Womens Roles In The Canterbury Tales English Literature Essay

Womens Roles In The Canterbury Tales English Literature Essay Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales has been thought to serve as a moral guidebook for the 1300s and years after. He exhibits in each story what is right and wrong and how one should live through the blunders of both men and women. However, the underlying message within the sub context of the tales is a jaded look at women and how they are the cause of the demise of men. While most readers have said a womans role in The Canterbury Tales was to break free from a mans dominance in a secretive inconspicuous manner, and maintain faithful and steadfast devotion and affection for a man and his decisions. A close and careful reading shows that instead womens strength and need to break free from mans dominance can eventually lead to the demise of the mans role in society. Michael Calbrese wrote in Chaucers Dorigen and Boccacios Female Voices, that man represents sensuality and error, while woman embodies reason, self-mastery, and the wisdom that inspires virtue and order. Women remind men of their better selves, and even, at times, make chaste brothers and friends out of sexual pursuers (Grady, 272). That being said, however, more of The Canterbury Tales actually points to how women are more destructive on men than helpful. More specifically, I assert that in the Knights Tale it can be demonstrated that women are corruptive. The Knights Tale appears to be a tale of chivalry and upstanding moral behavior to the average reader. However, the theme of the evil nature of women lingers below the presented storyline. In the story, Emily plays the part of the beautiful woman who captivates the hearts of two unsuspecting men and leads to the death of one. Those two men are cousins Arcite and Palamon, both knights who eventually duel for Emilys hand in matrimony. Arcite and Palamon begin the tale as the best of friends and then roommates in a jail cell that is to be shared for eternity because of crimes the two committed together. But with one look at Emily, the Palamon and Arcite start bickering impulsively and almost come to blows over a woman neither will ever be able to have, or so it seems. So, essentially one could argue that had Arcite and Palamon had never seen Emily, their relationship never would have been severed and the two would have upheld the promise they made to one another to forever remain friend s. Chaucers knack for irony revels itself when King Theseus releases Arcite from his life sentence but disallowed from ever coming back to Athens. Theseus claimed that if Arcite ever returned to Thebes. This upsets Arcite are great deal because he is doomed to never see Emily again. His broken heart causes him sickness as hes weakened by love and as readers we witness him slowly wither away. Once Arcite devises a plan to return to Thebes successfully, the potential of seeing Emily begins encouraging Arcite to get better. In the meantime, Palamon remains in captivity, rendered helpless due to his lifelong punishment in prison. He knows that he will never be able to talk to Emily and certainly not marry her because of his plight yet he. All he can do is watch her from a distance and admire her beauty, for Palamon though what little experiences he has with Emily are still worth living for. Despite being locked in jail, Arcite believes that Palamon is better off than he is, though, as he says: O dere cosin Palamon, quod he, Thyn is the victorie of this aventure Ful blisfully in prison maistow dure; In prison? Certes nay, but in paradys! Wel hath fortuen y-turned thee the dys, That hast the sighte of hir, and I thadsence. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ But I, that am exyled and bareyne Of alle grace, and in so greet despeir, That ther nis erthe, water, fyr, ne eir, Ne creature, that of hem maked is, That may me helpe or doon confort in this: Wel oughte I sterve in wanhope and distresse; Farwel my lyf, my lust, and my gl adnesse! (58 60) Being unable to see Emily has caused him such anguish that he weeps constantly and contemplates killing himself so he wont have to feel this daily pain that appears to have no end. Arcite and Palamons distress occurs all because of a woman, that maintains no actual interest in either man nor realizes they even exist. Emily is not a typical female character her for her time we soon realize. She is sweet and very conscientious of the world around her. In an outlandish twist for a woman of The Canterbury Tales, she worships Diana and is content alone and doesnt ever want to be married much like that of her goddess wishes. Despite Emilys disinterest, Palamon and Arcite battle twice for Emilys love, this eventually leads to Arcites death. Even though Palamon, wins her by default, she still dismisses his love. He then commits himself to Emily faithfully for several years before she agrees to marry him, even though she still does not love him. This conclusion demonstrates that no one wins in The Knights Tale, but it is the two men who fight over the woman who lose the most. The general argument made by author Jill Mann in her work, Feminizing Chaucer: The Feminized Hero, the question Are women good or bad? is relentlessly turned back onto the sex that asks it and is transformed into What makes a good man?   I believe that although this may be true, more can be said about how the idea of the women is directly correlated to the man she is associated with. In conclusion, it might seem that despite whether the female has a passive or active attitude her actions will always be turned back onto the male at hand, therefore reinstating the belief that women are what creates or destroys a man. The Nuns Priests Tale is possibly the most notable depiction of a mans ruin due to the persuasion of a woman. This tale revolves around a rooster, Chauntercleer, that oddly enough can be seen as a symbolic representation of all men. He has seven wives but his favorite was Pertelote, and it is this female hen that brings about a great deal of trouble for Chauntercleer. One night Chauntercleer awakens suddenly from a terrible dream. Seeking comfort from Pertelot, he tells her about the dream which involves a wild, rampant dog with beady eyes coming after Chauntercleer with the intent to kill him. Rather than console Chauntercleer, she challenges his masculinity and states that no man of hers should be frightened of a dream. Offended by Pertelots reaction, Chauntercleer reminds her about the numerous times in history dreams have predicted the future and how non-believers suffered the consciences of not taking the appropriate precautions. Despite his reminder though, he dismisses his con cerns and says that Pertelot is probably right and so he goes off about his day not reflecting more about his dream. At this point, the nuns priest takes an aside from the story to tell the reader his own opinion on women but says that it is the belief of many men and not his own in an attempt to perhaps cover himself. In this aside he says: Wommennes counseils been ful ofte colde; Wommannes counseil broughte us first to wo, And made Adam fro paradys to go, Theras he was ful mery, and wel at ese. But for I noot to whom it mighte displese If I counseil of wommen wolde blame, Passe over, for I seyde it in my game. Rede auctours, wher they trete of swich matere, And what they seyn of wommen ye may here. Thise been the cokkes wordes, and nat myne; I can noon harm of no womman divyne. (438-442) The aside being included from a readers perspective could be construed as maybe Chaucer the authors own viewpoint on the situation. Since the nuns priest takes it upon himself to tell of the downfalls of men that have been brought about by women it reiterates the belief that can be gathered by the reader by spelling it out verbatim. Although as readers it is unnecessary for the nuns priest to have spelled it out so simply because he then shows yet another example of how this occurs, this signifies that this point is one that Chaucer wanted to be sure we gathered sufficiently. Had this not been a belief he had held, would he have spelled it out so plainly? Chauntecleer later is indeed attacked by a wolf and carried away to the woods to his certain doom before slipping away, proving the point that women are the downfall of men. If he had listened to himself and his own ideas instead of Pertelote, Chauntecleer would have been more cautious and would not have had the near-death encounter he did. Essentially the moral of the nuns priest tale can be parsed down to the idea that men should not listen to the beliefs of women because this will in due course lead to their death. As a final point, the prologue to the Wife of Baths Tale illustrates yet another type of woman of the era, this time in the effect of the story teller. The Wife of Bath demonstrates qualities that women of her time typically did not exude; she is a tough individual with a mind of her own and she refuses to allow society to dictate her actions. She intimidates her societal peers due to the strength she possesses. To undermine her strength however, Chaucer includes physical characteristics of the Wife of Bath that make her less than appealing; he crafts her physique so that she is toothless and ugly. She has also had five husbands over the span of a few short years and countless affairs, thus demonstrating that she breaks innocent mens hearts. At one point of the prologue, the Wife of Bath comments on marriage and women from a mans point of view: Thou lykenest wommanes love to helle, To bareyne lond, ther water may not dwelle. Thou lyknest is also to wilde fyr: The more it brenneth, th e more it hath desyr To consume everyt thing that brent wol be. Thous seyst right as wormes shende a tree, Right so a wyf destroyeth hir housebonde; This knowe they that been to wyves bonde. (5583-5602). The Wife of Baths constant blurring of gender roles seems to create a threat against many of the very masculine aspects of late medieval culture. Glenn Burger states in an article, the Wifes apparently successful and entrepreneurial role in wool Englishing and the growing centrality of people of her type in defining the English mainstream; and the ways that such newly emergent groups appropriated the identificatory strategies and patterns of discursive author of previous groups, such as the celibate clerisy and the aristocracy, in order to define their identities (193). In my view, Burger is right, because as a reader you get to experience the reaction of the male characters to her prologue. While she is boasting about her success and issuing her oration on her way of life, she gets cut off by the monk who tells her direction she is not of the authority to discuss such matters. If the Wife of Baths character was not meant to be seen as a threat, this interjection would be likely to h ave never happened. It can be believed that Chaucer intentionally included a strong female character in the tales to make a statement against self sufficient females. The monks interruption could convey Chaucer as a writers own insecurities and beliefs that the strong female individuals could eventually lead to the destruction of men because they could become marginalized by powerful women. Since the Wife of Bath goes through so many husbands as a device to uphold her own stability we do see where this belief could derive from. That being said, we as readers know that Chaucer and many of the other pilgrims find ways to dismiss her strength because of her use of husbandry. The Wife of Bath brings up many a valid point throughout the prologue but Chaucer voids her opinion because of her social class and looks, when in truth she is very wise. It is as if her intelligence is overshadowed by the fact that she has had five husbands and considered something of a whore. These three narrations that contain women who are thought of as having an evil-like quality, that always tempt and take from men, are not the sole example of how women aid to the downfall of men; almost every one of the tales told can been seen as commenting on this principle. They are depicted as untrustworthy, selfish and very vain throughout the collection of tales. Chaucer obviously has very opinionated views of the marriage and the opposite sex and expresses it very strongly in The Canterbury Tales. Simply put, would Chaucer have included these details in his tales if they were ones that did not coincide with his own personal belief system? Scholars will continue to debate over Chaucers use of gender in The Canterbury Tales because no one individual will ever be able to state what Chaucers true intent was, as readers and scholars we can simply postulate.

The Pros and Cons of Ethanol as a Renewable Source of Energy Essay exam

I. Introduction One of the most hotly contested debates in today’s realm of environmental concern is how to secure energy for the maintenance and improvement of quality of life in the future. To date, humanity has been blessed with plentiful reserves of cheap crude oil, which can be refined into a multitude of items that make the lives of many so convenient—gasoline, heating oil, natural gas, plastics, and fertilizers. In some parts of the world, these technologies merely facilitate survival. But concern over what happens when these supplies dwindle is universal. Science has revealed that oil will not last forever at the rate it is being consumed. Therefore, alternatives must be developed that can provide sustainable levels of energy well into humanity’s future. We are entering a world in which, energy-speaking, renewable is the name of the game. In addition to facilitating the weaning of humans from fossil fuels, renewable energy poses many environmental benefits because renewable means clean. Most scientists will argue that, though the degree to which we benefit might be speculative, human and environmental welfare will increase with tapping of renewable energy sources. If modern science is in any way accurate, using clean and renewable energy would result in better air quality, curbing of climate change and the Greenhouse Effect, and perhaps even the luxury of supplying most or all of our energy domestically. This means that countries like the U.S. would stand heavily resistant to both the ramifications of a global energy crisis and to international political tensions surrounding the trading of oil. Despite its being more expensive, there is much to be gained from renewable energy. ... ...erations, we must make the leap. Works Cited â€Å"Ethanol.† Encyclopedia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 4/15/2007. http://0-search.eb.com.tiger.coloradocollege.edu/eb/article-79648 â€Å"Gasoline.† Encyclopedia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 4/15/2007. http://0-search.eb.com.tiger.coloradocollege.edu/eb/article-9036148 Godoi AFL, Ravindra K, Godoi RHM, Andrade SJ, Santiago-Silva M, Vaeck LV, Grieken RN. 2004. â€Å"Fast chromatographic determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aerosol samples from sugar cane burning.† Journal of Chromatography A 1027:49-53. Hodge C. 2002. â€Å"Ethanol use in US gasoline should be banned, not expanded.† Oil and Gas Journal 100:20-27. Wackernagel M, Rees W. 1995. â€Å"Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth.† Gabriola Island (Canada): New Society.

Richard Character analysis Essay

The film Little Miss Sunshine directed by Valerie Farris and Jonathon Dayton tells of the Hoover Family’s emotional and physical journey from New Mexico to Florida for the youngest member, Olive’s beauty pageant competition. The viewing audience is introduced to several characters in the beginning of the film and are able to see their development and change as the film progresses. Richard Hoover is the father of the dysfunctional Hoover family who shows an important change in values and viewpoint of life and people. He is introduced as a narrow-minded and arrogant character, however as a result of his emotional journey he encounters he is later viewed as a respectable family man after re-evaluating his own perspectives, and priorities in life. Richard shows the change in thinking and life philosophy, from narrow-minded to accepting of those around him and himself. In the beginning Richard is very concerned about his status, and lives off his definitions of losers and winners. â€Å"There are two types of people in this world, winners and losers.† This shows the extent of his narrow-mindedness as he does not acknowledge or understand that an individual could exhibit traits of both a winner and a loser, and that we should not be defined by a superficial title. The diner scene is a key scene in the beginning of the film that shows Richard’s narrow-mindedness through his black-and-white perspectives about the controversial issue of concern for one’s appearance throughout the pageant society. Richard shows a clear bias towards those thinner through his words of â€Å"fat†¦or nice and skinny.† He is portrayed as a dislikeable character in the beginning scenes of the film. However, when faces with the difficulty of Olive’s eccentric character that does not fit in with the strict expectations of competitors in the beauty pageant, Richard accepts that fact although society may not condone or view Olive as the ‘winner’ of the pageant, Olive is still the ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ of their family and ultimately a winner. Through his consistent encouragement and support whilst Olive is performing on stage, we are able to see the newfound acceptance and appreciation he demonstrates. He exhibits the attributes of a supportive and caring father, who is able to accept Olive for who she really is. From this,  we see the change of Richard from a narrow-minded and careless character to an accepting and supportive father. Richard began as a character that was extremely conscious and perhaps uptight about pleasing society and upholding the law, however he develops into a character that is willing to break rules to meet the means of the situation at hand. When faced with a dangerous situation of getting pulled over by a police officer. Richard acts very cautiously, not wanting to displease the officer or raise suspicion for their potential crime. â€Å"Everyone pretend to be normal.† is a quote said by Richard, showing his need to please society and ‘acting normal’ when clearly they are a very unique, dysfunctional family of characters far from normal. We see his priority of upholding the standards of society and pleasing people. However, from this we can see his self-consciousness and uptight character displayed in the film. Later as the film progresses, Richard is able to develop into a character that is unafraid to break the rules at times to fulfil an ambition or goal. With the H oover family running late to the pageant venue, Richard is sent o make the abrupt decision of â€Å"I’m not going back!† and potentially puts his family at risk. He bypasses the chained gateways and parking barriers in order to fit the means of the situation and arrive on time through this shortcut. He is decisive in leading his family to the objective and now willing to bend rules, though he would have been reluctant to do so previously. Through this we are able to see the change in Richard’s behaviour and actions, as he is able to quickly assess the situation, be decisive and less uptight. Another significant change Richard demonstrates is the change in his priorities, where he begins as a selfish man with no regard for those around him including his family. He changes into a father wiling to sacrifice his pride, for the sake of his daughter’s potential happiness. In the beginning scenes of the film, we are able to see Richard’s selfishness as he hastily listens to the family’s voicemail machine recordings and dismisses all information irrelevant to himself. When talking on the phone about a business matter he te lls those around him to remain silent for him. His only shows concern for himself. We are able to see that he doesn’t tend to prioritise family above his personal matters, and displays his selfishness through this action. However, as the film progresses he becomes more  selfless and willing to sacrifice his pride to beg for Olive’s chance to compete in the pageant. As he gets down on his knees and begs â€Å"You don’t know what we’ve been through.† for a chance, we see the vulnerability and selflessness in Richard which contrasts greatly with his character in the beginning scenes. He changes into a more selfless character, with the newfound sense of what his priorities truly are, as he puts the happiness of Olive before his own pride. The character of Richard Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine displays a significant change in philosophy, attitude, priorities and behaviour through the contrasting in character in the beginning and end of the film. He is introduced and developed into a dislikeable character due to his selfishness, close-mindedness, uptight and need to please society’s expectations of people. However, he develops and changes into a selfless, accepting father with his family as a higher priority in his life. The happiness he receives and gives to those around him due to his change in perspectives and character show us the importance of discontinuing a life centred around ourselves. He demonstrates the change one goes through in behaviour, thinking, and actions when able to prioritise others before oneself.

The School Secondary School Curriculum - 1846 Words

Teaching students to invest is investing in the future Train A and train B are traveling on parallel tracks, going in the same direction. Train A is going 60mph and train B is going 80mph. The reason this may seem familiar is because it is a homework problem that appears before many students as a critical thinking question, as if calculating train speeds will be relevant in students’ futures. Contrastingly, financial literacy homework is rarely taught directly to students in school, despite it being essential for present day survival. If managing money is more of a relevant skill than calculating train speeds, why is the latter mandatory to learn while the former is not? That being said, in order to prepare students for managing their†¦show more content†¦Finally, learning about dealing with money steers adolescents towards more financially secure and Guo 2 stress-reduced futures. The current secondary school curriculum of Ontario should be improved by implementation of mandatory financial literacy courses, as managing money is vital for high school students. In current society, teenagers face impending financial responsibilities regarding post-secondary loans and jobs, and the majority will be heading into these obligations without sufficient education. 6,800 twelfth grade students completed the 2008 Jumpstart Coalition survey of financial literacy, correctly answering an average of 48.3 percent of all questions, the lowest ever recorded, while in 1997, an average of 57.3 percent of the questions was answered correctly by twelfth graders, 9 percent more than 11 years later (â€Å"The Financial Literacy of Young American Adults†). The survey questioned students’ understanding of credit cards, bank loans and investment, much of which was foreign to these young adults. It is irrefutable to say that money in society becomes increasingly important as time progresses, so ideally, knowledge of it should also be increasing. Instead, it is decreasing, suggesting that as the world becomes more financially complex, students are less understanding of the concepts, which will likely