summer reading assingment AP

1. This is an introduction to the Renaissance period andbackground information to use while reading one of thefollowing:• Boccaccio The Decameron• Machiavelli The Prince4. Choose one of the above stories to read. (Both can be found at thePublic Library.) Then in your blog answer the following questions foryour respective book. Each question must be addressed fully withcomplete sentences and using excerpts from the story to support youranswer.• Boccaccio The Decameron How specifically does life change as a result of the plague? What may be the significance of the various differentreactions to the plague? How do people behave or feel toward one another? What may be the symbolic meaning of the plague and thesocial disorder which it brings about? May the plague be related in some way to the generalcultural and social situation of European cities in the lateMiddle Ages and the early Renaissance? What is the function of literature and storytelling in thegeneral chaos brought about by the plague? Is there any possible symbolic meaning to the general formatof 10 tales being told each day for 10 days? Does this arrangement take on any special significance inthe context of the plague epidemic? Are other arts also represented in the entertainments chosenby the young people? Why? Does Boccaccio show some general attitude toward orunderstanding of the arts? Why do the protagonists choose to pass the time tellingstories rather than playing games? How does Boccaccio distinguish between the urban and thecountryside settings? Is there any significance to this distinction? Why do the protagonists flee to the countryside?• Machiavelli The Prince What are Machiavelli’s views regarding free will? Canhistorical events be shaped by individuals, or are they theconsequence of fortune and circumstance?