12th Grade: H.W.#4, Due Wednesday, 9/30 or Thursday, 10/1

1. Read the About the Author section (take notes in your notebook).
2. Read pages 1-28, the introduction part from here:

Beginneth here the first day of the Decameron, in which,
when the author has set forth, how it came to pass that the
persons, who appear hereafter met together for interchange of
discourse, they, under the rule of Pampinea, discourse of such
matters as most commend themselves to each in turn. —(https://flc.ahnu.edu.cn/__local/7/E7/75/6AB8DEBA692DD0CF6790CA70701_26DE4EC2_17EED4.pdf?e=.pdf–also in Google Classroom).

3. As you read Boccaccio’s portrayal of the plague, take note of 1) the severity of the epidemic 2) its symptoms 3) the various reactions people had to its effects 4) changes in cultural practices and 5) your own personal reflections/comparisons to the 1348 plague vs. the 2020 plague of Covid-19 in light of our own plague-induced changes in society. You’ll be asked to write up a response next class based on your observations above and include specific lines from the text to support them. So, the more legwork you do now in preparation in the form of notes, the easier it will be to write next class. Your peers will be reading these responses on Jupiter.

Vocabulary Search: Be ready to share ONE word you had to look up in the dictionary.

Enjoy your weekend!

P.S. By now, everyone should have enough material to begin shaping a really effective story for the college essay. Get started right away! I’d like to be able to have everyone’s best draft (up to that point) by October 9th. I’ll share turnitin.com instructions next week, and submissions will open a week before the deadline.

Last…since I’m asking you to open up and share, it’s only fair that I do so as a writer. In that spirit, let me share you a poem I wrote yesterday. Constructive comments/observations are appreciated (no need to leave your name in the comment on that blog). The drawing was done by one of the quietest students I ever had–who one day just handed me the drawing without a word.

She Pushed me and I fell