Fill This Form To Receive Instant Help
Fill This Form To Receive Instant Help
Homework answers / question archive / LANG 140: Literature and Civic Engagement in the Italian Renaissance – Spring 2021 Dr
LANG 140: Literature and Civic Engagement in the Italian Renaissance – Spring 2021 Dr. Brittany Asaro Close Reading 2 Write an essay on a medieval work that we have studied in class. Include a clear and insightful thesis supported by a logical and well-developed argument. Support your thesis with accurate and detailed information from the primary source and some of the secondary sources we examined. This assignment is due before class (6:00pm Pacific) on Tuesday May 4. In your essay, respond to one of the following prompts: 1. Leonardo da Vinci made a distinction between knowledge gained through the written word and that gained through the careful observation of the natural world. Comment on his attitudes toward these differing sources of knowledge, contextualizing him within the historical-cultural milieu in which he wrote. 2. Was Lorenzo de’ Medici’s “reign” in Florence truly a Golden Age? Consider the events that occurred during his tenure, the artistic and literary works that he patronized, and his own poetry. 3. Is Machiavelli’s The Prince an amoral or immoral book? That is, does he advocate tyranny or is he simply describing a new morality that must be necessarily adopted for survival in the tumultuous Italy of his time—or does the work lie somewhere in between? Support your answers with specific examples from the text. 4. In what ways is the Mandragola a truly “Machiavellian comedy”? Describe the worldview/ideologies that Machiavelli expresses in The Prince and explain how this perspective surfaces in his play. 5. In her seminal article of the same name, Joan Kelly-Gadol asked, “Did women have a Renaissance?” Prepare a response to this question in which you bring examples from Veronica Franco’s life and works. Prewriting Process 1. Re-read one of the readings we have studied so far this semester, taking notes as you do so. Look for patterns, tensions, or questions that emerged in what you noticed. 2. Choose some short passages that you can focus on. Consider whether these passages reinforce, add a new dimension, or subvert the themes as worked out in other parts of the work. How? Why? How do these sections help you to understand the entire piece? 3. Consider how the concrete imagery in the section is working. Does the image work as a symbol in some way? Does it affect your emotions or intellect or understanding of the story? 4. Carefully comb through all the words, using the margins to record your thoughts. Note the figures of speech. Look at word choice. Pay attention to the details. 5. Based on what you have learned about the cultural, social, political, etc. milieu of the author’s lifetime, draw some conclusions about how this passage reflects the historical moment in which the text was written. 6. Decide on a thesis, create a structure for your paper that will support that thesis, and then use evidence from the text to support your main points. (This becomes your outline.) Writing Process 1. Create a title that captures the heart of your thesis. 2. Briefly summarize the passage. 3. Place this section within the context of the whole text. Why is it significant to the plot, character development, or other concerns? Does it recapitulate, perhaps, in a “miniature,” the major plot? Or does it perhaps indicate a counter-movement, an uneasiness, even contradicting major themes? 4. In separate paragraphs, discuss your most interesting discoveries in the areas of themes, details, vocabulary, language/style, structure, progress/movement, and metaphors. Outline the interesting ideas you have discovered, quoting the significant relevant lines—even quoting lines outside your passage if you need to make connections. You should always be moving toward revealing why that particular “evidence” points toward a specific judgment about the text as a whole. Continually ask: Is my passage reinforcing, adding a new dimension to, or subverting what I know in general (from lecture and class discussion) about the text? 5. Conclusion. A “close reading” usually ends with a paragraph that opens up and points towards even grander potential meanings for the passage. (In other words, don’t just repeat everything you said.) This is the appropriate place for you to elaborate on the passage’s, and therefore text’s, connection to its historical context. Format ? 3-5 pages, standard font (e.g. Times New Roman, Cambria, Calibri, etc.) 11 or 12 point, double spaced ? MLA style (no outside sources BUT you will still need to properly cite the work you are analyzing). Consult the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) for assistance. If you have any questions or needed assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the professor! Adapted from Close Reading. Authored by: Heather Gemmen Wilson. Provided by: Ivy Tech Community College. License: CC BY: Attribution Close Reading Rubric LANG 140: Literature and Civic Engagement in the Italian Renaissance Exceeds or Meets Expectations (100-80%) Approaches Expectations (79%-70%) Below Expectations or Non-Performance (69%-0%) Summary 10% Briefly summarize the passage. Adept summary that includes the most important ideas, details/facts and key vocabulary. This summary is well organized. Adequate summary with many important ideas; some details/facts and key vocabulary. This summary follows logical sequence but lacks some important information. Partial summary; some important ideas/a few facts; may include misinterpretation. This response may not be sequentially organized. OR No summary; however, includes one or two facts and/or copied text; may include incorrect information. This response lacks organization, and/or demonstrates student’s confusion. Analysis 30% What are the genre, format, organization, features, etc.? Cites significant examples from the text of elements of author’s craft/structure (voice, dialogue, language, figures of speech, imagery, mood, tone, format features, quotations, statistics, graphics, etc.) Uses appropriate vocabulary to identify the craft element. Provides an insightful explanation of how the author uses the craft of writing to convey his/her perspective. Cites examples from the text of elements of author’s craft/structure (voice, dialogue, language, figures of speech, imagery, mood, tone, format features, quotations, statistics, graphics, etc.) May not provide appropriate vocabulary to identify the craft element. Provides a reasonable explanation of how the author uses the craft of writing to convey his/her perspective. Provides generalized and/or vague statements about the author’s craft/structure, and does not provide examples from the text. Does not provide appropriate vocabulary to identify the craft element. Inadequate explanation of how the author uses the craft of writing to convey his/her perspective is provided. OR Unable to identify aspects of author’s craft and/or structure; may have copied pieces of the text. Inaccurate or no explanation of how the author uses the craft of writing to convey his/her perspective is provided. Interpretation 30% What theme/concept is the author trying to get across? Insightful interpretation of important text implications/the underlying message; provides important supporting evidence to justify his/her interpretation Reasonable interpretation of important text implications/the underlying message; provides relevant supporting evidence to justify his/her interpretation Incomplete interpretation of important text implications/the underlying message; provides little or no supporting evidence to justify his/her interpretation OR Little or no understanding of important text implications or underlying message Context 30% What does the message/theme/ concept mean in within the historical context of the text? Makes significant connections to the message of the text and concepts, situations, or information about: • medieval/Renaissance society, • other texts from the time period, or • the author’s agenda/worldview Provides insightful statement(s) to support their opinion Makes relevant connections to the message of the text and concepts, situations, or information about: • medieval/Renaissance society, • other texts from the time period, or • the author’s agenda/worldview Provides adequate statement(s) to support their opinion Makes vague connections to the message of the text and concepts, situations, or information about: • medieval/Renaissance society, • other texts from the time period, or • the author’s agenda/worldview Provides general or no statement(s) to support their opinion OR Makes insignificant or unrelated connections to the message of the text and concepts, situations, or information about: • medieval/Renaissance society, • other texts from the time period, or • the author’s agenda/worldview Provides no statement(s) to support their opinion Adapted from: Resource: Beaver, Joetta M. Developmental Reading Assessment. Pearson Learning Group, 2003. Crafted by: Kay Buckner-Seal, Deletha Motley, Sharon Strean, Rosalyn Shahid, Cheryl Yocum Wayne Regional Services Agency LANG 141: General Guidelines on How to Write Essays I. DESCRIPTION Essays require the student to investigate a topic; collect, generate, and evaluate evidence from the primary and secondary sources examined; and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner. A. Essays should be structured as follows: 1. an introductory paragraph 2. evidentiary body paragraphs 3. a conclusion B. Process: 1. Before writing your paper: Review materials, collect ideas and examples, formulate a thesis, make an outline; in the outline: for each paragraph include a topic sentences and one or two examples. 2. After writing you paper: Proofread for strenght of argument (thesis and supporting evidence), clarity of expression, grammatical or spelling errors; * Check spelling and grammar on Word. C. Essays must include: • A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay. It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately narrowed to follow the guidelines set forth in the assignment. If the student does not master this portion of the essay, it will be quite difficult to compose an effective or persuasive essay. What is a Thesis? A thesis is a point you intend to prove in your paper. • It argues something rather than making an observation. • It announces something that you need to prove to your reader (not immediately obvious) • It comprises the central idea of your essay • It is an attitude or an opinion, not just a topic or fact. • It should be specific – not too broad. • It should not profess to a universal truth. • It must pass the ‘so what?’ test – indicates a creative bias or aggressive point of view. It can be an answer to a critical question that you have about the text. • Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and conclusion. Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay together. Without logical progression of thought, the reader is unable to follow the essay’s argument, and the structure will collapse. • Body paragraphs that include evidential support. Each paragraph should be limited to the discussion of one general idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay. In addition, such conciseness creates an ease of readability for one’s audience. It is important to note that each paragraph in the body of the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in the opening paragraph. Some paragraphs will directly support the thesis statement with evidence from primary texts and secondary sources. It is also important to explain how and why the evidence supports the thesis. However, essays may also consider and explain differing points of view regarding the topic. Depending on the length of the assignment, students may dedicate one or two paragraphs of an argumentative essay to discussing conflicting opinions on the topic. Rather than explaining how these differing opinions are wrong outright, students should note how opinions that do not align with their thesis might not be well informed or how they might be out of date. • Evidential support The essay requires accurate and detailed information to support the thesis statement. Evidence should come from the textbooks and secondary sources examined. • A bit of creativity! Though creativity and artfulness are not always associated with essay writing, it is an art form nonetheless. Try not to get stuck on the formulaic nature of expository writing at the expense of writing something interesting. Remember, though you may not be crafting the next great novel, you are attempting to leave a lasting impression on the people evaluating your essay. • A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided. It is at this point of the essay that students will inevitably begin to struggle. This is the portion of the essay that will leave the most immediate impression on the mind of the reader. Therefore, it must be effective and logical. Do not introduce any new information into the conclusion; rather, synthesize and come to a conclusion concerning the information presented in the body of the essay. D. A complete argument Perhaps it is helpful to think of an essay in terms of a conversation or debate with a classmate. If I were to discuss the cause of World War II and its current effect on those who lived through the tumultuous time, there would be a beginning, middle, and end to the conversation. In fact, if I were to end the argument in the middle of my second point, questions would arise concerning the current effects on those who lived through the conflict. Therefore, the essay must be complete, and logically so, leaving no doubt as to its intent or argument. II. FORMAT Font: Use font Calibri or Cambria 11 Style: Use the latest MLA Formatting and Style guidelines for IN-TEXT CITATIONS, FOOTNOTES and WORKS CITED. The guide is available at the library and also at this website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ Quotations: • They are usually introduced by a comma (,) or column (:) • If they are four lines or less put them in quotation marks and incorporate them in the text. • If they are longer than 4 lines, set them off from the text by beginning a new line, indenting either: 1) the same amount of spaces from each margin (the most common way for literary papers), or 2): one inch from the left margin (as the MLA suggests). DO NOT use quotation marks for longer and indented quotations. • If a quotation ends with a period, the period appears after the page reference: “Abel was running” (27). Long quotations normally end with a period followed by the page reference. • If you omit a word or a sentence from a quotation, use three periods with a space before each and a space after the last ( . . . ). The sentence period will go after the parenthetical reference ( . . .” (101).) • Use square brackets if you modify a quotation (be[ing]) Footnotes and In-text citations: The first time you quote from a text, cite the text in a footnote. The following times use in-text citations. Consult MLA guidelines on how to cite, books, articles, web materials, etc. Works Cited: Each essay must conclude with a list of works cited. III. Final Draft Checklist Thesis Do I have a thesis, not just a topic? Have I focused my thesis? Does my thesis have a bias? Is my thesis clearly stated? What is my thesis? Argument Does my argument have a logical structure? Are there clear transitions between paragraphs? Are my introduction and conclusion informative without being redundant or introducing ideas that are not dealt elsewhere? Is each point’s relevance to the thesis clear? Is my thesis clearly demonstrated? Evidence Do I support each assertion with evidence from the text(s)? Do I use at least some direct quotations? Are my examples relevant and vital to my argument? Do I avoid unnecessary plot summary? Mechanics Have I done all I can to make sure my grammar, spelling, punctuation, and diction are correct? Primary source More 1 of 114 Niccolò Machiavelli Translation, Introduction, and Notes by Wayne A. Rebhorn George Stade Consulting Editorial Director BARNES & NOBLE CLASSICS NEW YORK my everyday clothes, full of mud and filth, and put on regal and courtly garments; and decorously dressed anew, I ent em and to ask them about the reasons for their actions, and they, in their humanity, respond to me. And for four hours Chapter 15 On the Things for Which Men, and Especially Princes, Are Praised or Blamed regard to his subjects and friends. And because I know that many have written about this, I fear that if I write about i e who understand it, it seemed more suitable to me to go after the effectual truth of the matter than after an imaginar ive and how we ought to live that he who abandons what is done for what ought to be done learns his ruin rather tha sary for a prince, if he wants to preserve himself, to learn how not to be good, and to use this knowledge and not use are true, I say that all men, when they are spoken of, and especially princes, because they are placed at a greater h one who deceives to gain things by theft; miserly [misero] we call that man who abstains excessively from making us urageous; one humane, the other haughty; one lascivious, the other chaste; one straightforward, the other cunning; o orthy thing for a prince to have, of all the qualities mentioned above, those [e]that are held to be good, but since it is im how to avoid the infamy of those vices which would lose him the state, and, if he can, to guard himself against those w which it would be difficult for him to save the state, for if everything is carefully considered, it will be found that somet Chapter 18 How Princes Must Keep Their Word ans of cunning, everyone knows; nevertheless, one sees from experience in our times that those princes have done ty their foundation.[3] orce: the first one is proper to man, the second to beasts; but because the first one often does not suffice, one has to s allegorically by ancient writers, who relate how Achilles and many other ancient princes were given to Chiron the ce use both natures[f], and that the one without the other cannot endure. and the lion from among them, for the lion cannot defend himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from r cannot, must not, keep his word, when keeping it would work men were all good, this precept would not be good, but since they are sadly wicked and would not keep their word to ep it. Of this one could furnish countless modern examples to show how many peace treaties, how many promises, h this character well, and to be a great hypocrite and dissembler; and men are so simple and so obedient to present n anything, never thought of anything, other than deceiving men, and he always found material so that he could do it. eeded for him according to his wishes, since he really knew this aspect of the world. certainly necessary to seem to have them. Indeed, I will even be so bold as to say this: that having them and always ciful, loyal, humane, forthright, and religious, but to have your mind disposed so that, when it is necessary not to be t ause of which men are considered good, since he is often obliged, in order to maintain the state, to act against loyalt and as I said above, he should not deviate from what is good, if possible, but he should know how to enter
