Two- 

“Behind the thick walls of the cloisters, the parasites would mumble their prayers and live off the income generated by those who farmed the monastery’s expensive landholdings (36).” I find it interesting how much hatred Poggio has towards the monks, especially since they have completed most of the heavy lifting in regards to preserving ancient texts. Several comments are made that challenge the idea that monks are individuals that contribute to society and that they are ignorant and that Monasteries “were the dumping grounds for those deemed unfit for life in the world (36).” However, later in the chapter, the narrator discusses the Irish monks who live within their own established community and have complex methods to copy and preserve ancient texts. Additionally, these monks have a large amount of both political and monetary power yet Poggio constantly degrades them. 

“Idleness is the enemy of the soul (25).” was one of the many rules of the monastery that caught my attention. Firstly, I was curious about their thoughts behind this, especially since they emphasize the importance of loneliness. To me, I assumed that idleness and not having anything to do would allow the mind to rest and clear itself. However, the monks are made to read in silence in order to occupy themselves. Also, to the extent that the authorial figures go to make sure that the monks do not get distracted while reading is sort of wild to me. 

One- 

I found a connection between the text and the current world in regards to the way certain books were “scraped” or erased from the mmonestary’s collection (43). It reminded me about the current issue of censorship and banning of books. Specifically, the idea that some books were discontinued from printing in order to prevent controversial messages being spread. 

Question- 

Do stereotypes prevent Poggio from acknowledging how important the monks are in preserving ancient text?