Professor Cripps
2-1-Q
Chapter 2
Student: Anthony Lacaprucia
2 – Offer 2 Specific Details from the chapter. For each, ID/quote and add 3-8 sentences of your own explanation
- “For him that stealeth, or borroweth and returneth not, this book from its owner, let it change into a serpent in his hand and rend him. Let him be struck with palsy, and all his members blasted. Let him languish in pain, crying aloud for mercy, and let there be no surcease to this agony till he sing in dissolution. Let bookworms gnaw his entrails in token of the worm that dieth not, and when at last he goeth to his last punishment, let the flames of hell consume him for ever.” (4th page of the chapter). I found this part of the chapter to be very interesting as it’s a very violent description for stealing a book. It seems books are very very valuable during the time period this book takes place. It’s very much different from today where most libraries have free books available. It also makes more sense now why there would be people like Poggio who are book hunters.
- “Poggio also possessed considerable personal charm. He was a marvelous raconteur, a sly gossip, and an indefatigable teller of jokes, many of them off-color” (Page 5 of the chapter). This is one of the first real descriptions of Poggio’s personality that we get. We start to learn a lot more about him in this chapter. I’m sure his personal charm will play a large role throughout the story so I think it’s important to highlight this.
1 – Make 1 Connection to Self, to World, or to Text – or Extend by offering a little detail about something mentioned in the text (some light research needed to Extend)
- Petrarch’s achievement had inspired others to seek out lost classics that had been lying unread, often for centuries. The recovered texts were copied, edited, commented upon, and eagerly exchanged, conferring distinction on those who had found them and forming the basis for what became known as the “study of the humanities.” This connects to our class as we are taking an intro to the arts and humanities class. I would also assume we are reading this book for its focus on the humanities. I think as we are reading we should pay close attention to that.
Q – Give us a Good Question to chew on – 1-3 sentences
- Why were the monks required to read? Why were they punished if they didn’t? What were the punishments?
