Adultery

The Miller's Tale from The Canterbury Tales, depicts a story of adultery. This is the third book this year that I have read for AP English Literature that contains such actions. The Great Gatsby had Daisy cheating on her husband with Jay Gatsby, and Tom cheating on Daisy with George's wife, Myrtle. Coming Through Slaughter told of Buddy cheating on his partner with more than one woman, and she (after two years of him being gone) cheated on him with one of his best friends. It is like a soap opera!

What is this world coming to? Or at least, what has Literature already gone through? Is the respect of relationships completely gone? Has it been gone since the time when English was spoken with thee, thou, and scottish accents?

Or is it possibly because deceit and trickery is more interesting than just 'they got married, had a couple dozen kids, and grew old together'. Maybe the human mind naturally thinks that lies are more interesting than truths, gossip more fun than fact, and sleeping with multiple partners - a must.

Pobre Emelye!

Emelye is all stressed out, because she doesn't want to be married, and after praying to the goddess of maidens, is told that she has to marry one of them. This is the second time that a decision has been made for Emelye. Theseus already told the two men, Arcite and Palamoun, that they would have a chance with her, without even consulting Emelye! Does this mean that women have less of a stature than men in this story? They have been talking about her as if she is a prize, or a piece of meat, and not like a human being.

In AP World History, we have been learning about some ancient civilizations, and the status of women in that time period. Before civilization, women were equal to men, because they were important to the clans for staying alive. The men would hunt, and the women would gather food. As time passed, cities were built, and civilizations were created; women slowly lost their importance and became more submissive to men. Women started to be viewed as animals, being given away in arranged marriages that had political significance, and being used for cleaning, bearing children, and

other labor. Sadly, in parts of the world this still occurs, and women are treated terribly and even worse than animals.

Of course, Emelye hasn't been abused yet, but the lack of respect for her feelings and opinion leads me to conclude that wome

n did not hold much significance exc

ept for the servitude of men in the Knight's story.

Lions, and Tigers and duels, oh my!

When Palamoun and Arcite start to fight eachother, Palamoun is described as a "mad lion" and Arcite as a "cruel tiger" (1656-1657; The Knight's Tale; part 2). I would have over looked this; however about a hundred lines later, I read "lion" once again.

"But been a leon, bothe in word and dede...(1775)."

This time, Theseus is being compared to a lion. Therefore, I must conclude that the lion -from the Knight's point of view- is looked upon as a great animal; strong, wise, and of course, the "king of the jungle."

But I think, here,

the author is hinting at the fact that they are all animals. Tricking the Knight into describing his main character in the story as a lion, clearly shows us that we should view him as an animal, full of pride and strength, but without the deep and clear thinking of a human being.

"Yes, I am interesting and have secrets, so listen..."

When reading The Knight's Tale of the Canterbury Tales, over and over again it seemed as if the knight wanted to be viewed the way he spoke of the characters in his story. He starts of with chivalry, but goes on most piteously to describe the sad encounter of two cousins and a lady.

When he got to the part where...

"1198 So wel they lovede, as olde bookes sayn,

1199 That whan that oon was deed, soothly to telle,

1200 His felawe wente and soughte hym doun in helle --

1201 But of that storie list me nat to write..."

It was as if he was waving a story right under the listeners' noses, and then pulling it back, to make himself seem more interesting.

This type of character caught my attention and held it, because it reminded me of another character named Mr. Elliot in the book Persuasion by Jane Austen. Near the end of the book, after Anne (the main character) finds out the real traits of Mr. Elliot, she is "decidedly cool to him".

In response, he tried harder, wanting "to animate her curiosity again as to how and where..." this captures the exact purpose of the Knight's words, when he said "of that storie list me nat to write."

He was acting in the same way as Mr. Elliot, wanting to grasp the attention of his audience, and pull it towards himself, making him seem interesting and mysterious. However, Anne was not fooled by this lowly character, and distanced herself from him. Will the audience of the Knight do the same?

From what I've read about them, most likely not. The more possible outcome is that they will attempt at the same scheme.

What is "Literature in Motion" -- Response

Throughout the history of literature, we see that the sources used for movement are always changing for the better, quicker, easier and more enjoyable journey. From feet to cars, boats to airplanes, it leads us to wonder what form of transportation will be used in the future. Will people one hundred, twenty, or even five years from now use the same modes of travel? Or will some genious invent a new contraption that will make our already easy way of getting around even easier and more modern? And if this does happen, what will the effect have on literature? Will there even be an effect?