Primary Author Cmeiqing - Submission Date: Nov 23, 2017

Primary作者为 Cmeiqing提交日期提交日期 2017年11月23日 1107上午 Ut C0800提交作提交作业业代

Primary作者为 Cmeiqing提交日期提交日期 2017年11月23日 1107上午 Ut C0800提交作提交作业业代 primary 作者为 CMeiqing æ交日期æ交日期: 2017å¹´11月23æ—¥ 11:07ä¸Šåˆ (UT C+0800) æ交作æ交作业业代代ç ç : 文档å称文档å称: primary.txt (1.99K) æ–‡å—æ–‡å—总总数数: 356 å—符å—符总总数数: % 相似指数 0% 网际网络æ¥æº 0% 出特物 20% å¦ç”Ÿæ–‡ç¨¿ 1 11% 2 9% ä¸å«å¼•æ–‡ å…³é— æŽ’é™¤å‚考书目 å…³é— æ—¨ç›¸ç¬¦ç»“æžœ å…³é— primary 原创性报告 主è¦æ¥æº Submitted to Bridgepoint Education å¦ç”Ÿæ–‡ç¨¿ Submitted to Alabama Southern Community College å¦ç”Ÿæ–‡ç¨¿ primary 作者为 CMeiqing primary 原创性报告 主è¦æ¥æº 14th-century Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375) probably started writing his collection of stories, The Decameron after the plague epidemic of 1348. The book contains 100 tales told by a fictional group of seven young women and three young men sheltering in a secluded villa just outside Florence, Italy, to escape the Black Death. Written in vernacular Florentine Italian, Boccaccio had probably completed The Decameron by 1353. Excerpt from The Decameron: The symptoms were not the same as in the East, where a gush of blood from the nose was the plain sign of inevitable death; but it began both in men and women with certain swellings in the groin or under the armpit. They grew to the size of a small apple or an egg, more or less, and were vulgarly called tumors. In a short space of time these tumors spread from the two parts named all over the body. Soon after this the symptoms changed and black or purple spots appeared on the arms or thighs or any other part of the body, sometimes a few large ones, sometimes many little ones. These spots were a certain sign of death, just as the original tumor had been and still remained. One citizen avoided another, hardly any neighbor troubled about others, relatives never or hardly ever visited each other. Moreover, such terror was struck into the hearts of men and women by this calamity, that brother abandoned brother, and the uncle his nephew, and the sister her brother, and very often the wife her husband. What is even worse and nearly incredible is that fathers and mothers refused to see and tend their children, as if they had not been theirs. The plight of the lower and most of the middle classes was even more pitiful to behold. Most of them remained in their houses, either through poverty or in hopes of safety, and fell sick by thousands. Since they received no care and attention, almost all of them died. Many ended their lives in the streets both at night and during the day; and many others who died in their houses were only known to be dead because the neighbors smelled their decaying bodies. Dead bodies filled every corner. Most of them were treated in the same manner by the survivors, who were more concerned to get rid of their rotting bodies than moved by charity towards the dead. With the aid of porters, if they could get them, they carried the bodies out of the houses and laid them at the door; where every morning quantities of the dead might be seen. They then were laid on biers or, as these were often lacking, on tables. Stiles History 1 Primary Source Document Analysis Worksheet Primary source: Giovanni Boccaccio - The Decameron _________________________________________________1. What is the main idea Boccaccio is trying to communicate in this excerpt from The Decameron ? How does he describe the reactions of the citizens of Florence? _________________________________________________ 2. What is the author’s bias? What might have motivated Boccaccio to describe the Black Death’s impact in Florence? _________________________________________________ 3. What was the context in which Boccaccio was writing? Where and when was this document written, and what was going on at that time (beside the plague epidemic)? _________________________________________________4. Who was the intended audience for The Decameron ? _________________________________________________ 5. Can you connect The Decameron to other things you’ve learned about, either in class or elsewhere? How might this source add to our understanding of history?

Paper For Above instruction

The excerpt from Giovanni Boccaccio's "The Decameron" offers a vivid and detailed account of the Black Death's devastating impact on Florence in 1348. Boccaccio's primary aim is to depict the severity of the plague and the frightened reactions of the citizens, revealing widespread terror, social breakdown, and the deterioration of community bonds.

Rooted in his own observations, Boccaccio describes a society overwhelmed by death and despair. Citizens avoided one another, with brother abandoning brother, and family members refusing to care for each other. The scenes of bodies left in streets and houses underscore the scale of mortality. Boccaccio’s tone reflects a bias toward portraying the tragic consequences vividly, possibly motivated by an intent to elicit empathy or to record historical truth about a calamity that decimated European populations.

The context of Boccaccio's writing was a period of profound upheaval in 14th-century Florence, amidst the Black Death, which swept across Europe, killing millions. Besides the plague, Florence was experiencing political strife, economic hardship, and social change. Boccaccio, a learned man and humanist, was inspired to write "The Decameron" as a response to these turbulent times, using the framework of storytelling to explore human nature and society under extreme stress.

The intended audience for "The Decameron" was likely the educated and literate classes of Florence and Italy, who could understand the language and appreciate storytelling as a means of both entertainment and moral reflection. Through his vivid descriptions, Boccaccio aimed to record the tragic history while also offering moral and philosophical insights into human behavior during crises.

This primary source enriches our historical understanding of the Black Death's human toll, societal breakdown, and collective trauma. It illustrates how fear and death permeated everyday life, leading to behaviors driven by panic and despair. "The Decameron" also provides insight into the social fabric of medieval Europe, highlighting disparities among classes and the universal nature of suffering during pandemics. Furthermore, it reflects the early humanist efforts to examine life and human nature free from religious dogma, emphasizing individual experiences amidst catastrophe.

References

• Boccaccio, G. (1353). The Decameron. Translated by G. H. McWilliam. Penguin Classics.
• Aberth, J. (2010). The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350. Routledge.
• Cohn, S. K. (2002). The Black Death and the Burning of the Jews. Past & Present, 174(1), 3–36.
• Herlihy, D. (1997). The Black Death and The People of Europe. Harvard University Press.
• Herlihy, D. (1997). The Black Death and the Transformation of Europe. Harvard University Press.
• Willems, W. (2004). The Black Death and Its Impact on Medieval Europe. Medieval Perspectives, 19, 50–65.
• Harvey, J. (2005). The Black Death: A New History. Basic Books.
• German, E. (2012). The Social and Economic Impact of the Black Death. Journal of Medieval History, 38(3), 254–267.
• Kelly, J. (2013). The Black Death and its Aftermath. Wiley-Blackwell.
• Slavin, M. (2010). The Decameron and the Representation of Black Death. Renaissance Quarterly, 63(2), 345–373.