Humanism and Petrarch

Humanism and Petrarch

What do you learn about Petrarch from reading these letters?

The Poet Petrarch was also called the first modern man. From reading these letters, he observed the external world and then analyzed his personal life with the new awareness of the values. He was conscious of human transience. He felt that he had a mission to close down the ages and save the authors of the time from the challenges of choosing posterity and time (Hall, 2010).  In his letters to Marcus Tullius Cicero, he states that he had sought his work diligently but only found it in a place he least expected it. According to him, Marcus had done a recommendable job for guiding others. However, he lacked the same character, capacity, and zeal when it came to advising himself. Petrarch shows that Marcus had failed terribly in his. He compares him to a traveler who successfully lit the paths of other people but then failed when it came to his way.

I also find Petrarch to be highly committed to people he cherished. He took the step to diligently observe the work of Marcus even when it was clear that he could not find it. He also looked for it in places he least expected to find, and his work bore him fruits.

It is also clear that he was a critical thinker and a man dedicated to research. Upon finding the works of Marcus, he started reading it over and over again, full of eagerness (Cicero & Bailey 2001). He knew the man had offered reliable guidance to others, but he sought to understand what advice he gave to himself. Through looking at the leader’s wrong side and advising even in his death, he tried to offer guidance to other counselors who might be tempted to follow Marcus’ wrong path.

What is the tone and attitude of these letters? What can you tell about his personality, interests, and concerns? What was important to him?

Petrarch’s tone in his letter to Marcus Tullius, it’s highly ambiguous. However, it shows that he was aware of his death. It points to the fact that death was inevitable to him, and therefore took his time to search, read, and write to the departed. It also shows the overwhelming influence poets have on other people’s lives; however, they also needed to abide by the same standards.

The attitude of his letters is also highly ambiguous. First, he recommends Marcus for his excellent work, then goes on to rebuke him (Fumaroli, 2018). It is not clear what he wanted to achieve. However, he loved human life and the relations therein.

The attitude of these letters

There are various instances where his personality is described in these letters. Firstly, he was a loyal friend. He states how he has faithfully cherished and honored friendships even in his forties. He says how he is quick to forget injuries done; however, he gets hurt by a friend. He loved his friends (Greene, 2019). Besides, he had a good fortune since he made friendships with noble personages, kings, and princes. The second one is he was a humble person. He states how he has taken pride in others as opposed to himself. He did not receive the step of judging other people. He was also a Godly man who tried very hard to fight and free himself from worldly desires. It is clear that he failed in his cleric oaths; nevertheless, he tried to fight the urges.

He had significant interests in the friendships and reading work of his predecessors. He says that nothing pleases him more than having a visit from a friend. He also goes on to state how he has never willingly sat on a table to dine without a companion. He is highly concerned with pride. It displeases him to see someone trying to display something. He loves humility.

Why do you think he wrote letters to people in the past and people in the future?

He wrote to the people in the future and the past as a way of capturing human kind attention. His charm lies in writing fascinating letters, and this work was one of them. To the people in the future, he intended to offer them a mirror to his soul, his humanism. It was a true reflection of a beautiful spirit that was constantly battling between the urges of the youth or the flesh and the higher call to serve (McConnell, 2014). These letters reflect his zeal of opening people’s eyes to humanism, its beauty, and challenges. He took the counsel of the departed and then looked deeper into their lives and offered counsel to them as well.

He wanted to let the living know about a wide range of issues. He wrote to them about his life growing up, his feelings, thoughts, and what he cherished. H hoped to have them borrow the ideas he offered to the living. To the dead, he was partly rebuking their failures while embracing what they left behind (Cicero, 1909). He mentions good things about the departed but still calls them to harken to the things they did not do right. He also teaches the living about the importance of family, friendships, and love. He explains his struggles while trying to overcome the urges and desires of the youth. I believe that he is trying to show people how they should be prepared to face the challenges and not succumb to them. He states how he struggled at his young age and that he was not always free from irregular desires.

References

Hall, M. (Ed.). (2010). Restoration and history: the search for a usable environmental past (Vol. 8). Routledge.

Cicero, M. T. (1909). Letters of Marcus Tullius Cicero: with his treatises on friendship and old age (Vol. 9). PF Collier & Son.

McConnell, S. (2014). Philosophical life in Cicero’s letters. Cambridge University Press.

Cicero, M. T., & Bailey, D. R. S. (2001). Letters to friends (Vol. 1). Loeb Classical Library.

Fumaroli, M. (2018). The Republic of Letters. Yale University Press.

Greene, R. (2019). Letters, Poems, and Prose Fictions in Cosmopolitan Latinity. Journal of Latin Cosmopolitanism and European Literatures, (1), 82-86.