Finish reading “Sir Gawain” and answer the following:

1. Finish reading “Sir Gawain” and answer the following: • Gawain, through facing his weaknesses and finally admitting that he has succumbed to temptation, realizes that he has broken his oath of chivalry. • In your opinion, is Gawain justified in his reaction, or is he too hard on himself? • Finally, is chivalry an outmoded virtue in the 21st century? Why or why not? Peters

2. A beast fable goes beyond a personification of animals; in fact, it is a story where animals are used as embodiments or caricatures of human virtues, vices, and follies. Explain how Madame Eglantyne’s priest, Father John, exposes her flaws through his narration of the characters, themes and conflicts of his cautionary tale. Peters

3. On your completed rough draft • Due for ten homework points today. • Highlight your thesis. • Write a concern or question that you have with your essay. (You may write more than one). • Our revision activity today will garner you ten classwork points. Peters

4. In Your Group Rotations: • BLESS: Positively comment on ideas/phrases/word choices/detailed content and imagery/figurative language/advanced syntax/sentence variety • PRESS: Encourage your writer to include precise verbs/detailed content and imagery/active voice/figurative language/advanced syntax/sentence variety • ADDRESS: Assist your fellow writer with his/her concern Peters

5. Changes to calendar: • Finish The Pardoner’s Tale for tomorrow. • The Pardoner’s Tale quiz and Characterization Words quiz have been combined for you to take this Thursday. • The Wife of Bath’s Tale (pp. 281-292) due for Monday. Peters

6. Weekend homework • Type your revised Chaucerian stanza. Be sure to double space and include a proper MLA heading. Use may use any font you wish. • Begin The Pardoner’s Tale on pp. 240 – 250. (Text is also on my website.) • Define Characterization Words for Tuesday; quiz on words and usage next Thursday. Peters

7. Composing/presenting pilgrim dialogues How might the other pilgrims have reacted to The Wife of Bath’s Tale? Write a dialogue in which at least two pilgrims, as well as the Wife herself, comment on the story and its messages about men and women’s roles. • Use language in keeping with the personalities of the pilgrims as portrayed in the “General Prologue.” • Present clear opinions about The Wife of Bath’s Tale and its messages. • Include stage directions to describe a pilgrim’s tone of voice or body movements. • Dialogue should be at least sixteen lines in length. Maintain rhymed couplets and attempt iambic pentameter. • Present your dialogue. 10 points.

8. Wife of Bath Writing Prompts 1. Select a writing prompt and discuss all aspects with your partner. 2. Get a laptop and compose at a least a one-page response to your prompt. 3. Your response must include at least three examples of cited textual support, either borrowed from the General Prologue and/or The Wife of Bath’s tale. 4. Include a proper MLA heading with both students’ names. Peters

9. Socratic seminar today! • Arrange desks in a circle. • Take out your questions and notebooks. (Please away put other coursework ). • Submit your questions (for five points) at the end of class. You also get five points for actively participating in the seminar. Peters

10. The Nun’s Priest Tale • Chaucer presents the tale as a beast fable: a genre in which a moral is communicated through the personification of animals. • What is the basic plot of this tale? Who are the major characters? • What is the moral of this tale? • Why might Chaucer have the nun’s priest tell this tale? Peters

11. The Wife of Bath’s Tale 1. How does the old hag/wife defend herself to her knight/husband regarding her lack of nobility, her old age, poverty and ugliness? After she reveals this wisdom, how do you feel about her reincarnation into a beautiful young woman? 2. How is the Wife of Bath’s Tale similar to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight? Peters

12. 3. How are women in general represented in the Wife of Bath’s Tale? What does this text tell us about the dominant cultural expectations about women during the medieval period? 4. Examine the marriage in the Wife of Bath’s Tale. Is it a marriage you would want to be in, and why or why not? Would you rather be in a modern marriage? Look at the end of the tale. Is “to be in power over men” what women really want today? Peters

13. 5. What does Chaucer seem to think of the Wife of Bath, as depicted by her description in the General Prologue and in the telling of her tale? Is she admirable? Ridiculous? Attractive? Repulsive? What traits are emphasized the most? 6. How would the Wife of Bath fit into contemporary society? What social trends would she support or reject? Peters

14. 6. Sexism was not a new idea in Chaucer’s time. Was Chaucer a sexist or a feminist? Is the Wife of Bath a realistic example of a woman from the Middle Ages? Why or why not? Peters

15. The Pardoner’s Tale is basically a story of the consequences of greed. His story conveys how our essential morality leads to our decision-making practices and ultimately to our actions. • How moral are we? • Read the following moral dilemmas and (based upon your own moral judgment) respond accordingly. Peters

16. Patrick has a dog, but he works a job with long hours so he has to leave it alone at home for 10-12 hours during the day.  The dog was making a mess of the house, so Patrick bought a crate to keep the dog in during the day.  The dog seems very unhappy in the cramped crate.  Patrick does not see a good alternative, though, so he keeps using the crate. • Agree/disagree: What Patrick did is clearly morally wrong. Peters

17. Welton will live in a foreign country for several months on a work assignment.  He is fluent in the local language and enjoys listening to talk radio.  One of the programs frequently insults Welton’s home country, and Welton often finds himself agreeing.  Finally, a few days before returning home, Welton works up the courage to call in to the radio show and denounce his own home country very strongly, insulting its citizens and heroes, to the delighted cheers of the radio announcer. • Agree/disagree: What Welton did is clearly morally wrong. • . Peters

18. Beth is a freelance photographer who gets a contract from a fitness club to take pictures of overweight and skinny people for their summer brochure. Working with the club’s general manager, she goes to the park during the day and begins snapping shots. She needs a better angle on one of the people in a park, so she calls out, “Hey, ugly!” to make a woman turn around. The woman ends up feeling terrible about herself. • Agree/disagree: What Beth did is clearly morally wrong. Peters

19. Tom’s whole family is taking a ski vacation and staying together in a big lodge.  The lodge has each family organize a comedic skit and perform it for the other families at night.  Tom looks over some scripts for different skits.  The funniest skit has a scene in which Tom has to spit in face of a character played by his father.  Tom’s father says he doesn’t mind.  Tom feels a little weird spitting in his own father’s face, but he figures “why not?” and chooses that script over the others. • Agree/disagree: What Tom did is clearly morally wrong. Peters

20. The Pardoner’s Tale • How would the pardoner fill out this personality profile? • Name: • Profession: • Last book I read: • Latest accomplishement: • Why I do what I do: • Quotation I like best: Peters

21. Middle Ages Unit Test Format • Thursday: 70 points Involves matching/multiple choice questions which cover medieval history and terminology, unit-based vocabulary (characterization words and Gawain vocab) medieval romance (including Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) and the General Prologue. • Friday: 50 points Short answer/passage explication and one essay response that cover the four tales (Pardoner/Wife/Miller/Nun’s Priest).

22. Middle Ages Test Review • Compare and contrast the elements of a feudalistic society with the aspects of a democratic society. • Why is “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” a medieval romance? • Delineate how the structure and roles of feudalism were dismantled due to the onset of the Bubonic Plague.

23. Pilgrim identification • ______________1. A lover and cadet, a lad of fire/With locks as curly as if they had been pressed./ He was some twenty years of age, I guessed. • ______________2. He’d sewed a holy relic on his cap;/ His wallet lay before him on his lap,/ Brimful of pardons come from Rome, all hot./ He had the same small voice a goar has got. • ______________3. Broad, knotty and short-shouldered, he would boast/ He could heave any door off hinge and post./ His beard, like any sow or fox, was red/ And broad as well, as though it were a spade.

24. Chaucer’s ultimate goal… • Chaucer envisioned telling many tales in a connected and unified sequence. • He wanted to offer a panoramic view of various economic and social classes and ranks. • His tone is one of non-involvement, reporting much like a journalist would present his story. • Look for ironies in many of the characters---particularly the clergy class. Peters

25. Pilgrim identification • ______________4. He watched his patients closely for the hours/ When, by his horoscope, he knew the powers/ Of favorable planets, then ascendant./ Worked on the images for his dependent. • ______________5. Truth, honor, generousness, and courtesy,/ He had done nobly in his sovereign’s war/ Just home from service, he had joined our ranks/ To do his pilgrimage and to render thanks. • ______________6. The Rule of good St. Benet or St. Maur/ As old and strict he tended to ignore;/ He let go by the things of yesterday/ And took the modern world’s more spacious way.

26. Pilgrim identification • ______________7. by his bed/ He preferred having twenty books in red/ And black, or Aristotle’s philosophy,/ Than costly clothes, fiddle, or psaltery. • ______________8. Many a load of dung one time or other/ He must have carted through the morning dew./ He was an honest worker, good and true. • ______________9. This ______________ wore a coat and hood of green/ and peacock-feathered arrows bright and keen/ and neatly sheathed, hung at his belt the while/ For he could dress his gear in __________________ style.

27. The Miller’s Tale Fabliau: comic verse; “low-brow” comedy  a comic and often bawdy story in verse, especially of a kind popular in 12th- and 13th-century France Explain (using plot/character details from the story) how the tale serves this definition.

28. A double entendre is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first (more obvious) meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic. • The Oxford English Dictionary defines a double entendre as especially being used to "convey an indelicate meaning." It may be used to express potentially offensive opinions without the risks of explicitly doing so. Peters

29. The Miller’s Tale • The Miller’s Tale is presented right after the Knight presents his tale---a story that extols the virtues of chivalry and especially of courtly love. • How does the Miller---in his admittedly drunken and agitated state---share a tale that serves as a SATIRE of these virtues of courtly love? Peters

30. Pilgrim Meet and Greet • As your pilgrim, “meet” your partner’s pilgrim and discuss how the two of you would interact at The Tabard and on the pilgrimage. Would you get along? Quarrel and even despise each other? Plot against or try to save other members of the pilgrimage? • Then, discuss who in contemporary society would serve as your pilgrim’s modern counterpart. Peters

31. Of the three tales you have read, Which is the best tale . . . • According to Chaucer’s purpose? • According to the host’s purpose? • According to a contemporary reader’s purpose? • According to you?

32. Wife of Bath’s TaleDiscussion Prompt What can the reader infer about Chaucer’s view of the Wife of Bath from the tale he has given her?

33. Calendar Adjustments: • Thursday: Memorizations due • Friday: TheWife of Bath’s Prologue/Tale quiz • Monday: The Miller’s Tale quiz • Tuesday: Unit test review • Wednesday:The Nun’s Priest’s Tale due

34. The Canterbury TalesSmall Group Discussion • Discuss the assigned topic within your group. Include several textual examples that are covered throughout the General Prologue. • Take detailed notes, as these will serve you well in preparation for next Wednesday’s timed essay on the General Prologue. • Share your findings with Mrs. Peters.

35. For Thursday: Read The Wife of Bath’s Tale, pages 281 – 292. Peters

36. The Pardoner’s Talequiz/10 points • An exemplum is a brief moral story. In one paragraph, explain how the plot, characters and conflict of The Pardoner’s Tale combine to provide an exemplum. • In a second paragraph, discuss how the Pardoner’s prologue is a fittingly ironic opening to his tale. • Keep both paragraphs to a total of one page.

37. Who has the power to corrupt? • In his prologue, the Pardoner states: “Radix malorumestcupiditas.” • Today, as in Chaucer’s time, the greed and the other elements of human weakness often trigger grave acts of corruption. • List two examples of corruption, and discuss the factors you think prompted individuals to commit such wrongdoings. Peters

38. The Pardoner’s Talequiz/10 points • What moral does the Pardoner want us to draw from his tale (not his prologue)? How does the tale convey this moral? • What moral does Chaucer want us to draw from The Pardoner’s Tale? How does the tale convey Chaucer’s purpose? Peters

39. Iambic pentameter: five beats/stresses per line (unstressed, stressed) kaBOOMkaBOOMkaBOOMkaBOOMkaBOOM I worship God and men---my life’s so simple! Peters

40. Sample Chaucerian Stanza in IAMBIC PENTAMETER:unstressed/stressed---5 stresses per line • To the beautiful city of Jerusalem I hath been thrice, • And all the men’s attention I will entice. • Blood red, you see, is the color of my fine hose; • To match my face is as crimson as a rose. • A gap as wide as a valley between my teeth, • With a kerchief upon my head that’s like a wreath. • If you have trouble with love, then come to me; • I’ll try to provide a cure or helpful remedy. • You’ll see me in church, well-dressed in my big wimple; • I worship God and men---my life’s so simple!

41. Making inferences about the _____________: “Supple his boots, his horse in fine condition. He was a prelate fit for exhibition. He was not pale like a tormented soul. He like a swan best, roasted and whole.” • Monk

42. Making inferences about the _____________: “In company she liked to laugh and chat And knew the remedies for love’s mischances, An art in which she knew the oldest dances.” • Wife of Bath City

43. Making inferences about the _________________: “If, when he fought, the enemy vessel sank, He sent his prisoners home; they walked the plank.” • Skipper

44. Making inferences about the _____________: “Wide was his parish, with houses far sunder, Yet he neglected not in rain or thunder, In sickness nor in grief, to pay a call On the remotest, whether great or small.” • Parson

45. Memorization Assignment Options: • 20 points: Write (from memory) the first 18 lines from Chaucer’s General Prologue. • 20 points + 3 bonus points: In class, orally present (from memory) the first 18 lines from Chaucer’s General Prologue. • 20 points + 7 bonus points: In class, orally present (from memory) the first 18 lines from Chaucer’s General Prologue in the Middle English pronunciation. • All presentations due Tuesday, October 2.

47. It all began when… Edward the Confessor • No children • Who would become King when he died? • Three men claim the throne after his death

48. First claim to the throne Harold Godwin • His sister was married to King Edward • Edward was reported to have uttered, “I commend my wife and all my kingdom to your care” on his deathbed to Harold.

49. Second Claim to the Throne William, Duke of Normandy Claimed King Edward promised him the throne

50. Third Claim to the Throne Harald Hardrada • Viking king of Denmark • Related to a Viking king that had ruled England from 1016 until 1032 • Believed he should have the crown as a result