Essay on Summary and Analysis of The Wife of Baths Tale

Summary and Analysis of The Wife of Baths Tale Prologue to the Wife of Baths Tale: The Wife of Bath begins the prologue to her tale by boasting of her experience in marriage. She has married five men already, and ignores the idea that this is a reproach to Christian principles. She is merely adhering to the Christian principle of be fruitful and multiply. She cites the case of King Solomon, who had multiple wives, and tells the group that she welcomes the opportunity for her sixth husband. She also points out that Jesus never lays down a law about virginity, and essentially states that we have the parts for sex and should use them as such. The Pardoner objects to the Wife of Baths musings on marriage, but she decides to tell†¦show more content†¦She complains that the stories in the Bible that denigrate women are written by monks who have no experience with them, and that the stories would be far different if women were to write them. After Jankin struck her, she appeared dead, but when she revived he was so penitent that he ceded all authority in the marr iage to her. From that point onward she was kind to him, for he had given her what she truly wanted. Analysis The Wife of Bath is perhaps the most fully realized character in the Canterbury Tales. Headstrong, boisterous and opinionated, she wages a perpetual struggle against the denigration of women and the taboos against female sexuality. She issues a number of rebuttals against strict religious claims for chastity and monogamy, using Biblical examples including Solomon to show that the Bible does not overtly condemn all expressions of sexuality, even outside of marriage. Those who use religious texts to argue for the submission of women are the most fervent targets of scorn for the Wife of Bath. She claims that the reason for the bias against women in these texts is due to the lack of experience and contact with women of those who write the text. It is this antipathy to intellectual arguments against femininity that causes her to tear the pages from Jankins book. The Wife of Baths crusade to prove the worth of women does open the prologue to modern interpretations that reconfigure the Wife of Bath as a feministShow MoreRelatedThe Wife Of Bath, By William Chaucer2261 Words   |  10 Pages(Chaucer 183). The Wife of Bath is portrayed as a very flamboyant and domineering character. She enjoys things such as romance, traveling, and talking. The Wife of Bath is a feminist who depicts through her tale her radical belief that women should have dominion over their husbands. As shown in the opening quotation, the Wife of Bath is not afraid to admit that she had experienced five marriages. The Wife of Bath’s radical beliefs are demonstrated through the phylogeny in â€Å"The Wife of Bath PrologueRead MoreEssay about Common Sense, Ethics, and Dogma in The Wife of Bath3354 Words   |  14 PagesSense, Ethics, and Dogma in The Wife of Bath In his Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer assembles a band of pilgrims who, at the behest of their host, engage in a story-telling contest along their route. The stories told along the way serve a number of purposes, among them to entertain, to instruct, and to enlighten. In addition to the intrinsic value of the tales taken individually, the tales in their telling reveal much about the tellers. The pitting of tales one against another provides aRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer1989 Words   |  8 PagesFather of English Literature born 1343 in London United Kingdom best known for his anthology â€Å"The Canterbury Tales†. In this book he plans to let each of his characters tell a story on the way to Canterbury. This novel was written during the Middle Ages also known as the Medieval Period. During this time period adultery played role in marriages. â€Å"I take thee _________ to be my wedded husband/wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse for richer, for poorer, in sickness and inRead More Summary and Analysis of The Friars Tale Essay992 Words   |  4 PagesSummary and Analysis of The Friars Tale (The Canterbury Tales) Prologue to the Friars Tale: The Friar commends the Wife of Bath for her tale, and then says that he will tell a tale about a summoner. He does not wish to offend the Summoner who travels with them, but insists that summoners are known for lewd behavior. The Summoner does not take offense, but does indicate that he will repay the Friar in turn. The job of the Summoner to which the Friar objects is to issue summons from the churchRead MoreEssay on Canterbury Tales: Wifes Tale2555 Words   |  11 Pages The Wife of Bath’s Tale In the magical days when England was ruled by King Arthur, a young Knight was riding home when he saw a beautiful young maiden walking all alone in the woods and raped her. Tnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;his outrageous act created a great stir and King Arthur was petitioned for justice. The Knight was condemned to death according to the law and would have been beheaded if the queen had not mediated on his behalf. After many pleas for mercy King Arthur finally told theRead More Summary and Analysis of The Merchants Tale Essay example1744 Words   |  7 PagesSummary and Analysis of The Merchants Tale (The Canterbury Tales) Prologue to the Merchants Tale: The merchant claims that he knows nothing of long-suffering wives. Rather, if his wife were to marry the devil, she would overmatch even him. The Merchant claims that there is a great difference between Griseldes exceptional obedience and his wifes more common cruelty. The Merchant has been married two months and has loathed every minute of it. The Host asks the Merchant to tell a tale of hisRead More Summary and Analysis of The Man of Laws Tale Essay1913 Words   |  8 PagesSummary and Analysis of The Man of Laws Tale Fragment II The Words of the Host to the Company and Prologue to the Man of Laws Tale: The host speaks to the rest of the travelers, telling them that they can regain lost property but not lost time. The host suggests that the lawyer tell the next tale, and he agrees to do so, for he does not intend to break his promises. He says that we ought to keep the laws we give to others. He even refers to Chaucer, who works ignorantly and writes poorlyRead MoreFigurative Language and the Canterbury Tales13472 Words   |  54 Pagesones. Often this term is used interchangeably with both the literary technique and the larger story itself that contains the smaller ones, which are called framed narratives or embedded narratives. The most famous example is Chaucers Canterbury Tales, in which the overarching frame narrative is the story of a band of pilgrims traveling to the shrine of Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. The band passes the time in a storytelling contest. The framed narratives are the individual stories told by theRead MoreEssay on â€Å"The Nun’s Priest’s Tale†: An Analysis2247 Words   |  9 Pagesof the Nun’s Priest. Only in the prologue to his tale do we finally get a glimpse of who he might be, albeit rather obtusely. As Harry Bailey rather disparagingly remarks: â€Å"Telle us swich thyng as may oure hertes glade./Be blithe, though thou ryde upon a jade† (p.235, ll2811-2812). I say this cautiously because much criticism has surrounded the supposed character of the Nun’s Priest, his role in the tale, and his relationship to the Canterbury Tales as a whole. One example, in my opinion, of an unsatisfactory

Love Essay - Love Causes Doctor Manette - 1156 Words

Love causes Doctor Manette to seek redemption. Love caused Doctor Manette to do this because he desired to love his daughter and be loved by her. He also wanted to start a new life with his daughter and put his old life of imprisonment behind him. Doctor Manette was in prison for eighteen years, and he became a different man over that long period of time. Doctor Manette lost his self-worth and forgot a portion of his memories. He never saw his daughter, Lucie, because he was in prison for all of her life up to that point. When he first saw her, he fell to the floor and started weeping. He started to weep because when he saw her, he saw his wife and was flooded with memories of her. Lucie then started taking care of her father, and she†¦show more content†¦He was also talking to Lucie about keeping their relationship strong during the marriage with Charles, and he said, â€Å"Quite sure, my darling! More than that, my future is far brighter Lucie, seen through your marriage, than is could have been-nay, than it ever was without it† (188). This excerpt shows that Doctor Manette got his self-worth back and became a new man. He became a happier man because Lucie brought him consolation, restoration, and love. Love redeems Charles Darnay. Charle’s original name was Charles Saint Evremonde. Charles got married to Lucie, and they had a daughter and named her Lucie. Lucie Manette was talking with Mr. Lorry about Madame Defarge when she commented, â€Å"But that dreadful woman seems to throw a shadow on me and on all my hopes† (266). Lucie was trying to say that Madame Defarge pulls down all of her dreams and aspirations. One of her hopes was that her husband Charles would not get convicted and be executed. She wants everything to go back to normal and be all right. Charles was put on trial for treason. The real reason that he was put on trial for treason was because of his family’s past. Charles’ uncle, Marquis Evremonde, murdered a little boy from the Defarge family. Madame Defarge was trying to blame him for his uncle’s wrongdoings. Doctor Manette was secretly in prison because of Marquis and the Evremonde brothers. Many years ago he was walking down a roa d and two boys went

Ernest Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants Essay

Ernest Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants Ernest Hemingways short story Hills Like White Elephants relies on symbolism to carry the theme of either choosing to live selfishly and dealing with the results, or choosing a more difficult and selfless path and reveling in the rewards. The symbolic materials and the symbolic characters aid the readers understanding of the subtle theme of this story. The hills symbolize two different decisions that the pregnant girl in our story is faced with. Both hills are completely opposite of each other, and each hill or decision has a consequence that is just as different as the appearance of the hills. Hemingway uses drinking, the hillsides, and a railroad track between the two hills to†¦show more content†¦She must choose one hill or another, she cannot sit on the tracks forever and mull over the pros and cons of each decision. The girl, the American and the woman all symbolize the decision that must be made. The girl symbolizes youth, innocence and naivety. She is totally ignorant of the consequences of an abortion because she is young, beautiful and in the prime of her life, and experiencing new things all the time. Hemingway uses her to show a young, pregnant girl trying to decide if she wants to remain carefree like the American or if she wants to be like the woman and be wise and mature. The girl battles back and forth with an inner conflict, two different sides pulling at her final decision; If she has her baby she will ruin her youthfulness and destroy her romantic relationship with the American, but it very well could transform her into a woman who is wise, mature and focused on someone other than herself. The girl is getting tired of the same routine of drinks and a social life and she decides to do something very different. She decides to keep her baby, to become a woman and leave her carefree and childish ways behind. However, the only thing that is standing between the girl and the life she wants for herself and her child is the American. The American is a selfish individualist that wants to do things his way and only lives to please himself. TheShow MoreRelatedAbortion In Ernest Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants1237 Words   |  5 Pages The short story â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants,† by Ernest Hemingway, talk about a young couple and their relationship issue about abortion. Even though, the story happened in a short period of time, but it tells more than just a story. The woman named Jig, where the man only called as â€Å" a man† or â€Å" The American.† Although the relationship between them is complicated, but it is clearly that they are not married. However, they continued their relationship which came to result that Jig became pregnantRead MoreErnest Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants Essay743 Words   |  3 Pages WC: 754 Title: Sacred Moments Close interpretation of the story quot;Hills Like White Elephantsquot; by Ernest Hemingway leads the reader to an issue that has plagued society for decades. Understanding of the human condition is unveiled in the story line, the main setting, and through the character representation. The main characters in the story are an American man and a female named Jig. The conflict about abortions is an issue that still faces society today. Architectural and atmosphericRead MoreAbortion In Ernest Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants1664 Words   |  7 PagesOn its surface level, Ernest Hemingway’s short story, Hills Like White Elephants, appears to be a seemingly simple tale of an American man and a girl waiting at a train station in Spain while having a civil conversation about an unmentioned operation over a few drinks; however, after readers look past the nondescript writing style of Hemingway, it becomes evident that the conversation is actually revolving around a topic much more serious. The â€Å"simple† operation the man is trying to convince theRead MoreAnalysis Of Ernest Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants711 Words   |  3 Pagesanother perspective that first impression often evolves, like looking through a lens. This phenomenon can be observed in literature. Ernest Hemingways â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† tells of a man and a woman waiting at a Spanish railway station. While having drinks, they discuss the option of her having an abortion. Brooks The Mother discusses the mental effects of abortion and how a woman may feel after having one. At first glance, Hemingway’s story simply shows that abortions can hurt and put strainRead MoreAnalysis Of Ernest Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants991 Words   |  4 Pagesother people outside of just the person that is making the decision, this causes a person to be weary of their choices. In Ernest Hemingway’s story, â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants,† he focuses the attention on how difficult it can be to make the right decision by expressing the elements through the setting, character, conflicts, symbols, and foreshadowing in the story. In Hemingway’s story, he creates the setting in which he writes, â€Å"It was very hot and the express from Barcelona, would arrive in fortyRead More Communicating Conflict in Ernest Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants 1262 Words   |  6 Pages   Ã‚   Ernest Hemingways short story Hills Like White Elephants touches on an issue as ageless as time: communication problems in a relationship. He tells his story through conversations between the two main characters, the American and the girl. Conflict is created through dialogue as these characters face what most readers believe to be the obstacle of an unexpected pregnancy. Their plight is further complicated by their inability to convey their differing opinions to each other. Symbolism andRead More Reader-oriented Theories and Their Application to Ernest Hemingway’s Hills like white elephants2425 Words   |  10 PagesReader-oriented Theories and Their Application to Ernest Hemingway’s Hills like white elephants From the very beginning of the literature people tended to criticize the literary works according to some certain criteria. Some critics claimed that the text itself is important and some other said the author and his style is the thing that should be focused on. Form and content were the other significant elements in the history of the literary criticism. In addition, the social and political influencesRead MoreErnest Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† and Shiloh, by Bobbie Ann Mason. a Brief Comparison.791 Words   |  4 PagesIn the readings about men and women, there were two stories that stuck out for me. Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† and Shiloh, by Bobbie Ann Mason. To me these stories had many peculiar similarities. I felt that there were so comparable that there seemed to be a true connection between these two novels. In the short story Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway we were presented a man and his girlfriend. They order a couple drinks as they wait for a train. As theRead MoreHills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway859 Words   |  4 PagesHills Like White Elephants, short story by Ernest Hemingway, published in 1927 in the periodical transition and later that year in the collection Men Without Women. The themes of this sparsely written vignette about an American couple waiting for a train in Spain are almost entirely implicit. The story is largely devoid of plot and is notable for its use of irony, symbolism, and repetition. (Encyclopedia Britannica). The Short Story brings the read into a discussion, between a man and a girl. TheyRead MoreEvaluation Argument Hills Like White Elephants1388 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Ernest Hemingway: Hills Like White Elephants A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but burdensome possession, but also it means a rare and sacred creature. In Ernest Hemingway’s short story Hills Like White Elephants, Hemingway uses an unborn child as a white elephant. This short story depicts a couple of an American man and young women at a train station somewhere in Spain. Hemingway tells the story from watching the couple from across the bar and listening to their troublesome conversation

Merit-Based Scholarships free essay sample

A scholarship provides the means to pay for the cost of furthering ones education. A student that receives superb grades throughout their high school career, and that participates in vast amounts of extracurricular activities should be able to receive reward in the form Of a merit-based scholarship. Dictionary. Com defines merit as something that deserves or justifies a reward or commendation; a commendable quality, act, etc. (n. P. ). Therefore, these merit-based scholarships are rewarded to students who achieve academic excellence.By identifying good students and providing hem with merit-based scholarships, schools will encourage those good students to continue to do well and hopefully inspire other students to strive to work hard to be able to qualify for these merit-based scholarships. Colleges should provide merit-based scholarships to ensure students hard work is rewarded and others have a goal to be encouraged by. If a student has the drive to put forth the effort and fulfill the requirements of the merit- based scholarship, then why deny them the right to receive the scholarship?Society should encourage good students to strive and meet the requirements or merit-based scholarships. Everyone benefits when the students set higher goals for themselves. Many students, who are constantly striving for academic excellence, usually have the goal in mind and see the merit-based scholarship as an incentive. Merriam-Webster defines incentive as something that incites or has a tendency to incite to determination or action (n. P. ). When viewing the scholarship as an incentive, students tend to put a little more effort in Norwegian 2 their work for the simple fact that they will be rewarded. Through psychology e know when given motivation a test subject is more likely to try and do better as a result of the addition of the motivator. The incentive acts like a motivator, not only motivating the student striving toward their goal, but also to the other students who are not always so academically involved. With the incentive in place, the other students are more inclined to better their grades and want to receive this academic scholarship.By making merit-based scholarship available to every student, it inspires more students into healthy competition in trying to get the scholarship. Acclimate, having the incentive in lace will benefit all the students, whereas the financial-based scholarships are very limited to just a few students and can be difficult to obtain. Merit- based scholarships are essential because there are so many limitations and conditions when it comes to financial-aid based scholarships. Merit-based scholarships give an opportunity to every student and are not limited by financial circumstance. What has been occurring is that the middle class income has now been classified as them making too much money, when in reality they could be struggling just as much as anybody else. The only way hose middle class students, that are considered to have too much money, can pay their way to college are these merit-based scholarships. Which are not just a given, these scholarships are well earned. Nevertheless, each student should have the possibility of furthering their education if that is what they would like and what they are striving for.By removing these merit-based scholarships, then one is removing the possibility of a student furthering their education. As going to school is a privilege and not a right, then why should schools take away from those who strive at obtaining a higher education to roved free financial. I believe there should be equal opportunity based on ones academic merits, and not based on how much ones parents make even if it sounds harsh. Norwegian 3 Some people argue that merit-based scholarships take money away from need-based aid. This argument misses the point.When colleges give merit- based scholarships, it is rewarding students for their hard work and time that they have devoted to their studies. It provides equal opportunity towards all students, instead of reward some over others who do not deserve based on their guardians income. How many times has someone encounter someone who does not care if they take their class seriously because they do not have to pay for it? To take away a reward that must be earned through hard and difficult trails and in place a system that rewards people for not doing anything.If taken away students will have to strive harder to enter into a university and we will have an outcome of smarter students coming out instead of lazy students who have a free ride. Merit-based scholarships make sense for society as well as for students. As a rule, society should encourage good students to strive to meet the acquirement for merit-based scholarships which are usually based either academic or an extracurricular merit Everyone benefits when they set goals for themselves and providing an incentive for reaching the goal.These scholarships provide rewards for those who have put forth their best effort and have achieved the highest of merits, and provide goals for those who are not in a qualifying state to achieve these yet. Therefore, it stands to say to that merit-based scholarships are beneficial for all in the society even those who currently do not meet standards to be able qualify for them. For this reason, colleges should provide merit-based scholarships to ensure students hard work is rewarded and others have a goal to be encouraged by.