The Gate of Hell

In Canto III, Dante finally arrives at the gate of hell where he essentially begins his journey through the depths of hell. What struck me the most about his arrival at the gate was the inscription that read, "Abandon all hope, you who enter here." This is terrifying, not only for Dante the pilgrim, but even for humanity today. It may or may not say something on those lines down there, but regardless it is reality among humanity. People will die one day and not accept God, and unfortunately may make their way down to the depths of hell. Although Dante has never actually been to hell, his description still serves the point of its evilness, and I'd only assume it is even worse as he explains it. When I read this part of the description with the gate, it immediately reminded me of the Auschwitz gate which reads Arbeit Macht Frei. This translates to work makes your free. Even through these two gates don't have an identical translation, the higher meaning of this concentration camp gate represents a parallel meaning to hell. All those who entered the Auschwitz camp really did have to abandon all hope because their were going to die with exception of the few lucky ones. Some may even make the argument that Auschwitz and the rest of the concentration camps were a present day hell for those who unfortunately had to experience them. It amazes me how you can make so many parallels in literature especially in the Inferno.