August 25th 2009: Bell Work

• Your BW will be collected every day. Make sure you write the directions and answers!

• Within your groups come up with four things that Amerigo Vespucci and you have in common. Make sure you write the name of the person in your group and what they said they had in common.

• For instance- Mr. Murray: Moving to a new country for better opportunity.

Amerigo: The Man Who Gave His Name to America

• Okay, so you’re wondering, why did I read this book? How will reading Amerigo affect me, or more to the point, my grade? Choose all that apply:

A) It was cool and interesting

B) It will help me learn how to write a book review

C) I will be more interesting at parties

D) I am obedient and do as I am told

E) I was afraid Mr. Murray would be able to tell whether I read the book or not

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo:Bibliographic Data

• MLA bibliographic citation on top of your first page

• Fernandez-Armesto, Felipe. Amerigo. New York Random House, 2007. Print.

Background Information

• Write down things to introduce Vespucci.

• Think of some questions with your partner that would give background information.

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo:General Information

• What is the book Amerigo about? What years and events did it cover?

• Who was Amerigo Vespucci? What adjectives describe him? To what extent was he a man of his time?

• Describe the world in which Vespucci lived? In what ways did this affect him?

• What knowledge did Vespucci and his contemporaries have of the world? What sources influenced their thinking?

Background Information

• Amerigo Vespucci was born in Florence in 1454 and died in Seville in 1512

• The continent of America was named after him

• His life remains an enigma - some hail him as a great explorer and others consider him an evil man who usurped Columbus’ accomplishments for himself

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo: The Major Thesis

• The Major Thesis is the author’s main argument. The thesis must be arguable, not factual. It is not something like “America was named after the Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci.”

• A thesis is sometimes clearly stated up front, but as often must be inferred based on the author’s contentions and evidence.

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo: The Major Thesis

• What is the major thesis, or main argument, of Amerigo? If the Fernandez-Armesto wanted you to get one idea from Amerigo what would it be?

• In pairs generate two possible theses for Amerigo.

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo: The Major Thesis

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo: Some Possible Thesis Statements

• Author Fernandez-Armesto portrays Amerigo Vespucci as a complex figure, neither hero nor rogue, but rather as a man of his time who continuously reinvented and promoted himself and his accomplishments.

• Author Felipe Fernandez-Armesto seeks to peel the myth surrounding Amerigo Vespucci and discover the real man.

• Amerigo Vespucci’s primary motivations for his actions revolve around his desire for fame and honor.

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo: The Main Contentions (Body PPs)

• The Main Contentions support your Thesis. In your review you should have three or four main contentions.

• What are some of the main contentions that Fernandez-

Armesto’s uses to support his thesis? Try to identify 3 main contentions that support the class thesis #1. – Keep in mind that you will need to cite specific, key

evidence to support these contentions (details on specific pages) and provide analysis for your contentions and evidence.

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo: The Main Contentions (Body PPs)

• #1 His youth and early adulthood in Florence equipped him to live in a violent and uncertain age

• #2 His years as a merchant in Seville prepared and propelled him into the field of exploration

• #3 Vespucci exaggerated his exploits in his writings and to important cartographers

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo: Evidence (Body PPs)

• What is evidence? Evidence consists of specific details that support the main contention. For our purposes, evidence used in your class book reviews should be followed by page numbers in parentheses.

• Contention #1 - Evidence (possible examples)

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo: Evidence (Body PPs)

• He received his education from his uncle Giorgio Antonio, a highly respected scholar in Florence (p.16) who put him in touch with Strabo’s Geography and the ideas of the mathematician Toscanelli who also influenced Columbus (p.18)

• He grew up in Florence, a city where the citizens prided themselves on their freedom, wealth, and association with power. Florentines saw themselves as individuals different from and superior to the citizens of all other cities. (p.4)

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo: Analysis

• Analysis uses your ideas to makes your contentions and details understandable to the reader. In other words, it’s what you want the reader to get from the from your paragraph. It represents your thoughts. The analysis must clearly connect back to your thesis (as each of your main contentions must also)

• Contention #1 - Analysis (examples)

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo: Analysis

• Vespucci grew up in one of the most exciting cities during a period of enormous challenges

• He learned to fend for himself in this most challenging of cities

• He never lost sight of his destiny and left for Seville in hopes of obtaining the fame and honor which had eluded him thus far.

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo: Evidence (Body PPs)

• What is evidence? Evidence consists of specific details that support the main contention. For our purposes, evidence used in your class book reviews should be followed by page numbers in parentheses.

• Contention #2 - Evidence (possible examples)

Contention #2 Evidence Part 1

• Seville was the largest city in Spain and offered unparalleled opportunities to foreigners in 1491 when Vespucci arrived - the Jews were expelled (p.45), the city was the center of trade for Africa and the Canary Islands (p.46) and the Portuguese were exploring the Atlantic (p.47)

Contention #2 Evidence Part 2

• He worked for Gianotto Berardi whose close association with Columbus would cost him a great deal of money when the latter failed to find Asia and bring back gold and riches from his travels (p.53).

• He married María Cerezo, a member of a prominent Sevillan family with a good head for business (p.52).

Contention Evidence #2 Part 3

• Adversity forced Vespucci to change course and become an explorer (p.60)

• Bernardi’s untimely death left him in debt (p.55)

• He lost the patronage of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco Medici (p.56)

• The Catholic sovereigns cut back on their investments in Atlantic exploration (p.56)

Contention Evidence #2 Part 4

• Columbus discovered pearl fisheries off the coast of Venezuela but was not allowed to reap the advantages of his discovery (p.59)

• Amerigo embarked on one of the voyages to the fisheries (p.61)

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo: Analysis

• Analysis uses your ideas to makes your contentions and details understandable to the reader. In other words, it’s what you want the reader to get from the from your paragraph. It represents your thoughts. The analysis must clearly connect back to your thesis (as each of your main contentions must also)

• Contention #2 - Analysis (examples)

Contention #2 Analysis

• Seville permitted a foreigner to seek advancement and recognition. Amerigo learned much about the business end of exploration but he also encountered Columbus and his radical ideas. He saw that the only true path to fame and honor lay in navigation

Contention Number Three

• Work in your groups to come up with examples and analysis for contention number three.

Writing a Book Review of Amerigo: Evidence (Body PPs)

• What is evidence? Evidence consists of specific details that support the main contention. For our purposes, evidence used in your class book reviews should be followed by page numbers in parentheses.

• Contention #3 - Evidence (possible examples)

Writing a Book Review: Questions You Should Ask of Your Book and Author

• What is the major thesis—or main argument—of the book? If the author wanted you to get one idea from the book, what would it be? What has the book accomplished?

• What exactly is the subject or topic of the book? Does the author cover the subject adequately? Does the author cover the subject in a balanced fashion? What is the approach to the subject (topical, analytical, chronological, descriptive)?

• How does the author support his argument? What evidence does he use to prove his point? Do you find that evidence convincing? Why or why not? Does any of the author's information (or conclusions) conflict with other information you had of the subject?

• How does the author structure his argument? What are the parts that make up the whole? Does the argument make sense? Does it persuade you? Why or why not?

• How has this book helped you understand the subject? Would you recommend the book to your reader?

Adapted from www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/review.html

Additional Resources for Writing a Book Review

• Writing a Book Review – UNC Book Review Guidelines

• MLA (Modern Language Association) style and formatting for bibliographic data – MLA OWL@Purdue