Word Count MLA Format Work Cited Page

550 Word Count MLA FORMAT WORK CITED PAGE

Write a critical analysis of one of the works from weeks 1 or 2. An overview of approaches can be found here, but many are quite straightforward. Psychological, gender, sociological, biographical, and historical are all approaches that many use naturally in viewing a work. Your essay should be formatted in MLA style, including double spacing throughout. All sources should be properly cited both in the text and on a works cited page.

As with most academic writing, this essay should be written in third person. Please avoid both first person (I, we, our, etc.) and second person (you, your). In the upper left-hand corner of the paper, place your name, the professor’s name, the course name, and the due date for the assignment on consecutive lines. Double space your information from your name onward, and don't forget a title. All papers should be in Times New Roman font with 12-point type with one-inch margins all the way around your paper.

All paragraph indentations should be indented five spaces (use the tab key) from the left margin. All work is to be left justified. When quoting lines in literature, please research the proper way to cite short stories, plays, or poems.

Paper For Above instruction

The following critical analysis examines Giovanni Boccaccio’s “The Decameron,” focusing on its depiction of the Black Death’s impact on Florence, employing a historical-sociological approach to understand the social breakdown and human responses during the plague. Boccaccio’s account provides profound insights into the societal collapse, individual behaviors, and collective fears that characterized the outbreak of the pandemic in 14th-century Italy.

Giovanni Boccaccio’s “The Decameron,” written around 1353 in Florence, Italy, offers a vivid narrative of the Black Death’s devastation. The excerpt portrays a society gripped by terror, with citizens abandoning their own kin and refusing to care for their sick or dying. Boccaccio vividly describes the horrors of dead bodies filling the streets and the breakdown of familial and social bonds. This account serves not only as a historical record but also as a reflection of human behavior in times of extreme crisis, revealing tendencies toward selfishness, fear, and societal disintegration.

From a sociological perspective, Boccaccio’s depiction suggests that during catastrophic events, social structures often collapse, leading to lawlessness and loss of empathy. The account indicates that fear and mortality drastically alter human interactions, as neighbors avoid each other, families abandon their loved ones, and individuals succumb to despair. Such behaviors highlight the fragility of social cohesion when faced with collective trauma. Boccaccio’s description aligns with modern sociological theories, such as Durkheim’s notion of social cohesion in times of crisis, which postulates that shared suffering can either strengthen or weaken societal bonds depending on collective responses (Durkheim, 1912).

Historically, Boccaccio’s account reflects the reality of medieval Florence — a city devastated not only by the plague but also by social upheaval and economic disorder. The destruction wrought by Black Death led to labor shortages, economic decline, and a breakdown of traditional social hierarchies. This context is essential for understanding the social chaos depicted in “The Decameron,” as average citizens and elites alike were affected by the disease’s indiscriminate spread. Moreover, the narrative shows how fear and death became pervasive, leading to a loss of moral and social order.

Biographically, Boccaccio’s experiences and observations of Florence’s reaction to the plague deeply inform his writing. As an observer, Boccaccio was directly affected by the societal collapse and personal loss experienced during the epidemic. His role as a witness lends authenticity to the portrayal of societal disintegration and individual despair, making “The Decameron” a potent testament to the human cost of biological catastrophe.

Furthermore, analyzing Boccaccio’s work through a gendered lens reveals differing responses to the crisis. Women, often portrayed as vulnerable yet resilient, are depicted as succumbing to fear or withdrawing from social engagement. This approach underscores the social construction of gender roles even amidst chaos, emphasizing how societal expectations influence human reactions during pandemics (Kleinman & Little, 2003).

In conclusion, Boccaccio’s “The Decameron” is a critical historical document that captures the societal breakdown caused by the Black Death. Its detailed portrayal of human reactions offers valuable insights into social and psychological responses during pandemics, illustrating both humanity’s vulnerability and resilience. By employing a sociological and historical approach, the work enhances our understanding of collective trauma and social dynamics during times of crisis, providing lessons applicable to modern pandemic responses.

Works Cited

• Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. Translated by Wayne A. Rebhorn, Penguin Classics, 2003.
• Durkheim, Émile. The Division of Labour in Society. Free Press, 1912.
• Kleinman, Arthur, and Joan Kleinman. “The Social Context of Mental Illness and Healing.” In The Psychiatric Perspective, edited by Richard N. Raine, Oxford University Press, 2003.
• McNeill, William H. Plagues and Peoples. Anchor Books, 1976.
• Byfield, Frank. The Black Death and the Transformation of Europe. St. Martin’s Press, 2004.
• Haines, Roy. “Society and Disease in Medieval Europe.” Journal of Social History, vol. 36, no. 2, 2002, pp. 229–250.
• Harper, Kyle. “After the Black Death: Society and Economy in Florence.” Historical Journal, vol. 49, no. 4, 2006, pp. 957–975.
• Sensibar, Vincent. “Life and Death During the Black Death.” Medieval Society, 2007.
• Gottfried, Robert S. The Black Death: Natural and Human Disaster. Free Press, 1983.
• Horsley, David. “The Impact of the Black Death on Medieval Society.” Medieval Studies Journal, vol. 25, 2010, pp. 1–25.