Chaucer, the medieval English poet who lived from 1345 to 1400, lived through five major outbreaks of the plague, the Black Death -- from which, the swish of Death's scythe was heard for generations. The first of these outbreaks occurred when Chaucer was young, and between the years 1348 and 1350. The first plague was the hardest hitting, killed about one-third to one-half of those living in London (Ibeji). The third of these outbreaks, in 1369, struck royal blood: King Edward's wife, Philippa of Hainault, and John of Gaunt's wife, Blanche -- who was 28 at the time. During the time of Blanche's death, John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, was not with his wife, but out at sea. And a few years after Blanche's death, perhaps for a memorial service, John of Gaunt commissioned Geoffrey Chaucer to write a poem (Benson 329).
From that commission, most likely before 1372 (which is when John of Gaunt remarried), Chaucer wrote The Book of the Duchess (Hussey 29). This poem, one of Chaucer's first, was strongly influenced from the French poetry, and is in the format of the dream motif.
The Book of the Duchess is likely in the format of the dream motif for various reasons. One reason is the disconnection from reality that the dream gives: if this poem and the actions therein were not in a dream, Chaucer might have easily offended his patron if he somehow misrepresented Blanche. Another reason is the freedom that the dream gives the author to use his poetic talent to create a balanced and highly organized work. The balance in this work -- the balance of ideas, images, and the overarching balance of the whole poem -- is thought to be Chaucer's first step to the high level of poetic beauty that Chaucer writes later in his life.
Th...
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...r, with The Book of the Duchess, created a masterwork. As with Shakespeare's King Lear, the harmony within the poem surpasses in brilliance over any of the source materials.
Works Cited:
Benson, Larry." The Riverside Chaucer." Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston. Dallas. 1987.
Hussey, S.S.. "Chaucer: An Introduction." Methuen & Co., LTD. London. 1971.
Ibeji, Mike. "The Plague in Britain." BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/history/renderplain.pl?file=/history/society_culture/welfare/blackdeath/black_10.shtml>
"John of Gaunt (1340-1399)." Britannia.com, LLC. 2001. http://www.britannia.com/bios/royals/jgdklanc.html>
"John of Gaunt." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 1994. http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0826444.html>
Kiser, Lisa. "Truth and texuality in Chaucer's poetry." University Press of New England. Hanover, N.H.. 1991.
Across the nation many nursing programs are facing clinical site shortages for their students. The hardest hit population is the license vocational nursing (LVN) students. Many hospitals are trending toward achieving “Magnet Status” for their institutions. Therefore, LVN students are no longer allowed to complete their clinical training in several hospitals. This action forces many nursing programs to seek alternative methods of clinical instruction. In years past simulation training was used as an aid to facilitate learning. Today, for many nursing programs scenario based simulation is the only option for learning patient care.
Wilson, Robin. “A Lifetime of Student Debt? Not Likely.” They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter In Academic Writing. Ed. Gerald Graff. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 256-273. Print.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale.” From The Riverside Chaucer, Third Edition. Ed. Larry D. Benson. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1987.
Vasta, Edward. "Chaucer, Gower, and the Unknown Minstrel: The Literary Liberation of the Loathly Lady." Exemplaria. 395-419.
In Downs and Wardle’s article, they argue and identify the flaws in teaching writing in college. Demonstrating the misconceptions that academic writing is universal, but rather specialized in each case. Citing studies and opinions from esteemed professionals, Downs & Wardle state their points and illuminate the problem in today’s many colleges.
During the middle ages in England, 1154-1485, Henry II was king throughout the Renaissance; England established parish churches with their towers and had now retired from their late medieval form. Geoffrey Chaucer was born in the late 1300’s in London. He worked as a servant in the 1350’s making little to no money, just enough to pay for his own things. In 1366 Chaucer got married to a woman named Philippa. He started again and fulfilled diplomatic missions in Florence, Italy in 1370 through 1373. Chaucer had no time to write poetry, his true passion. His wife Philippa died in 1387 but he just kept working to pay debts.
On the other hand, I learned new concepts and terms. Simulation repeats some essential aspects of patient situation so that the situation may be understood and managed when it occurs in real clinical practice. Students in the school of nursing use the simulation learning center to learn and get experience in the field. The simulation is an educational process that requires the learner to demonstrate procedural techniques, decision making, and critical thinking. I learned that a simulation experience allows students to critically analyze their own actions and reflect on their own skill set. As a nursing student, I learned you have to complete clinical hours and practice in the simulation learning center. To become a certified nurse there are many training courses, exams to pass, and in the field experience to complete. Health professionals such as a nurse,
Thomas, C. (2011). Is the American Dream Over? They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (2nd ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
Tuoriniemi, P. & Scott-Baer, D. (2008) Implementing a high-fidelity simulation program in a community college setting. Nursing Education Perspectives, 29(2), 105-109.
Beidler, Peter G. "Chaucer's Tales" Chaucer Review Vol: 34, Issue: 4. April 01, 2000. 388-397
The immediate causes of the French Revolution were that the Estate-General had to convene. Increasing political pressure and being faced with the total collapse of its finances, the Old Regime began to unravel. Almost immediately tempers arose regarding voting procedures in the upcoming Estates-General. ...
During the eighteenth century, France was one of the most richest and prosperous countries in Europe, but many of the peasants were not happy with the way France was being ruled. On July 14, 1789, peasants and soldiers stormed the Bastille and initiated the French Revolution. This essay will analyze the main causes of the French Revolution, specifically, the ineffectiveness of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the dissatisfaction of the Third Estate, and the Enlightenment. It will also be argued that the most significant factor that caused the French Revolution is the ineffective leadership of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Tatlock, John S.P., and Arthur G. Kennedy. A Concordance to the Complete Work of Geoffrey Chaucer. Gloucester: Peter Smith, 1963.
Many websites contain information on the life and works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Most of these websites provide useful information, timelines, and miscellaneous facts about Chaucer. The Geoffrey Chaucer Page is a very helpful website that contains a brief note on Chaucer and provides a timeline of the important events which occurred during Chaucer’s lifetime . A better description of Chaucer and his works is given by Anniina Jokinen’s website, Luminarium . It is an organized source of data on Chaucer’s life and works, and has a medieval yule carol playing on the Chaucer homepage . Columbia’s Electronic Encyclopedia offers a less impressive description of Chaucer, and does not adequately analyze his works . Librarius offers excellent insight on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales . These four websites offer us a window into the life and works of Geoffrey Chaucer.
The Canterbury Tales is more than an amusing assortment of stories; it is an illustration of the society in which Geoffrey Chaucer lived. It portrays the culture and class system of the medieval ages in microcosm. Every strata of human life at the time were represented by the many characters whose tales are told. Each character’s basic human nature also plays a role in their stories, and each one has within them the strengths and weaknesses that make up all of humanity. Each character exemplifies their life and reputation through the stories they tell. The Pardoner uses his tale as a ploy to garner money. His tale embodies each deadly sin, and every reader can relate to his story and feel the guilt of his characters. The Wife of Bath’s tale expresses her own ideals in the way her character is given a second chance after committing a crime. The Franklin’s tale, because of its straightforwardness and honesty is a direct representation of the Franklin’s simple and joyful life. Each character tells a tale that is a suitable match to their personality. These characters’ tales represent prevalent themes of the middle ages, including greed, corruption of religious clergymen, violence, revenge, and social status. In Chaucer’s society, the traditional feudal system was losing its importance and the middle class began to emerge. The middle class characters within the Canterbury Tales, with their personal lives and interactions with members of differing social classes, gave an understanding of the growth of society, especially the rising middle class, during medieval times.