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 FernandezArmesto’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