2-1-Q Chapter 9
LIL 120 A – Fall 2024
Professor Cripps
2 – Offer 2 Specific Details from the chapter. For each ID/quote add 3-8 sentences of your own explanation.
Page 205, Paragraph 2: I found humor in Pedro de Luna’s claim to be Pope Benedict XIII, especially while barricading himself on an isolated rock. This paragraph details the time of the Western Schism, where three men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope, each supported by different factions within Europe. Greenblatt explains that by this point, most people, including Poggio, had accepted that Pedro de Luna’s claim was not legitimate. I thought at first he was barricading himself because he was lying and didn’t want to be caught. I then realized he was not that lying, his actions of entrenching himself on the inaccessible rock of Peñíscola were just the ultimate stubbornness and almost ridiculous persistence in clinging to a title no one recognized as legitimate. I feel Greenblatt included this into his book to show how most claims and propositions during that time were more theatrical than genuine, highlighting the kind of vanity and absurdity of the time, especially during the schism’s competing papal claims.
Page 208-209: Greenblatt discusses Poggio’s struggle with getting Lucretius’s text from Niccoli Niccolo. repeatedly asked Niccolò to return the manuscript, which he had borrowed with the intention of copying but held onto for over a decade. Poggio’s frustration grew as Niccolò delayed, ignoring Poggio’s increasingly insistent requests to have it back. This extended delay reflects how, in the past, it was relatively easy to ignore someone’s requests or avoid conflict because communication was slow and sporadic. People like Poggio and Niccolò, despite their frustrations, could be physically distant or go long stretches without seeing each other, allowing these tensions to linger unresolved. Letters could take weeks or months to arrive, and individuals could simply vanish from each other’s lives for long periods. THis just made me think of how today’s world is vastly different. With instant messaging, video calls, and social media, people are constantly in touch. In today’s environment, Niccolò’s prolonged avoidance would be harder to sustain, and Poggio would have more tools to hold him accountable, potentially ending their disagreement much earlier than the 12-year struggle described here.
1 – Make 1 Connection to Self, to World, or to Text – or Extended by offering a little detail about something mentioned in the text (some light research needed to Extend)
Connection to Self: Page 207-208 and “It was time for his humanist friends…they care very little for them here.” (pg. 208, para 1, last sentence). In this section of the book, Poggio talks about how the English have no appreciation for classics and humanistic views, separating them from the majority of Europe. This made me think about my hometown, and lots of this country. Maybe it’s because the election is today, and I’ve been seeing people post comments and misinformation on candidates’ policies and actions, from both sides of the spectrum. However, this is not just something I see during election time, I see this on a daily basis–the spreading of misinformation or ideas without sound backing. This gets me to the connection between Poggio’s views of England and my views of America. From my experiences living here and seeing things online, lots of citizens of this country tend to disregard the liberal arts and humanistic views and I feel it is because we are so separate from everyone else. We have this massive country that houses everything we need. We do not come in contact with other countries and their citizens on the daily, like it is common for those in Europe. Therefore, I see many without any regard for cultural sensitivity or want to learn other cultures, ideas and expressions. Because we don’t need them, right? Since we have everything we need within a twenty mile radius, and enough “culture” of our own? Now I’m not saying everyone who lives in America thinks that way, because there’s a large majority that do not, including myself. However, from my understanding and reading, that was Poggio’s viewing and assumption of England during his time, and I’m afraid that I do see it reflected in this country today as well.
Q – Give us a Good Question to chew on – 1-3 sentences
On page 210, we see Poggio shift from his dedication to rediscovering lost classical texts to more material concerns, which Greenblatt refers to as a turn toward aesthetics and materialism. Instead of seeking intellectual treasures neglected in monasteries, Poggio began to amass personal wealth and focused on securing material comfort and security: statues, status, property and material wealth. What does this change suggest about the tension between intellectual pursuits and the desire for material security in human nature?
