Name: Zosia Motz Due Date: October 15 or 16 Section: C / D / E / F
Leonardo da Vinci 1. Primary Source a. Describe the primary source you are planning to use. If it is a picture, be sure to mention what type. Leonardo da Vinci’s sketch. Leonardo da Vinci was fascinated in the human body and dissection. There is a black and white sketch of him dissecting a human body. The sketch is being sketched from a praying eye in the night. Leonardo da vinci was so fascinated on human dissection that he could only do it in the night to avoid praying eyes that would tell the Medici family. b. Why did you choose this source, i.e. how is it connected to your book? It connects to the book because in the book they write about him and his passion of human body. It also connects because most of the book is about his trying to dissect dead humans. Unfortunately human dissection was not very known and not allowed by the Medici family. So when Leonardo da Vinci tried to dissect a human body there would be a big concern that he would be caught. That connects to the book. a. Describe the secondary source you are planning to use. I am planning to use a picture of Leonardo’s notebook. b. Why did you choose this source, i.e. how is it connected to your book? \ There is only a small part of Mona Lisa in the book. I would like to research more about the painting. 3. Review: Your review should try to persuade another grade 8 student to read it. a. Begin with a brief summary of your book. I read the book “Leonardo Da Vinci” By Kathleen Krull. The book is about devoting interest in everything in the naturel world, especially humans and their dissection. Leonardo Da Vinci is the main character in the book. Before I start my summary I want to ask you readers out there, to answer this question. “Have you ever wondered
who was the first human to dissect a human being and figure out every muscle, all the veins, and much more fascinating and interesting concepts that would appear in the world of science and medicine in the modern times? For more than thirty years half his life he devoted himself to science and medicine. Nothing would escape his interest: how our eyes see, why the sky is blue, how do human functions, what is blood, how do we stand, and many, many other. One of his first investigations was the human dissection that was sketched by a pair of praying eyes. During the 1460s a human dissection was not a very popular and an inspiring slog; people would dissect only criminals that we’re after being hung. When Leonardo tried to dissect a human the Medici family would forbid him. A couple of months later walking down a street Leonardo meet his good friend Marcantonio Della Torre that would smuggle him into the hospital. Read the book “Leonardo Da Vinci” to find out if Leonardo will be able to dissect a human body and meet his expectations towards medicine and science. I strongly recommend this book to every teenager from the age 13-15. It is very well written with not much explanation but neat and clear writing that does not include a lot of challenging words. The lettering is not small so everyone is able to read it in a week for sure. I also recommend the book if anyone has a project for science or has to write an biography. There is good chunk of information and action.
b. What are at least 2 reasons why you think someone else would enjoy this memoir? Reason
action when the Leonardo gets smuggled to the hospital
Evidence from your book Leonardo lived in the hospital. When the Medici family heard they put him to jail
Human dissection and a lot of scientific science questions: why birds fly, why is the sky blue, the whole book is about Leonardo da Vinci and his science of humans and medicine.
WORK CITED: Krull, Kathleen, and Boris Kulikov. Leonardo Da Vinci. New York: Viking, 2005. Print.
Zosia Motz Ms. Cross LA 8 C October 25/10/12
The Art of Questioning... by: Zosia Motz
There are many types of people, ones that are curious how everything works and keep on asking questions WHY? WHY? There are also thoughts that rather sit quiet and just go with the flow. Leonardo Da Vinci was a person that hated the fact of not knowing something about life. Each day he would look around and notice so many interesting mechanics and nature that would just pull him into their small and fascinating world of science. For example: Why birds fly, why is the sky blue, do plants live, why people get sick, how does the human body work. The fascinating science that he observed and studied he would write in his notebook that in these days is one of the most historical artifacts in the world. In his times not everyone liked to explore things. Most of the people believed in god, they wanted to believe that everything they see, everything that works any type of mechanics is done by god. The Medici family was a wealthy family. The members of
the family also didn't like the idea of questioning everything like Leonardo did, so one day when Leonardo was working they accused him of having sex with a male prostitute and put him to jail. After Leonardo got out of prison, he was not allowed to do any studies. Even though he was forbidden his interest in life did not allow him to calm down and just sit. One of the things that Leonardo da Vinci had was interest in the human body. He was incredibly ambitious, to explore the deal of how the body worked all throughout life to the moment of death. He wanted to explain the nerve system, the muscles and veins and capillaries, how the five senses worked, the flow of everything. “He wanted to see, in detail, how it all worked so he could understand how it all worked.” Leonardo was able to dissect some animals after their death, but he was itching to do a REAL human dissection. Human dissections were very rare in the olden times. A human dissection would usually be done on executed criminals. The dead criminals would be cut open with an old, rusty knife. Their chests would slowly open as the knife would smoothly dig in to their still warm guts. That was Leonardo’s dream. Historians disagree about exactly when Leonardo began dissecting human corps. It’s possible he may have begun in the 1460s while still at Verrocchio’s workshop. One day a famous professor of medicine, Marcantonio della Torre met Leonardo da Vinci hurling down the empty murky, dark street, at night. “Oh hi Leonardo! I was looking for you everywhere. How come you haven’t shown up at the science meeting?” shrieked Marcantonio from the other side of the street.
Leonardo observed the professor rambling toward him. It took him some time to recognize who he was. He looked up and whispered , “My dear friend, Marcantonio, finally I see you. I was so busy that I didn’t even bother showing up on the meeting.” “I understand we scientists have so much to do. So what have you been up to?” asked Marcantonio, placing his hand on Leonardo’s shoulder. “I have been working in the most fascinating, incredible science work ever seen. I am dissecting the human body. Unfortunately the times are hard and dissection isn’t so popular so recently I’m working on dead animals.” Leonardo bragged. “That is the best news I have heard today. If you really want I am able to smuggle you in the hospital” assumed the professor. “Yes, Yes of course that would be wonderful, magnificent. Thank you so much. Let god be with you” screamed Leonardo, waking up a neighbour. “SHHHHHHHHHHH, people are trying to sleep hear !!!!” forced the half woken grandpa, viewing from the window. Some historians think that Leonardo lived in the hospital for a couple of weeks. After 1487 he began much more skilled in the study of human dissection and anatomy. He would study in the night time to avoid praying eyes. In total he dissected thirty dead bodies. The more he learned about the human and animal body the more amazed he was by how the inside of the body works. In these times scientist and historians are still amazed by how Leonardo showed and proved all of his study, since they didn’t have refrigeration or formaldehyde. So the corpse would start decaying instantly.
Leonardo was a great scientist. He had questioned and figured out a dozen of fascinating science, that up to these days is still precise.