Brian Hyland

AP European History

Seton Catholic Central HS

Binghamton, NY 13905

Scene from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” http://www.intriguing.com/mp/holygrail.asp

“Bring out your dead!” An investigation into two plagues in history.

Introduction:

In the year 429 BC, Athens was engaged in the Peloponnesian War. When the Spartans invaded Attica, the countryside surrounding Athens, the Athenians retreated within their walls to sit out the invasion. While the people were crowded within their walls, a terrible plague broke out and devastated the population. The historian Thucydides was one of the people who contracted the plague, yet he survived to write a vivid account of the plague, describing its symptoms and the social effects of the plague.

Nearly 1800 years later, in AD 1348, as the Renaissance was beginning, another plague swept Italy. Known as the “Black Death,” it devastated the population. Giovanni Boccaccio used the plague as a background for his masterpiece, The Decameron, a collection of one hundred fictional stories told by ten people who fled to a villa near Florence over a period of ten days. He began his work with a graphic description of the plague in Florence.

Your Task:

Each student will write a three-page typed, double-spaced essay analyzing the striking similarities in the two accounts. In this essay, each student will compare and contrast the two accounts of plagues, and try to offer plausible explanations for the similarities in them. The student must take into account the original purposes of the two works of literature.

The Process:

First, each student will read the assigned sections from Thucydides and Boccaccio, taking notes on what each author says about the course of the plague in each city.

Next, by using the Public Policy Analyst’s Comparative Analysis page, each student will summarize the ways in which each plague’s effect on the population was similar. Complete and print out the worksheet located on the page. Each student will title the worksheet, “The Plague in Athens.” In answering questions 1-4, the student will describe the plague in Florence. Questions 5 & 6 will require the student to make the comparisons between the two plagues. This worksheet will be handed in with the final essay.

Using the information from the worksheet, each student will then write the three-page essay to summarize the findings. This summary should include the similarities in the lethal nature of each plague, their effects on society, their impact on religion and how each city sought to explain the plague. Each student will then discuss any significant differences in the two plagues. Finally, each student must attempt to explain why the two descriptions are so similar.

Resources:

Texts:

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 2.47-55

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/GreekScience/Thuc.+2.47-55.html Thucydides’ account in English.

Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron, Introduction, (002-048)

http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/decameron/engDecShowText.php?myID=d01intro&expand=day01 The text of the introduction in English, hyperlinked to the Italian.

Public Policy Analyst:

Use the Public Policy Analyst comparative analysis page to help develop your understanding of the similarities between the two plagues.

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/PPA/ghppacomp.html

How You Will Be Evaluated:

CATEGORY	4 - Above Standards	3 - Meets Standards	2 - Approaching Standards	1 - Below Standards	Score
Focus or Thesis Statement	The thesis statement names the topic of the essay and outlines the main points to be discussed.	The thesis statement names the topic of the essay.	The thesis statement outlines some or all of the main points to be discussed but does not name the topic.	The thesis statement does not name the topic AND does not preview what will be discussed.
Evidence and Examples	All of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author's position.	Most of the evidence and examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each piece of evidence supports the author's position.	At least one of the pieces of evidence and examples is relevant and has an explanation that shows how that piece of evidence supports the author's position.	Evidence and examples are NOT relevant AND/OR are not explained.
Accuracy	All supportive facts and statistics are reported accurately.	Almost all supportive facts and statistics are reported accurately.	Most supportive facts and statistics are reported accurately.	Most supportive facts and statistics were inaccurately reported.
Sequencing	Arguments and support are provided in a logical order that makes it easy and interesting to follow the author's train of thought.	Arguments and support are provided in a fairly logical order that makes it reasonably easy to follow the author's train of thought.	A few of the support details or arguments are not in an expected or logical order, distracting the reader and making the essay seem a little confusing.	Many of the support details or arguments are not in an expected or logical order, distracting the reader and making the essay seem very confusing.
Closing paragraph	The conclusion is strong and leaves the reader solidly understanding the writer's position. Effective restatement of the position statement begins the closing paragraph.	The conclusion is recognizable. The author's position is restated within the first two sentences of the closing paragraph.	The author's position is restated within the closing paragraph, but not near the beginning.	There is no conclusion - the paper just ends.
Sources	All sources used for quotes, statistics and facts are credible and cited correctly.	All sources used for quotes, statistics and facts are credible and most are cited correctly.	Most sources used for quotes, statistics and facts are credible and cited correctly.	Many sources are suspect (not credible) AND/OR are not cited correctly.
Sentence Structure	All sentences are well-constructed with varied structure.	Most sentences are well-constructed and there is some varied sentence structure in the essay.	Most sentences are well constructed, but there is no variation is structure.	Most sentences are not well-constructed or varied.
Grammar & Spelling	Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.
PPA Worksheet	Student has completely filled in the worksheet with detailed, accurate data from Boccaccio.	Student has completely filled in the worksheet with accurate data from Boccaccio. Student may have made onissions.	Student has completely filled in the worksheet, but much of the data is inaccurate.	Student has not completely filled in the worksheet.

NY State Standards:

Social Studies Standard 2 - World History

Students will: use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives

English Language Arts Standard 1 – Language for Information and Understanding

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas, discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information

English Language Arts Standard 3 – Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Math, Science and Technology Standard 2 – Information Systems

Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Conclusion:

After reading the passages and analyzing the similarities between the two plagues, students will come to see how two different societies reacted in the face of similar disasters. While these insights may give the students clues to human nature, they will also serve as an introduction to Renaissance thought.