The Knight's Tale
As the Knight begins his tale, which he embarks upon without preamble, we are instantly reminded of the stateliness of the Knight, his overwhelming human dignity and moral world view, which Chaucer described in the general prologue. The Knight is the epitome of a man of the first estate - noble and humble, courageous and gentle, a warrior and a saint. As befits his elevated class, he speaks with elegance and seriousness about the important attitudes and values that any human - and a privileged human in particular - should cherish.
While as the beginning tale-teller by virtue of his rank he is committed to follow Harry Bailey's order to entertain and inform with "sentence and moost solas," like all his other activities in life he approaches his story with a sense of purpose: to teach his fellow pilgrims of the vital importance of embracing a worthy philosophy. Deeply embedded in his tale of Arcite and Palamon is a critique of courtly love and of a right-ordered world, which happens to correspond to the writings of Boethius, a work that, not incidentally, was translated into English by Chaucer.
The Knight's tale - a tragic historic romance - is about a world he knows well. The father figure in the story - a man not unlike the Knight himself - is Theseus, who has married Ypolita, the Amazon queen whose people he has conquered. Two of the defeated warriors from Thebes, Arcite and Palamon are taken captive to Athens and imprisoned. From their cell in a tower they see, and fall in love with, Ypolita's beautiful sister Emylye. The path of this true, and courtly, love does not run smoothly. For in addition to the love object being completely out of reach, the tw...
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...wever, in spite of her brazen stance, one senses Alison's dissatisfaction with her life - she is a victim of her own chaotic behavior - and one senses her longing for her youth and sexual vitality.
The tale she tells of the ugly old hag and the rapist knight is a mirror of her own inner life and longing. She tells her tale, a fairy tale, in fact, of what she wishes her life could be. One wonders about the veracity of her mastery of her husbands as a consequence of her tale. Is she in fact the old woman who is restored to beauty and youth by the love of a young man?
In this tale, Chaucer shows us that the concept one spouse's mastery over another is a losing proposition. Happiness and peace come from living together in harmony, one out of concern for the other - sharing respect and courtesy.
The Knight would agree.
In the Canterbury Tales, the Knight begins the tale-telling. Although straws were picked, and the order left to "aventure," or "cas," Harry Bailey seems to have pushed fate. The Knight represents the highest caste in the social hierarchy of the fourteenth century, those who rule, those who pray, and those who work. Assuming that the worldly knight would tell the most entertaining and understandable story (that would shorten their pilgrimage to St. Thomas Becket), Harry tells the Knight to begin.
The vast majority of Americans supported World War II (WWII) after Pearl Harbor was bombed, recognizing a fascist threat to Western democracy. WWII was a good war. It had the ability to unite America. They united against Nazism and fascism. But even a good War has its bad times. If you look behind what you think happened at what really happened in WWII it becomes clear that the U.S. has nothing to be proud about.
Several nations failed to abide by the Geneva Convention during World War II. As a result of this, the convention met for the fourth time to redefine and establish the rules to protect future veterans. (Simpkin) There were 130,000 POWs captured during World War II. Japan killed the most American POWs with a staggering rate at forty percent of 27,465. (Reynolds 10) It was these outrageous events of World War II that led to the Geneva Convention of 1949, which righted the wrongs of the previous conventions. (Geneva Conventions 864) So how bad were POWs treated? I am going to tell the accounts of one of the most severe acts against mankind that occurred during World War II.
In The Canterbury Tales Chaucer portrays a wide spectrum of marriage from what can be traditionally seen as the worst to the best. Three of these tales, The Miller's, The Franklin's, and The Wife of Bath's, support this examination of what can constitute an ideal marriage.
Daniels, Roger. Prisoners Without Trial: Japanese Americans in World War II. (New York: HILL and WANG, 1993)
Harth, Erica. Last Witnesses: Reflections on the Wartime Internment of Japanese Americans. New York: Palgrave for St. Martin's, 2001. Print.
The booming economy of the 1920's led to the Great Depression. It affected almost all of the industrialized world. The main cause of the depression was because of the unequal distribution of wealth throughout the 1920's, and the extensive stock market speculation that took place during the latter part that same decade. The mal-distribution of wealth in the 1920's existed on many levels.
World War II was one of the most deadly wars we know in history, having as many as sixty million casualties, most of whom were civilians. It impacted a lot of countries, almost all the world, which is why the name is given. This war impacted many countries in the world, and damaged almost all of the countries involved greatly. It also led to the downfall of Western European countries as world powers, leaving it to the Soviet Union, and the United States. The war started in 1939 and ended in 1945, with the invasion of Poland and the Axis surrender, respectively. It changed the economy and the growth of big countries, including Germany, Great Britain, United States, Japan, Russia and France. Aside from this, Jews were greatly influenced too. They were damaged, but then gifted.
"Chapter 7: Prisoners of War." U.S. Army Center Of Military History. Apr. 2001. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.
One of Geoffrey's less believable main characters is the Knight, for reasons of chivalry. The knight displays many traits which make him seem almost too good to be true, and a true gentleman that rarely exists in reality. The narrator sums up the knights character by stating that "Though he were worthy, he was wys,/And of his port as meeke as is a mayde." (pg. 5, The Canterbury Tales) The knight holds four main admirable traits, making him the most liked traveler in "The Canterbury Tales," and also amplying the doubt of his realism. The reader is prepared to learn of each of his noble accomplishments and importance when the narrator remarks that" A knight ther was, and that a worthy man,/That fro the tyme that he first bigan/To ryden out, he loved chivalrye,/Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisye." (pg. 4, The Canterbury Tales) From the characters impressive introduction, it is clear that this man is the most valued and honorable traveler among the group. This perfect gentleman holds a love of ideals that are often not displayed by people. First and foremost, he believes in the ideals of chivalry, and always stays true to its principles. He also feels that one should be honest, truthful and faithful, which many people are not all of these ideals. The knight thinks one should only do what is right, and what will gain him honor and reputation. This character also believes in freedom and generosity towards all, and displays this ideal repeatedly throughout the novel. And lastly, the knight also strongly feels that any proper person should display courtesy and elegance at all times. Another aspect of this character's life which makes him seem too prestigious to be truthful is his impressive military career. He fought in the holy war, known as the Crusades and was involved in 15 "mortal battles." In the prologue, the narrator informs the reader that "Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,/And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre,/As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse,/And ever honoured for his worthinesse.
...ghthood within their story. Both poets remind the readers of the disparity between the ideals of chivalries presented in romances, and the reality of lived knighthood, highlighting how problematic the understanding of chivalry and Christianity (knighthood) could be for medieval audiences. Though chivalry shines as a brilliant light of the high civilization in the fourteenth century, both tales suggests that chivalry is at best a limited system, which achieves its brilliant at the cost of a distortion of natural life. It was part of the social and ethical system but did not take into account the entire range of human needs, mainly the fact of human morality and sense of human frailty. The context in which knights are depicted and celebrated in the medieval romance does not support a smooth connection between the harsh realities of a century of internecine strife.
In the Middle Ages, when The Canterbury Tales was written, society became captivated by love and the thought of courtly and debonair love was the governing part of all relationships and commanded how love should be conducted. These principles changed literature completely and created a new genre dedicated to brave, valorous knights embarking on noble quests with the intention of some reward, whether that be their life, lover, or any other want. The Canterbury Tales, written in the 14th century by Geoffrey Chaucer, accurately portrays and depicts this type of genre. Containing a collection of stories within the main novel, only one of those stories, entitled “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, truly outlines the 14th century community beliefs on courtly love.
It was said that World War I would be the war to end all wars; unfortunately U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was wrong. In 1939 Germany invaded Poland and the global conflict, World War II, began. Fought from 1939 to 1945, World War II consisted of the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers. The Axis Powers were led by Germany, Japan, and Italy. The Allied Powers were led by the United States, Britain, France, and several other countries. In total, over sixty million people were killed, making World War II the deadliest conflict in modern history. The intervention of the United States after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 brought the end of the war 4 years later.
College is a great place to help students explore what they want to do in the future and experience many new things. According to Rouse, “The better-educated workers not only enjoy higher income, but also better health, decreased likelihood of committing crimes and less reliance on social programs.”(Rouse Para 2) College does not only enable one to become economically successful, but it allows them to have a healthy life ahead of them. Attending college is the best way to prepare for tougher job requirements. Experts claim that even though one initially spend a large sum of money to begin a college education, he is most likely to earn it back with the increased pay he receives from having a degree. All people are not born with an innate talent so for those ordinary people to survive and to move on in this world, they need a college education. College education helps them to achieve their goals such as being a successful doctor, mechanic and nurse. According to collegeview.com, “Attending College provides students with the knowledge and experience they are unable to receive from a secondary education, and finding a way to fund a higher education now can pay off in a huge way in the years to come.”(Hudson Para 2) It can infer a message that how being in college help increase in knowledge and experiences and the use of the same experiences to live through this long
Women have the ability to get what they want, when they want it. Chaucer portrays the Wife of bath as the dominant person in her marriages. She looks at men as her trinkets to be used and played with. She moves from one man to another, always looking for more. The Wife of Bath is a control freak, wanting to have sex when she desires it and with whom she desires.