In this article, Roy Rosenstein shares the events that occurred during his first day of teaching the Dante and Medieval Culture course in the fall semester of 2001 at the American University of Paris (AUP). On, September 11, 2001, immediately following Rosenstein's opening statement of "Welcome to hell," the class was alerted to the terrorist attacks in New York. Watching the events of that day unfold was a moment of crystallization between life and art. This article discusses the enduring pedagogical and psychological impacts of that day, and how studying Dante provided the tools to deal with the destruction in New York witnessed by the students in the class.