussing his emotional responses to certain **objects **. 

a. **The Red Silk Purse**- The red silk purse was first used by Monsieur Morrel in his attempt to save the life of Dantes' father. Dantes later uses the red silk purse to save Monsieur Morrel's life. The red purse becomes the physical symbol of the connection between good deeds and rewards. Morrel recognizes the purse and deduces the connection between the good deed performed on his behalf and the good deed he once performed himself. Morrel concludes that Dantes must be his savior for the purse that saved him was the same purse he had given to Dantes father. Julie Morrel's daughter then emphasizes the symbolic power of the purse by keeping it constantly on display as a relic of her father's miraculous salvation. b. **The Elixir-** Dantes potion seems to have the power both to kill and to bring a person back to life, a power that Dantes comes to believe in too strongly. His overestimation of the elixir's power reflects his overestimation of his own power. It is significant that, when faced with Edward's corpse, Dantes thinks first to use his elixir to bring the boy back to life. Of course, the elixir is not powerful enough to bring the dead to life, just as Dantes himself is not capable of accomplishing divine feats. The power to grant life--like the power to carry out ultimate retribution and justice is God's will. It is when Dantes acknowledges the limits of his elixir that he realizes his own limitations as a human being. c. **The Manuscripts-** Dantes is deeply attached to the manuscripts that Abbe Faria wrote while he was in prison. These are important to him because Abbe Faria put his lifes work into it because he had nothing else to do in the vacant prison. The manuscripts were cleverly made out of cloth and written in an ink that Abbe Faria had made himself. Abbe Faria also wrote where the treasure was located so that Dantes could find it once he escaped prison. Along witht he location of the treasure, Abbe Faria also wrote a book about the politics of Italy and as well as the history of it. Abbe Faria also held his manuscripts as one of his greatest accomplishments this is why Dantes was so sentimentally attached to this masterpiece.

Do artistic creations, such as literature, fine arts, and music, influence events, or do events inspire creativity? Was Dumas inspired by the French Revolution?

==The work of artists is often affected by real world events that may change their feelings and ideas about a subject. Many works of art, from songs to novels, are inspired by experiences and emotions, caused by events in the world. Literary works are influenced by political events, usually those that dramatically changed history. Dumas was definitely influenced by the Napoleonic Wars, shown by the setting of __The Count of Monte Cristo__ which was based in the time around Napoleons return, and the fear and conflict caused by this event. Dumas wrote other fictional works based around French history, showing his interest in the country’s past. Other artistic works are also influenced by historical events, as many well-known paintings have depicted scenes of important battles, rulers, and daily life of the period. ==