The Impacts of Boccaccios Writing Style on the Tone of...

Boccaccios Decameron is a masterpiece of early 14th century European literature; its bawdiness and its sheer wit are a wonderful, funny indicator of what life was like in 14th century Italy. However, the central framing device of the book itself - the Black Plague, which ravaged Europe around the time of the books setting and publication - plays a somber but vital role in this important work. The importance of the plague to the story is no less evident than in the introduction, which demonstrates the awesome power of the sickness. Boccaccios account of the plague during the time it hit Florence is often compared to real accounts and additional sources of information about the Black Plague, but it is often left wanting due to Boccaccios penchant for embellishment and dramatic flair. Furthermore, Boccaccios emphasis in the introduction of the Black Plague was often on the unstoppability and sheer terror of the disease, including how swiftly it spread throughout the country and peoples helplessness in treating it. Boccaccios writing style is very dramatic and humorous, with a particular emphasis on philosophy as it pertains to luck. The following analysis will weigh the introduction of the Decameron according to these criteria. Boccaccio starts the Decameron with an introduction that immediately demonstrates his artistic and dramatic flair - Every time I stop to consider your natural inclination to pity, most gracious ladies, I recognize that you will find the opening

Suggestibility and Human Memory Essay - 616 Words

Suggestibility in human memory is considered as the phenomenon called the misinformation effect. The misinformation effect occurs when the misleading information influence a person’s memory of the witnessed event and change how that person describes that event later. Moreover, the misleading information in this effect is referred to as misleading postevent information (MPI) (Goldstein, 2008). Loftus and her colleagues contribute a lot to the early studies of misinformation effect. In one of the classical misinformation experiments (Loftus, Miller, Burns, 1978), participants first saw a slide show of a car accident and one of the sildes depicted a car at a stop sign. Participants in the experimental group got the misleading†¦show more content†¦Those participants who receive correct or neutral information in the intervening questions had much more accurate memories. This effect is highly related to real world life especially the area of eyewitness testimony. Many researchers have put a lot of effort on this phenomenon and proposed different explainatioon of it. The original interpretation of the misinformation effect was the memory trace replacement hypothesis. Loftus and her colleagues (1978) argued that the memory trace was replaced or overwritten by the misleading information. According to this explanation, the original memories were formed during the original experiencing and memory traces were created for them. Presentation of the misleading information, such as a yield sign, would create a new memory trace and replaced the original traces – the stop sign. In other words, the original traces were updated. Therefore, when the participants were asked to describe the event, they were accessing the updated but mistaken trace containing the misinformation. Overall speaking, the memory trace replacement hypothesis suggested that the misinf ormation effect was dued to memory impairment. Later research provided contranst evidence to this interpreatation. In one of the studies(Chandler, Gargano, Holt, 2001), two stories contained some critical obejcts such as a brand of coffee were preseneted to the paricitpants. The misinformationShow MoreRelatedFactors Affecting Memory Accuracy Essay977 Words   |  4 PagesMemory is the process of encoding, storing and retrieving information in the brain. It plays an import role in our daily life. Without memory, we cannot reserve past experience, learn new things and plan for the future. Human memory is usually analogous to computer memory. While unlike computer memory, human memory is a cognitive system. It does not encode and store everything correctly as we want. 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Stefan’s Diaries Origins Chapter 24 Free Essays

September 25, 1864 They say love can conquer all. But can it conquer Father’s belief that Katherine and those like her are demons–devils? I do not exaggerate when I say Katherine is an angel. She saved my life–and Anna’s. We will write a custom essay sample on Stefan’s Diaries: Origins Chapter 24 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Father must know the truth. Once he does, he will be unable to deny Katherine’s goodness. It is my duty as a Salvatore to stay true to my convictions and to the ones I love. Now is the time for action, not doubt. Confidence courses through my veins. I will make Father understand the truth–that we are all the same. And with that truth will come love. Father will call off the siege. This I swear on my name and my life. For the rest of the day, I sat at my desk in my bedroom, glancing at an empty notebook as I contemplated what to do. If Father knew Katherine was a vampire, he’d call off the hunt. He had to. I’d seen him laugh with Katherine, attempt to impress her with stories of his boyish antics back in Italy, and treat her as he’d have treated a daughter. Katherine gave my father a vigor I’d never seen in him. She gave my father life. But how could I persuade him of this, when he so deeply despised demons? Then again, Father was rational. Logical. Maybe he could learn what Katherine had already taught me: that vampires weren’t all evil. They walked among us, they cried human tears; all they wanted was a true home –and to be loved. Finally, I steeled my courage and stood up, closing the notebook with an abrupt clap. This wasn’t a schoolboy’s assignment, and I didn’t need notes to speak from my heart. I was ready to speak to Father man to man. After all, I was nearly eighteen, and he was planning to leave me Veritas. I took a deep breath and walked down the winding staircase, through the quiet living room, and knocked sharply on the door to Father’s study. â€Å"Come in!† Father’s muffled voice called. Before I had even put my hand on the knob, Father swung the door open himself. He wore a tailored jacket, with a sprig of vervain in the lapel, but I noticed that instead of being clean shaven, he sported salt-and-pepper stubble and his eyes were bloodshot and hooded. â€Å"I didn’t see you last night at the ball,† Father said as he ushered me into his study. â€Å"I hope you weren’t part of that noisy, careless mob.† â€Å"No.† I shook my head vigorously, feeling a flicker of hope. Did this mean Father was no longer planning an attack? â€Å"Good.† Father sat at his oak desk and slammed his leather-bound book shut. Beneath it, I could see complicated drawings and diagrams of the town, with X’s over certain buildings, including the apothecary. And just like that, the flicker of hope was extinguished, and cold, hard fear took up residence in its place. Father followed my gaze. â€Å"As you can see, our plans are much more thought-out than that foolish brigade of drunks and boys. Luckily Sheriff Forbes and his team put a stop to them, and none of them will be welcome at our own siege.† Father sighed and steepled his fingers together. â€Å"We’re living in dangerous and uncertain times, and your actions need to reflect that.† His dark eyes softened for a second. â€Å"I just want to make sure your decisions, at least, are prudent.† He didn’t add â€Å"unlike Damon’s,† but he didn’t have to. I knew that was what he was thinking. â€Å"So the siege †¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Will happen next week as planned.† â€Å"What about the compass?† I asked, remembering the conversation with Katherine. Father smiled. â€Å"It works. Jonathan’s been tinkering with it.† â€Å"Oh.† A wave of horror rushed through me. If it worked, then that meant there was no doubt Father would find Katherine. â€Å"How do you know that it works?† Father smiled and rolled up his papers. â€Å"Because it does,† he said simply. â€Å"Can I talk to you about something?† I asked, hoping my voice betrayed none of my nerves. An image of Katherine’s face flashed in my head, giving me the strength to lock eyes with Father. â€Å"Of course. Sit down, Stefan,† Father commanded. I perched in the leather wingback chair near the bookshelves. He stood up and walked over to the decanter of brandy on the corner table. He poured a glass for himself, then one for me. I took the tumbler and held it to my lips, taking a tiny, almost imperceptible sip of the liquid. Then I steeled my courage and stared straight at him. â€Å"I have concerns about your plan for the vampires.† â€Å"Oh? And why is that?† Father leaned back against his chair. I nervously took a large gulp of brandy. â€Å"We’re making the assumption that they’re as evil as they’ve been characterized. But what if that’s not true?† I asked, willing myself to meet Father’s gaze. Father snorted. â€Å"Have you any evidence to the contrary?† I shook my head. â€Å"Of course not. But why take what people say at face value? Y taught us ou differently.† Father sighed and walked to his decanter, pouring more brandy. â€Å"Why? Because these creatures are from the darkest parts of hell. They know how to control your mind, seduce your spirit. They are deadly, and they need to be destroyed.† I glanced down at the amber liquid in my glass. It was as dark and murky as my thoughts. Father tipped his glass to me. â€Å"I shouldn’t have to tell you, son, that those who stand with them, those who bring shame to their families, will be destroyed as well.† A chill went up my spine, but I held his gaze. â€Å"Anyone who stands with evil should be destroyed. But I hardly think it’s prudent to assume that all vampires are evil just because they happen to be vampires. Y always taught us to see the good in ou people, to think for ourselves. The last thing this town needs, when there have already been so many deaths from the war, is more senseless killing,† I said, remembering Pearl and Anna’s terrified expressions in the woods. â€Å"The Founders need to rethink the plan. I’ll come to the next meeting with you. I know I haven’t been as involved as I could have been, but I’m ready to take on my responsibilities.† Father sank back into his chair, leaning his head against the wooden back. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples. For several long moments he remained in that posture. I waited, every muscle in my body coiled to receive the angry flurry of words that was sure to fly from his mouth. I stared dejectedly into my glass. I had failed. I had failed Katherine, Pearl, and Anna. I had failed at securing my own happy future. Finally, Father’s eyes snapped open. To my surprise, he nodded. â€Å"I suppose I could give the matter some thought.† Cool relief flooded my body, as if I’d just jumped into the pond on a scorching summer day. He would give the matter some thought! To some, that might not seem to be much, but from my stubborn father, it meant everything. It meant there was a chance. A chance to stop sneaking around in the dark. A chance for Katherine to remain safe. For us to be together, forever. Father lifted his glass to me. â€Å"To family.† â€Å"To family,† I echoed. Then Father drained the rest of his glass, which compelled me to do the same. How to cite Stefan’s Diaries: Origins Chapter 24, Essay examples