Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales English Literature Essay

Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales English Literature Essay Life in England wasnt always easy in the early fourteenth century. On the surface, it looked as if nothing was going on but everyday life; however, In Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales, it is revealed that you cant always believe what is on the outside. A group of travelers gather together at Tabard Inn to begin a pilgrimage to Canterbury. In the General Prologue, the readers are introduced to each of these characters. The stories which range from animal fables to epics about love and comedies of sexual comeuppance (Chaucer) are important factors in the story. During the pilgrimage, each traveler has to tell two stories on the way to Canterbury, and on the way back. Chaucer wrote the story around the late thirteen hundreds, but it was meant for a private reader because of its controversial stories. He died before he could finish the tale. He used the pilgrimage to create literary works that could last over a hundred years. Chaucers precise description of the harsh reality of soc iety includes controversial topics like the corruption of church, sexuality, and abuse of power; but regardless to say, Chaucers story helps unravel some of the corruption in society. In England, life was not easy for everyone. There was famine, poverty, corruption in politicians and people of high status. By the late fourteenth century, the Catholic Church, which governed England, Ireland, and the entire continent of Europe, had become extremely wealthy. It cost a lot of money to build and decorate the lavish cathedrals. The leaders of lay society were less patient with the special privileges of the clergy; laymen of all ranks questioned the vast wealth of the church wealth that was not all that much greater than before, but which seemed more irritating; and many genuinely religious people, lay and clerical both, criticized the spiritual failures of the church (Muhlberger). Due to expenses caused by war, and many deaths by the Black Plague, many people have lost patience with the church because of how it seemed like the church and its clergymen seem to have a more luxurious life compared to others. This triggered many stories and tales about how the church was g reedy and selfish. The religious figures Chaucer represents in The Canterbury Tales all deviate in one way or another from what was traditionally expected of them (Spark Notes Editors). The characters themselves are just the stereotypical representations of how religious figures acted during this time. The Monk, Prioress, and the Friar were religious figures, but in the general prologue, it is revealed that they are not who they seem to be. For example, the Prioress (a nun who is head of her convent) was described as modest and quiet, she aspires to have exquisite taste, and dressed very lavish and lived a life that most nuns do not. Of smale houndes hadde she that she fedde with rosted flesh, or milk and wastel-breed (Chaucer 5), in translation it says that she gave roasted mean or milk and bread to her dogs. During this century, there was a lot of famine and poverty. Many people could even afford milk and bread, so the fact that the Prioress can give her food generously to animals instead of sharing with others is an ironic representation of a nun who are usually kind and sharing. Another example of the representation is of the Monk. Most monks devote there life to work and prayer, and lived in monasteries, but the Monk on the pilgrimage didnt care for this rule. He enjoys hunting and eating as his pastimes instead of prayer and fasting. It is ironic because Monks are typically known for the quite calm nature, and love of life and gods creatures, and in this case the Monk enjoys hunting down the creatures he is supposed to love. Chaucers stereotypical representation of the characters doesnt represent everyone of the profession, just the ones on the pilgrimage. As stated earlier, it was a common stereotype that religious figures often abused their power for greed; in which some cases took advantage of the position they hold to cease opportunities for personal gain. It is human nature to want to have dominance over others and control over their lives. Some people just want power to be understood and treated better. Like the Wife of Bath, who used her story to send a message to the other men in the journey. The wife of bath told a story of a Knight who rapes a young maiden because he felt that he had the power to do so because of his authority. He was sentenced to death but the Wife gave him one chance to make amends, Thou standes yet, in swich array that of thy lyf yet hastow no suretee. I grante thee lyf, if thou kanst tellen me what thing is it that women moost desiren (Chaucer 182). A year later, he returns to the castle with an old hag who had given him the answer in exchange for any request she wanted. He told the Wife of Bath that what women wanted most was to have control over their husbands and lovers. The queen decreed that the knight was to be pardoned, but he was in horror because he was forced to marry the Hag. Over the next few days , the wife of the knight confronts him as to why he is acting repulsed by her. The women tells the knight that beauty is only skin deep, and that even though you are at of a high status in social hierarchy, it doesnt make you better then the peasants on the lower level. In essence, the Hag can represent the Wife of bath who is telling the story, because later on she turns into a beautiful maiden when the knight surrenders himself to her control. She wants to be considered beautiful and have power over her husbands, where as she has had five marrages already. The Wife of Baths story shows the significance of sexuality during this time, because back then it was common to not treat females right, it was a male dominated world. But her story shows that in some cases, bad men can change, and that women can have influence upon their lovers. Now not every male can be converted like the knight in the Wife of Baths tale, because in reality not all mens pride allows them to let their lovers dominate them. Although sex paid an important role in society, whereas being a male means that you have more dominance and power than others, it doesnt mean that all men use their powers wisely. Many of the religious figures in the Canterbury tales often abused their power, which can add on to the assumption that the Church of England was corrupted. The Friars and Summoners took advantage of the jobs they had. The Friars were traveling priest who spread religion in a wide, diverse area, along with collecting money for the church. In the story, the Friar was said to have taken advantage of people who wanted to atone for their sins. He would travel from town to town and demanded bribes when peasants and lords wanted to have penance for the sins they have committed. He would also take advantage of women. The friar can be seen as a symbol of corruption, because he uses his power as a man of god to gain money for himself, instead of fulfilling his duties for the lord. During the Pilgrimage, the Friar and Summoner often got into arguments because they did the same thing, take advantage of others and collected money. This clearly is an act of corruption, in our viewpoint it looks as if the church is the cause of the problem, but thats not always the case. It is the actions of an individual that creates the conflicts in society, not the group the person is associated with. Chaucer used the Canterbury tales to show how the church was assumed to be corrupted because of how people took advantage of their power. People took advantage of social status and people without knowledge to make money for personal gain. These people who have grown wealthy had stained the church during the time. During the Fourteenth century, the roles of sexuality led to several factors. Whether you were male or not determined how others treated you and what you were able to do, thus creating a need for power in the more neglected side as stated in the Wife of Baths tale. This abuse of power feeds those who prefer to advance their own selfish ambitions rather than help others for the good of man, which inevitably caused many to believe in the corruption of the church. Chaucers Canterbury tales helped readers see the darker part of society, whereas those do whatever they can to survive and for happiness, neglected who they affect in the process. Works Cited Page Chaucer, Geoffrey. Canterbury Tales. Alfred A. Knope, INC., 1958. 607. Print. Halliday, F.E. A Concise History of England. New York: Viking Press, 1965. Print. Muhlberger, Steven. Religious Conflict in Fourteenth-Century England. The Orb. Steven Muhlberger, n.d. Web. 15 Dec 2010. . SparkNotes Editors. SparkNote on The Canterbury Tales. SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 1 Dec. 2010.

The Imagery of the Stone Angel :: Stone Angel

The Imagery of the Stone Angel In her novel, The Stone Angel, Margaret Laurence successfully uses the statue of the stone angel to represent the Currie family pride, Hagar's inability to relate and share her emotions, and the blindness and ignorance that results from refusing to consider any other point of view than your own. The Stone angel is symbolic of the Currie family pride because it does not seem to serve it's purpose, which is to honour Hagar's mother who had died giving birth to her. Hagar describes Mrs. Currie to be a "meek woman" and a "feeble ghost", whereas she describes herself to be "stubborn" and "practical". The statue was bought in Italy and brought to the Manawaka cemetery "at a terrible expense . . . in pride to mark her bones and proclaim his [Mr. Currie's] dynasty, as he fancied, forever and a day" (p. 3). Mr. Currie bought the angel "in pride" rather than in grief for someone he considdered his possesion, his "dynasty". The stone angel is also a symbol of Hagar's pride as she inherrited it from her father. It was this pride that kept her from speaking up and fighting for her brother when Mr. Currie sent her away to college to become "more civilized". She knew Matt deserved to go more than her, but she never stuck up for either him or herself. In an attempt at freedom, o r maybe just to spite her father, Hagar married Bram Shipley soon after she came back from school. From day one, Hagar's marriage to Bram was a complete embarrassment to her and her family: "When i'd listen to Bram spinning his cobwebs, then it would turn my stomach most of all, not what he said but that he made himself a laughingstock" (p. 114). Upon hearing about their plans to wed, Hagar's father disowns her. Bram was not a rich man by any means, he drank heavily, always spoke in slang, and caused a scene on a regular basis. Hagar thought she'd be able to change him and coax him out of his wild ways, but when he proved her wrong, she just accepted the fact that she'd have to live with it or lie about it to save face. When applies for a job to get away from Mananawka and her husband, she lies to her boss as to her real relationship with Bram.

Why Bangladesh studies should be taught to students of BBA in Bangladesh

Why Bangladesh Studies should be taught for the students of BBA It is important to learn the whereabouts of a country if someone wants to do business in a particular region or a country. As a student of BBA in Bangladesh, ‘Bangladesh studies’ is as important as any other courses in the whole curriculum. If one wants to start business in a particular area (say Bangladesh), one must acquire complete knowledge about:Geography Historical backgrounds Culture Manners & customs Religion and caste Political conditions and attitudes of the political parties Transport & telecommunication Economic infrastructure Government policies & facilities Banking & investments Local business & business communities Natural calamities Insurance & securities Management & Labour cost Electricity & powerThese prospects are described in detailed as followings:Studying geography of Bangladesh, a student will acquire knowledge about the resources, landmass, transport, economic trend of Bangladesh. Th is helps to find a suitable place for establishing business/industrial complex. It is necessary to know the history of Bangladesh as there exists a strong connection between people of the country and their mentality and customs. Now comes the culture, manners & customs. Knowing the culture of Bangladesh will help the student to guess whether the people (consumers) will appreciate the promoted product/service or not. Studying manners and customs are important as well. These will help to acquire knowledge about the tendency and likings of the consumers. It is also important to learn about religion and caste of people of Bangladesh as will help to acquire knowledge about social ceremonies, obligations and harmony of the consumers. Political  conditions of Bangladesh always affect business and economy.The student must be well aware of political stability and attitude of the politicians towards business and economic sectors. Transport & Telecommunication is one of most important factor in entrepreneurship. It is important to know about the transport and telecoms of Bangladesh in order to save time and cost, get logistics, international clientele and also for marketing and advertising. Also note that well established infrastructure ensures stability in business. So, proper knowledge about the infrastructure of Bangladesh is a must. A student will be well aware of the business laws, policies identified by the government of Bangladesh. It is necessary to know the whereabouts of banking sectors for financial support, deposits and transactions. There are always possibilities of competitor companies with similar products/services. So learning about the local business of Bangladesh is necessary in order to promote a new product/service. Bangladesh is a disaster prone region.Flood, earthquake and cyclones are likely to occur almost every year and in order to face the likely disaster and hazards a student need to know how government and other organizations deal with it. A nother important factor related to business is insurance and securities. A BBA student must acquire enough knowledge about insurance sectors of Bangladesh to do a better secured business. It needs a good management and resourceful labour to run a company/industry. Bangladesh studies will help a student where to find the finest executives and cheap and resourceful labour. In case of an industry, accessibility of Electricity and Power is also another important factor. With proper knowledge about the geology of the country a student can identify where to establish an industrial complex.So, it is quite clear that Studying about Bangladesh for BBA students is necessary. Proper knowledge in this field makes a student of BBA a better entrepreneur in the future. Why Bangladesh studies should be taught to students of BBA in Bangladesh Why Bangladesh Studies should be taught for the students of BBA It is important to learn the whereabouts of a country if someone wants to do business in a particular region or a country. As a student of BBA in Bangladesh, ‘Bangladesh studies’ is as important as any other courses in the whole curriculum. If one wants to start business in a particular area (say Bangladesh), one must acquire complete knowledge about GeographyHistorical backgrounds Culture Manners & customs Religion and caste Political conditions and attitudes of the political parties Transport & telecommunication Economic infrastructure Government policies & facilities Banking & investments Local business & business communities Natural calamities Insurance & securities Management & Labour cost Electricity & powerThese prospects are described in detailed as followings:Studying geography of Bangladesh, a student will acquire knowledge about the resources, landmass, transport, economic trend of Bangladesh. Thi s helps to find a suitable place for establishing business/industrial complex. It is necessary to know the history of Bangladesh as there exists a strong connection between people of the country and their mentality and customs.Now comes the culture, manners & customs. Knowing the culture of Bangladesh will help the student to guess whether the people (consumers) will appreciate the promoted product/service or not. Studying manners and customs are important as well. These will help to acquire knowledge about the tendency and likings of the consumers. It is also important to learn about religion and caste of people of Bangladesh as will help to acquire knowledge about social ceremonies, obligations and harmony of the consumers.Political  conditions of Bangladesh always affect business and economy. The student must be well aware of political stability and attitude of the politicians towards business and economic sectors. Transport & Telecommunication is one of most important factor i n entrepreneurship. It is important to know about the transport and telecoms of Bangladesh in order to save time and cost, get logistics, international clientele and also for marketing and advertising. Also note that well established infrastructure ensures stability in business. So, proper knowledge about the infrastructure of Bangladesh is a must.A student will be well aware of the business laws, policies identified by the government of Bangladesh. It is necessary to know the whereabouts of banking sectors for financial support, deposits and transactions. There are always possibilities of competitor companies with similar products/services. So learning about the local business of Bangladesh is necessary in order to promote a new product/service. Bangladesh is a disaster prone region. Flood, earthquake and cyclones are likely to occur almost every year and in order to face the likely disaster and hazards a student need to know how government and other organizations deal with it. Ano ther important factor related to business is insurance and securities.A BBA student must acquire enough knowledge about insurance sectors of Bangladesh to do a better secured business. It needs a good management and resourceful labour to run a company/industry. Bangladesh studies will help a student where to find the finest executives and cheap and resourceful labour. In case of an industry, accessibility of Electricity and Power is also another important factor. With proper knowledge about the geology of the country a student can identify where to establish an industrial complex.So, it is quite clear that Studying about Bangladesh for BBA students is necessary. Proper knowledge in this field makes a student of BBA a better entrepreneur in the future.

Prince Edward Island essays

Prince Edward Island essays Prince Edward Island lies in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and is separated from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia by the Strait of Northumberland. It once was connected to the mainland. I chose to do this province because I love lobster and the land is really beautiful. About 11,000 years ago the early people known as the Paleo-Indians lived on what is now Prince Edward Island. They gathered berries in the islands forests and hunted seals and walrus with spears along the coast. They also tracked caribou and arctic foxes. They left the area when The Maritime Archaic Indians moved there about 6,000 years ago. They also hunted and fished. They made tools and animal figures, carved out of stone and bones. I read that a 6,500-year-old ulu, a kind of knife used to butcher walrus and whales was found a few years ago in the Gulf The Micmac Indians who were related to the Maritime Archaic Indians settled almost 2,500 years ago. By this time the water had separated the island from the mainland. They called the island Abegweit, meaning home cradled on the waves. They built grass houses called wigwams. The Indians covered their shelters with furs for the cold winters. Several thousand Micmac were living on the Island when the first The Europeans discovered the island when Jacques Cartier landed there in 1534. He described it as the most beautiful stretch of land There are stories of ghosts and buried pirate gold date back to the days when sailing ships linked the island with Nova Scotia and schooners picked up cargo for the West Indies. In the early 1600s, France wanted to gain control of fishing waters. France soon made a colony. This was the first colony in what was known as Acadia. The British also claimed fishing and fur trading rights in the region. The two countries battled for this valuable land throughout the After Britain won the war ag...

Extract from Angelas Ashes essays

Extract from Angela's Ashes essays The story starts with a boy named Frank that catches typhoid fever. A doctor comes into his house, checks him, and then takes him and his mom to the hospital. In the hospital, they stick tubes with blood to him, Soldiers blood, and then he falls asleep. Frank awakes many times and sees nuns and nurses and doctors doing stuff to him. Then he sees a priest doing the Extreme Unction to him and then he falls asleep again. After Frank gets over the crisis, his father comes and tells him hes a great soldier, and then he has to go. The nurse tells Frank hes a miracle for getting over the crisis. After that, a girl from another room talks to him, shes called Patricia Madigan, shes 14 and she has diphtheria. They start talking but the nun comes in and tells them they cant talk. They keep talking regularly and one day, the girl sends a book to Frank through the man that mops the floor, Seamus. Its a book about English History. Patricia also had a book of poems, so she read them to Frank. She read a poem called The Highwayman that was exiting so Frank liked it very much. But one day, Sister Rita comes in and catches them talking so she tells Seamus to take the boy to an empty ward upstairs and so he cant talk with Patricia anymore. The ward upstairs has 20 beds and that ward had been used a long time ago during a shortage of food in Ireland that happened in the 1840s. The nun says that it was good that he was away from Patricia who wouldnt live to be old. Frank feels really sad because he understood what the nurse really meant and because he couldnt show that he understood. So he couldnt cry about a girl that taught him a lovely poem that the nurse said was bad. Then Seamus says Frank might come out any day and that he doesnt know about Patricia. Patricia dies two days after that. Feeling it was her fault that Frank was shifted, ...

Task Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Task Management - Essay Example Fresh Snax needs to develop its information system. The possible required system is the one which can reduce inventory and improve service levels simultaneously and a proven management methodologies. It is not only the output that is important; you need to have a fast and accurate service, a consistent quality of the food and a good location. The management of information system includes the following functions: the core function and the support functions. The core function is the people that actually think of design, make and sell a product or a service. A support function helps them to achieve it. Choosing the proper computer system would help the Fresh Snax lessen its burden on the inventories, sales, and orders as well as increasing the profit of the company. Trained and well educated personnel should handle this new system. Like any other new system there will be some negative feedbacks, and from here the project manager will be able to develop it more. Soft System Methodology was developed by Peter Checkland in 1960 and was further developed in 1981. This methodology treats the problem as an opportunity for the company for improvement and enhancement of its system. It includes evaluation of the problem as to why it happens and how to handle it. It includes seven distinct stages: 1. Finding out the problem situation. 2. Expressing the problem situation through rich pictures 3. Selecting how to view the situation and producing root definitions. 4. Building conceptual models of what the system must do for each root definitions. 5. Comparison of the conceptual models with the real world. 6. Identify feasible and desirable changes. 7. Recommendations for taking action to improve the problem situation. Fresh Snax Transformation using the Soft System Methodology Fresh Snax Manager has identified the weaknesses in the current system, including insufficient stock to prepare the orders, poor scheduling of deliveries to customers, and casual staff unable to keep records of deliveries made. Fresh Snax is now aware that in order to keep the loyal customer they need to use the technology to a greater degree and meeting the customer needs. In line with this transformation a new system is being proposed. The new system will integrate a number of business functions, including stock control, recording and accepting customer orders, routing/scheduling of orders and recording of delivered orders. Stage 1 and 2 Fresh Snax is a growing company that supplies fresh quality of sandwiches, home baked snacks, the finest coffee and freshly squeezed fruit juices for sale at premium prices in petrol filling stations. Several problems were encountered specially on the inventories and services to their customer. Thus the problem situation for the company will be how good is the new system and how to evaluate the system performance Will the company benefit

Letter of Complaint Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Letter of Complaint - Essay Example Despite the urgency of the situation, I could not move the car. I have to confess that it was embarrassing, and I did not anticipate this to happen to me while driving such a well-established car brand. I was also extremely disappointed since none of the cars I have driven over the last years has given me this kind of problem. We called, in a tow truck, to help us move the car to the Auto-world Frontier service station. Our conversation with the dealership’s advisor went well enough as she accepted that the company had, indeed, neglected to carry out ground clearance and that this model was meant for German roads. I left the car there for the replacement of the oil chamber. The insurance company will cover this bill. I was informed to pick the car up after two days. As I returned to pick up the car, the advisor informed me that while the chamber’s replacement had gone off smoothly, the oil was still leaking when the engine was started. I was asked to call at two PM since the mechanics were still on the car. When I called, his phone was off. The landline number went through, only to be informed that the advisor was on a two-week leave and that I should get in touch with a Mr. Brandon. Brandon, for his part, told me that he would call me back after twenty minutes with the status on my car. When he did, he informed me that my car was badly damaged and that the engine required repair. The insurance company, apparently, would not cover the cost for repairs. No one between the insurance company and the service centre seems willing to take responsibility for my car’s damage. I would like to ascertain that the fault lies directly with VW and its ground clearance design for the model of my car. It is also worth noting that my car was not running when my misfortune occurred, and thus, the incident might not have been caused by an engine trouble before the incident. I would