Making change in an age of dark beliefs and harsh criticism is a difficult task to accomplish. The world of the poet Dante Alighieri was full of spirituality and stigmas. Unlike many other artists of his time, he completed his most famous and influential work in the European 1300s. Dante's work, The Divine Comedy, demonstrates the journey one takes throughout life to find oneself and connect with the world and religion, all through three volumes of poems. From his talent an artistic business was born. Furthermore, it changed the way the Italian language was perceived. She used her writings to help women be considered equal to men and took a more tolerant stance towards religion. Because of its effects on language, religion, and social protocol, The Divine Comedy undoubtedly influenced Italian culture in its author's time, and beyond. A nation's language may seem defined, but in the 14th century Italy was simply a geographic region. in need of leadership and unity. Bardertscher discussed how Dante helped unite the country into one language. “Written in Tuscan dialect rather than Latin, “The Divine Comedy” helped strengthen the use of the vernacular as a literary language. This also led to the dominance of Tuscan, which became the basis of modern Italian” (Bardertscher, 2005, p. 1). By writing his work in Tuscan Italian, Dante made two great steps forward for Italy. First, he established Italian as a language as versatile and useful as Latin. Furthermore, Dante's use of a particular dialect led the Italian government to adopt this dialect as its standard language. Even today, Dante's Tuscan dialect is the version of Italian that American students learn and most Italians speak...... middle of paper......-9c73-91270cb47496%40sessionmgr10&vid=1&hid=13&bdata =JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d #db=mih&AN=15310909Burge, J. (2011). Dante: Reason and religion. Retrieved December 14, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?sid=5cd2709b-b242-4ee4-b1ba-8dc080c53953%40sessionmgr13&vid=1&hid=13&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d#db=ulh&AN=5 26105Chou, P (1999). Novel: Dante and Beatrice. Retrieved December 9, 2011, from http://www.wisdomportal.com/Romance/Dante-Beatrice.htmlHutchinson Biographies Database. (2011). Dante Alighieri. Retrieved December 9, 2011, from http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?sid=c33e3860-8c08-48cc-b3e1-edf9a2b50b6e%40sessionmgr15&vid=1&hid=13&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d#db=mih&AN=32 6798Cavaliere, K (2009). Thomism. Retrieved December 9, 2011, from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14698b.htmRubin, H. (2004). Dante in love. New York: Simon & Schuster.