The Variety of Ways in Which Chaucer Treats the Subject of...

Write an essay on the variety of ways in which Chaucer treats the subject of love. Within ten stories in the Canterbury Tales, men and women on the way to, or in marriage provide the ostensible subject, with six tales expounding largely on love and its counterpart in marriage. In comic tales, sexual activity is constantly relished, especially in the Miller’s Tale and the Reeve’s Tale, where love is defined and motivated by animalistic physical desire and relationships clouded with lies and deceit. In contrast, romances like the Knight’s Tale and the Franklin’s Tale have a high ideal of relaxed and trusting harmony, â€Å"Thus been they bothe in quiete and rest†, relying also on the poetics of courtly love. Then we have the blend of†¦show more content†¦This of course scandalized the Clerk- he was unworldly and an ascetic, he â€Å"looked holwe and therto sobrely†, and thus he becomes the mantle of a corrector of false views about love and matrimony after the Friar and Summoner and gives a view of love as pure and sacrificial, with Griselda as the epitome of patience and ungrudging obedience. By use of the same term, ‘Boweth your nekke under that blisful yok of soveraynetee’, clearly the Clerk, through his tale, is answering the Wife of Bath, through a character who was the exact antithesis of hers. The Merchant, coming after the Clerk, upsets the balance again, painting a cynical view of love in contrast, and once again continues the love debate in his own fashion and pattern (â€Å"And let him care and wepe and wringe and waile†- â€Å"Weping and way ling, care and other sorwe†). The Host then once again comes interrupts, and requests to turn the debate away from marriage to love â€Å"Squier, set somewhat of love†, where pure romance, in the medieval sense is now introduced, reminding us of the beginning of the Knight’s tale, and illustrating the charm of a variety of tales depicting the various illustrations of love. However, Chaucer’s plan in this Act is not yet finished- there is still the gap of the relations between husband and wife, a certain superficiality of love not yet mentioned, the love whichShow MoreRelated The Bourgeois Social Class in Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay5130 Words   |  21 PagesIt is clear that Geoffrey Chaucer was acutely aware of the strict classist system in which he lived; indeed the very subject matter of his Canterbury Tales (CT) is a commentary on this system: its shortcomings and its benefits regarding English society. In fact, Chaucer is particularly adept at portraying each of his pilgrims as an example of various strata within 14th century English society. And upon first reading the CT, one might mistake Chaucers acute social awareness and insightful characterizationsRead More The Rich Diversity of Meanings of the Pardoners Tale Essay5609 Words   |  23 Pagesact of holy reverence, but the Tales take a darker turn when the Pardoner is brought to the foreground. The whole Canterbury Tales is a collected set of performances, stories told about telling stories. As Joseph Ganim has written, theatricality, by which he means a governing se nse of performance, an interplay among the author’s voice, his fictional characters, and his immediate audience, is a paradigm for the Chaucerian poetic (5). This paper shall endeavor to show that the major effect of theRead MoreEnlightment of Education in Pygmalion and Educating Rita9449 Words   |  38 Pageslearning of one demands the learning of the other one. | | |English literature has passed great and complicated way of development. It gave to the | | |treasure of world literature such great names as Shakespeare, Chaucer, Byron, Shaw, | | |Hemingway, Twain and so many others. | | Read MoreWilliam Shakespeare and Macbeth8813 Words   |  36 Pagesall the correct virtues for a king. Macbeth  exhibits elements that reflect the greatest Christian tragedy of all: the Fall of Man. In the Genesis story, it is the weakness of Adam, persuaded by his wife (who has in turn been seduced by the devil) which leads him to the proud assumption that he can play God. But both stories offer room for hope: Christ will come to save mankind precisely because mankind has made the wrong choice through his own free will. In Christian terms, although  Macbeth  hasRead MoreA Picatrix Miscellany52019 Words   |  209 Pagesoften disorderly book. A glance at the table of contents is enough to show that the sequence of chapters is erratic and closer inspection reveals that the scope of individual chapters is far wider than appears at first sight. Philosophic doctrines (which, according to the author, are the basis of the talismanic art), theory of magic, astronomical, astrological and physical lore, extensive directions for the practice of the art, and accounts of the peoples by who m it is employed are jumbled together

Graduation Speech Millennials And College Debt

Delaney Johnson Ms. Mathis, 11 English III B May 28, 2016 Millennials and College Debt Everyone has a dream, and in America, when someone reaches the financial and ethical position they desire to achieve, it is referred to as reaching one’s American dream. For numerous amounts of people, the American dream involves life events such as finding a stable career or job, buying a house, getting married, having children, and nurturing a future generation. While an individual’s dream may differ from another’s, most people do not want to worry if they can afford the lifestyle they want to live. Unfortunately, a millennial’s American dream is especially hard to achieve in this day of age, due to the ravenous debt that lingers after they graduate from college. College debt, lack of jobs, and minimal buying power are all factors that contribute to the endeavor of a millennial’s delay in beginning an efficient form of independence. The amount of debt that American students are carrying after college graduation is incr easing at a rapid rate. A study conducted by The Institute for College Access Success resulted in the revelation that 70% of students graduate with a total amount of $28,950 in college debt, which is an increase by 2% since 2013. Shockingly, student college debt had reached 1 trillion by 2012, as well as surpassing credit card and auto loan debt. Why exactly is debt going up as time continues? Well, college tuition is slowly but surelyShow MoreRelatedStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesNarcissist? 132 Myth or Science? Personality Predicts the Performance of Entrepreneurs 142 glOBalization! The Right Personality for a Global Workplace 143 An Ethical Choice Should You Try to Change Someone’s Personality? 147 Point/Counterpoint Millennials Are More Narcissistic 155 Questions for Review 156 Experiential Exercise What Organizational Culture Do You Prefer? 156 Ethical Dilemma Freedom or Lack of Commitment? 156 Case Incident 1 Is There a Price for Being Too Nice? 157 Case Incident 2

Gardenland free essay sample

Gardenland In his essay entitled â€Å"Gardenland, Sacramento, California,† Michael Nava recounts his experience of growing up in a remote, mid-twentieth century neighborhood of Sacramento. Nava gradually shifts his focus toward more uniquely personal themes and demonstrates how the place where he grew up influenced the person he has become. In this way, the form of the essay outlines its focus as Nava follows an obvious and steady progression toward the presentation of his microcosmic experience of Gardenland. While he begins with a rather dull and impersonal description of the physical surroundings, Nava presents imagery that later serves to deepen the reader’s emotional involvement in the story. There are many instances throughout the essay where Nava uses the place as a metaphorical representation of his own personality. His presentation of Gardenland demonstrates the effect that his social and physical environment had on his growth as an individual. In spite of its brevity, this essay follows a clear form as the focus progresses from more impersonal, physical description to introspective confession. Nava begins with a depiction of Sacramento before it had become one of California’s major urban cities. In this largely objective introduction, he interjects some emotion: he mentions the â€Å"shadowy small-town melancholy† of the â€Å"run-down Victorian mansions† (647). His discussion then moves toward his own neighborhood within the city called Gardenland, and the rhetoric becomes more detailed as he lists individual streets and specific buildings (e. g. his cousin Josephine’s house which doubled as a beauty shop). This specificity grows as he discusses his street, his family situation, individual houses, and finally his own conflicted relationship with the place where he grew up. One might compare this progressive focus to satellite imaging that needs to zoom in on its intended target in stages. In this case, the intended target or final image is Nava himself and how the macrocosmic descriptions of the beginning affected him. By dealing with complex emotions, this final image transcends the physical and becomes more meaningful to Nava’s individual experience. The title itself points to this narrowing focus in the reverse order as it moves from state to city to neighborhood. This also supports a parallel between Gardenland and Nava himself that I will explore later. Because the essay focuses so heavily on the environment, Nava includes copious imagery to establish a framework for development. The nature of the imagery changes with the focus of the story; the more general focus in the beginning includes descriptions of objects that one might encounter on a walk through the neighborhood while the more personal focus of the latter portion deals with individual people and rooms. Accounts of the city’s skyline and the borders of the Gardenland neighborhood give way to more specific images of his block and his grandparents’ living room. Because the length of the essay does not allow for much storytelling, Nava often uses imagery not just to describe objects but also to convey situations of his memory. For instance, the image of Nava and his grandparents silently passing time in the living room, each with his or her preferred method of escape, serves as a snapshot in a photo album of childhood memories. The images not only allow the reader to more fully experience the environment, but they also suggest emotional states. For example, the tiny bedrooms convey a cold and uncomfortable utilitarianism indicate of his family’s financial and emotional poverty. Nava makes a direct comparison between his physical description and himself saying, â€Å"†¦the stillness of the grass and the slap of the slough’s brown water against the shore. There I discovered my own capacity for stillness† (652). This focuses the image of the still shoreline toward a comparison with Nava’s personality. Nava’s physical descriptions express more than objective information, as the reader gains a more detailed perception of his environment. Nava not only demonstrates how the environment of Gardenland affected him, but he also draws parallels between himself and his hometown using metaphors. He emphasizes the borders and isolation of Gardenland that mirror the emotional isolation he experienced living with his family. By clearly defining the borders of Gardenland, Nava establishes a sense of remoteness that later relates to his own loneliness. He becomes more explicit about this separation by saying â€Å"Although not literally cut off from the outside world, Gardenland was little touched by it† (651). Isolation from and ignorance of other people, cultures, and ideas typically leads to a monotonous lifestyle that inhibits personal growth. Nava emphasizes his similar isolation: â€Å"My habits of secrecy and loneliness were too deeply ingrained. I had become like my grandfather†¦the most unsociable of an unsociable tribe† (652). He felt like an outcast in a community of outcasts, so he escaped into literature and fantasy. His fascination with books probably stemmed from a natural curiosity and a desire to experience the perspectives of different people. Because his literary awareness conflicted with the priorities of the community, this interest also served to magnify this social seclusion. He parallels his devotion to books with his homosexuality, as both were alien and unappreciated in his community. This moment of sexual identity is where his isolation exceeds comparison with Gardenland and become a more extraordinary example of alienation; however, Nava chooses to conclude the essay by offering one last similarity between Gardenland and himself that arose out of his extreme isolation: â€Å"Paradoxically, by doing this, I learned the peasant virtues of my hometown, endurance and survival. As a member of yet another embattled community, those virtues I absorbed as a child continue to serve me† (653). Herein lies the deep-seated conflict in his relationship with Gardenland; his damaging memories of isolation, emotional unavailability, and domestic abuse exist along with a sense of appreciation for freedom and the instillation of the aforementioned virtues. By portraying the physical and emotional circumstances of his childhood, Nava creates a comparison between himself and his hometown. His shifting focus and imagery both lead to a more complete view of the environment and, therefore, a more effective basis for this comparison. He illustrates how his environment and his own personality affected, both positively and negatively, his personal development.