The Decameron DAY 5

2.      Story 7.5 –  The prologue to this story paints the husband in a bad light. He is given the persona of a over controlling, conniving husband. It sheds light the viewpoint in such a way that women were to be controlled and kept safe like a diamond from burglars. I believe society has progressed a little, but not much from this point. Several guys get into physical fights over a girl, just as Rimini is always on guard for the incoming advances from other men towards his wife. This prologue also conveniently leaves out the woman’s perspective. I think today’s society observes the woman’s point of view much more than the olden days, perhaps even much more than men. Today women are the victims, and men are the abusers. Regardless of what happens, it is always the poor girl over the man, who may be victim to the woman’s evil plans much like Rimini was at the end of this story. Overall, society has changed its view since the prologue of this story, but I can not decide whether it is a step in the right direction, or the wrong one.

1.      Story 7.3 – I found this story to be quite strange. Rinaldo wants to get with a woman, whoms son he is godfather of, and befriends her husband to try a make his pass. I find it extremely ironic that this event eventually happens, but Rinaldo has first turned into a friar. It is like Boccaccio is trying to show his view of the church. It took a deprivation of human society and a title of much honor for the two to finally consummate their wants. The woman was fairly easily persuaded, and the most disturbing fact was that the godson was present for this moment. I think this parallels to the church, and how the friar is meant to be a guiding light for young boys. However, reality is much different than one’s ideals as the book demonstrates. For instance, the young boy is present because it sets the stage for the friars influence and example. Overall this story demonstrates Boccaccio’s idea of the church and its clergy.

All About My Mother

6.      Agrado is a very complex character to analyze. At first appearance, everything about this “girl” seems false. From her expensive silicon boobs to the various plastic surgeries done on her face. She wants to be a woman, not just an ordinary woman, but the perfect woman. She wants the exact measurements, and the best looking body. But if you look past the physical and get down to the actual person, there is a much truer story. Agrado aims to please everyone around her, just as she says her name is Agrado because she likes to make everyone agreeable. She is always there for her friends, and has quite an emotional side. It is hard to determine whether she is so helpful because she wants friends, or just because that is her personality. Regardless, she is very much true with herself, despite the daunting façade of fake. She stated she didn’t like goodbyes, but she hated not getting a good-bye. This proves the strength of her character. She can deal with all the mishaps that life hands her, but she cant deal with avoiding problems, which is why she deals with everything head on in this movie. When people question her about her gender, she doesn’t become bashful and hide, she lays everything out on the table. Overall, her character is one composed of truth and facades.

The Decameron (Day Four / 5.8, 5.9, 5.10, 6.7, 6.10)

5.8 - I believe the men have the power in this story. Many people believe that men have no feelings, or no emotions. This story emphasizes the power of that men can exert over women. The whole story revolves around a man trying to have his wife hurt, or at least live in fear or hurt, as much as he did. The tragic tearing apart of the woman,literally,  makes the woman fear for her life. The man exerts a stigma of loss that petrifies the girl. It is very obivious that the man has power in this scenario.

6.7 -   This story is a perfect example of woman rights, because it shows the prejudice men and society hold against women. The statute in Prato was specifically designed to protect men against the adulterous acts of women (ex. a woman caught commiting adultery by her husband would be burned alive). However, Madonna saves her life by flipping the scripts on the court. She justifies her actions, by pointing out the fact that her male counterpart could commit the same crime and go free.  She stood up the court, and walked in confidently. She told the truth, and empowered women everywhere. In fact, the law was changed after this court case. Overall, Madonna showed the common prejudices held against women and continues to defeat the opressor.

the decameron DAY TWO

1.      Story 5 (pg. 99) – This story had a theme of wicked trickery and misplaced trust. Andreuccio was a man who had trusted the people around him too easily. He was very open with himself, his mental state, and his money, which got him into this problem in the first place. His “sister” had very easily tricked him into to believing he was kin to her, with the help of an old woman. It would appear that Andreuccio’s intelligence level is very low, or at least when it comes to street smarts. Towards the end of the story, after misplacing trust in two using groups of individuals, Andreuccio learns from his previous mistakes, and takes his fate into his own hands. There are two morals of this story for me. The first moral that stands out to me, is the fact that you can not trust anyone, such as when Andreuccio trusted the woman about being his sister. The final moral that stands out to me is that intelligence is more than just books. The whole story is centered on human behavior and the outward expressions of inner motives. For Andreuccio to interpret the situations surrounding him, he would have needed street smarts.
2. Story 7 (pg. 127) – This story strongly relies on the gender roles of the time. Many of the men did not know the soon-to-be Queen. The men were fixated on the beauty of the woman, and not the personality. Men were killed left and right, for no reason other than to sleep with this girl. It says a lot about the male character. The female was portrayed as a simple minded girl who was easy. She wanted to hide her past when she found her old servant. I feel the roles in this story explained the sexual desires of humans, but not the actual bonds people need. This also showed the power lust has over an individual. To commit murder, over a chance to get with a girl is quite shocking and disturbing. There is no real connection, or even common thread. The body is what was pleasing, and the males thrived over that. They couldn’t even communicate because of the language barrier. It was astounding they fell in love, but I guess it shows the strength of a good intimate life.

The Decameron DAY ONE

1.      Story 2 (pg. 42) – “At his request, they did so immediately…and worthy man who lived a holy life.”
       - I found this quote interesting, because the story changed Abraham’s name to Giovanni. Abraham had decided to convert from Judaism to Christian because of the power of the Holy Spirit. Some of the holiest men in the land catered to a life of sin by giving in to the lust presented by whores and young boys, but Abraham was confused as to how such heinous acts would promote such positive feedback for the religion. He deduced that the Holy Spirit was what carried, and possibly expanded, the religion. Thus, Christianity must be a good religion, despite all of its less than perfect qualities. I feel the name change, however, was a sign of assimilation. It is odd to me, because it is suggesting that Christianity is a sort of cult. Though I agree, Giannotto should not have attacked Abraham’s religion in such a way, it appears as if there is a “Nazi,” feel going on in this story.
2.      Story 3 (pg. 43) – “…stupidity can often remove one from a state of happiness…restore him to his secure state.”
         - This quote is very accurate to me. There are many times when people think before they speak, and unintentionally put their foot in their mouth. A perfectly good moment could drastically change to a moment of great grief, such as Saladin trying to tear down Melchisedech’s good day. Luckily for Melchisedech, he was wise and thought out the consequences of his actions and answered the double edged question with a neutral answer. If I had to analyze the statement, I would say it means that life is unpredictable but it is very possible to have a say in your destiny or future.
3.      Story 4 (pg. 48) – “No one will ever know, and a sin that’s hidden is half forgiven!”
             -GThis is a very pivotal statement in the plot of the story. The Abott is about to confront a young girl for committing a cardinal sin with a monk. While walking over to speak with her, he is mentally preparing himself for the talk when his mind wonders. He begins to think that no one will know what happened between them in the room, and perhaps the monk was on to something. I find this statement to be very true, because most people think like this. If a human being can not witness the crime, the criminal feels like it is okay to commit because the only issue left is their conscious.  Obviously, the Abott would not feel guilty ever, thus this would be the perfect crime if it were not for the wise monk. However this statement just shows how a person may try to justify an act that may be deemed unjust in normal standards.

Let Her Talk - Video Blog

1.      The relationship between Alicia and Benigno was completely unconstituted in all sense of the word. To begin, Benigno had watched Alicia for several months before he was, “convienantly,” introduced to her when she dropped her wallet. He would sit and watch her like it was a religion, even his own mother, in one scene, mentioned how he was at the window all the time. Though it was strange, this method of watching her was quite harmless. However, after he walked her home, he made an appointment with her father who happened to be a psychiatrist. While he was in the house for his evaluation by the doctor, he creeped into Alicia’s room and stole her hair clip. This was a bit much for me, especially coupled with the strange watching. Unfortunately the innocent Alicia was hit by a car and went into a coma. This was a blessing in Benigno’s eyes because he then had the opportunity to worship Alicia the way he wanted to. He was in lala land throughout the whole movie. He was so sure of the relationship he believed he was in, that he didn’t think twice when he raped her. He thought it was natural, and it was the way things were supposed to happen. Though it was very disturbing, to Benigno he was making love to the willing woman of his dreams. To the very end of the film, all Benigno cared about was Alicia and how she was feeling. His very demise was his eternal want to be with her, which was why he took the various pills. He was benign, just like his name suggests. When I hear the word benign, I think of tumors and how they exist within the body but are not an immediate threat. I see the parallels between Benigno and this definition. He was always in the picture, though Alicia never noticed. He was very much like a silent killer; he had the potential to seriously harm her (and I can not honestly say that he didn’t harm her) but he existed in existence with her. Overall, the relationship between these two people was anything but average.