Read pp. 525-40 of the Italian humanist Petrarch’s Letters of Old Age. In this selection, Petrarch outlined for his patron, Francesco da Carrara, Lord of Padua, the qualities of a good ruler. Write a one-page paper in which you identify and summarize two of those qualities. Introduction Do not spend too much space on introduction. Perhaps explain generally what Petrarch through made a good ruler. Then, include a thesis sentence that clearly states the two qualities you are summarizing. Body Separate into at least (and probably no more than) two paragraphs. Each should have a topic sentence stating which quality the paragraph is about. Your goal in each of these paragraphs is to summarize the quality. Remember, you are summarizing Petrarch’s points. DO NOT argue with him, express your agreement, apply his points to other situations, or otherwise try to get too creative with your writing. If you are having trouble thinking of what to put in these paragraphs consider the following questions: What is the quality? If there are sub-components to the quality, what are they? How does a ruler exhibit or achieve the quality? Why does having this quality make a good ruler? What happens when a ruler does not exhibit this quality? What evidence or examples does Petrarch bring to prove/support any of those points(you do not want to use too many examples because it will otherwise swallow your summarization)? You do not necessarily need to discuss all of these, they are merely intended as points to think about when deciding what to include. Citations and Evidence You may cite by including only the page number in parentheses. Be judicious in your use of quotes. The best writing is achieved by paraphrasing. Be sure to cite where you are quoting or paraphrasing something from Petrarch. But where you are analyzing or explaining you need not cite.
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