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Introduction to canterbury tales
Prologue to the Canterbury tales of Chaucer essay
Prologue to the Canterbury tales of Chaucer essay
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Inspire
The word inspire is commonly used in the modern North American English. However, the way in which inspire is used is vastly different than how the world was used historically. Specifically, the way in which inspired is used today, is very different than what it meant to represent in line six of the general prolog of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, “Inspired hath in every holt and heeth”. I interpret Chaucer's use of the word inspired as to mean to breathe life into, whereas our modern definition has the literal meaning to breathe air into, and the figurative definition of to imbued with the spirit to do something. Most commonly in modern English inspire is used in the metaphorical sense, whereas in Chaucer’s writing inspire was used in its literal form. By combing through the historical progression of inspire, we can begin to understand how the figurative definition of inspire developed and became the accepted
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This term is derived from the Old French word inspiration which is literal and means “inhaling, breathing in; inspiration." Which originated from the-the 1200 Latin verb inspire, which means to "blow into, breathe upon. " As we enter into Middle English, that of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the word inspire sees little change in its original definition from the old French language (Online Etymology Dictionary). Based on the Oxford English Dictionary, there were multiple definitions of the word inspire, As early as the 1390s the work inspire was meant in a figurative sense like that of the modern English language. For example in J. Gower writing, Confessio Amantis II. 75 used the word inspire to mean to influence, animate, or person with a feeling, idea, impulse, etc., which is very similar to the modern usage of the word. However, based on the use of inspire in Chaucer's Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales,
What does it mean to be inspired? To me, to be inspired is to be motivated to do good in the world, to follow your dreams, or even to “reach for the stars.” When you’re inspired, other people or actions influence you positively. Recently, I watched the movie Rudy and it was definitely something that I won’t regard as another movie that I watched in class, but something that will inspire me for the rest of my life. The movie Rudy, based on a true story, is about a man named Rudy Ruettiger that never gives up his dreams on attending and playing football at Norte Dame University. However, Rudy’s dream seems impractical and he faces many obstacles along the way.
Literature has always been an immensely helpful resource when discerning cultural values in societies past and present. Through the study of noteworthy historic fictional and factual, texts we are able to distinguish parallel characteristics present through many different cultures and time periods. These distinguishing characteristics are one of the main things that help us to determine when and how a society, or world culture as a whole changes as time moves forward. When similarities are identified throughout many cultures in the same time period academics are able attach general titles to that specific time expanse. The “Heroic Age” is an example of a labeled span of time that generally maintains societal sameness throughout the period. The epic texts of Beowulf and The Odyssey are examples of culture revealing novels created during the heroic age. The texts help to prove the idea that societies maintain a basic status quo for many years because there is a 1500 year separation in the creation of the books. Despite this time difference in authorship, similar cultural ideals can be recognized throughout each novel. Both Greek and Germanic cultures emphasized the power and importance of receiving and giving gifts as a means of displaying and achieving power. Beowulf and The Odyssey share the general theme of giving, and when comparing the two, it is easy to conclude that giving and receiving is an integral part of both the Germanic and Grecian cultures of that time.
What does the word inspiration mean to you, what motivates you, what drives you, and more importantly, what inspires you to learn? Historian David McCullough says that many young people are uninspired to learn about history, and he has compared them to trying to plant cut flowers; it just won't work, trying to teach someone about a certain subject, in which they have no interest, or are uninspired to learn, you might as well teach a brick wall. This is one of the main topics David McCullough’s essay, Knowing History and Knowing Who We Are, covers. In this essay you can find many themes, but the main three that have stuck out to me, are: History could have gone off in any number of different directions in any number of different ways at
Words have great power and when used correctly can influence what people believe and how they act.
Chaucer's Prologue is an introduction to the characters that he will soon be talking about in his short stories. It was written to combat the Italian Buchartio, and write his own version to achieve fame. The reason that the Italian version became so popular is because of how it was written in the Italian of the street people, in other words, it could be understood by the whole of Italy, not just the rich. Chaucer wanted to do the same thing, but came to halt when he was deciding what language to write it in, he thought of Russian and other languages, but soon decided on English. This is extremely important because it is the first time that English has ever been written down, usually it is just a spoken language with no written form. This is why it was so important to the English language that he wrote it specifically in English. Giving the language a written form, sort of. It was a mixture of German of the east and native language from the Anglo Saxons. It is difficult to read, because this is the first time English has been written down, so there wasn’t any set way to spell words, and they were spelled how they sounded phonetically.”Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote The droghte of March Hath Perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich liquor” (Page 97 Lines 1-3). Typically, this meant that the same word was spelled fifty different ways throughout the entire Prologue. Though it is hard to read it is still an excellent story, and has very depth in its characters, which are fully developed and give further detail into the story and make it one of the best stories in English there is today.
Words hold great power and when used correctly can influence what people believe and how they act.
The encounter of deities and divinities pepper the pages throughout the two stories, The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and The epic of Gilgamesh originating in ancient Mesopotamia. To gain a deeper understanding of God and the Gods in both stories consider the role God(s) fulfill, the personal relationship between earthly individuals and a higher power and the reception between the divine and their followers. According to Hobby, Blake and Harold Bloom in reference to The Canterbury Tales, “The most common use of ‘inspire’ in the fourteenth century carries the implication ‘infusion of a divine presence” (54), thus inspiring observation and a notable presence of the divine within the tale. The essence of spiritual representation in The Canterbury Tales and The Epic of Gilgamesh accentuate each story.
Motivation comes in all different forms, and it depends on how a person perceives it. Motivation can be anything, and affects each person differently. A person can have multiple ways of inspiration that encourage them to succeed. A person has to be at the right place in the right time, and it’s just a matter of finding it.
Motivation is the main element towards success. Students, scientist, teachers and/ or any individual who wants to reach a goal needs to be motivated/ambitious. This motivation/ambition is what guides and keep people going. This ambition may be geared towards inventing/creating something, obtaining more money, and/or succeeding. The ambition people have are good, but sometimes lead to bad consequences. These consequences set the relationship between action and ambition. But, no matter what the goal is people with ambitions will not stop until their goal is met. Ambition towards obtaining something is what motivates people. For example Victor Frankenstein wanted to create a human being. As Mary Shelley writes in "Frankenstein", Victor Frankenstein wanted to be "the first to break through life and death ideal bonds"(231). His ambition was to create a human and to break these boundaries. But most importantly, he wanted to be recognized as the first individual to do this. This recognition would make him famous forever. The only thing he thought of was to break the boundaries of life and create a human creature.
There is a difference between a great piece of art and a good piece of art. A good piece of art dazzles and influences its audience. While a great piece of artwork is not confined to time, but influences generation after generation. Literature is a great piece of artwork. It tends to influence its audience no matter the time period; whether it was written in the middle ages or in the millennium. Literature offers something that is ageless and always applicable. It is a story with an agenda to teach its audiences. After all, as the Nun’s priest says in his epilogue, “For everything written, says St. Paul Is written, surely, to instruct us all.” (Chaucer 218). Literature like the Canterbury Tales gives a reader access to moral lessons that are applicable to life. These lessons include the dangers of flattery and that appearances can be deceiving.
When considering the content of a poem, diction is often of the highest importance; by borrowing Latin amid a poem which is primarily written in Old English, the wall between both cultures are broken down even more, denoting the nuance of a transitioning nation. In P.J. Frankis’s article about the use of the phrase “enta geweorc” in numerous Old English text, the use of Latin loan-words in Old English texts is briefly touched upon. Frankis points to the a-verse of the first line of “The Ruin” for evidence, noting that the prefix of the word “waelstan,” or “weal-,” is taken from Latin. He continues, pointing to the word “towers,” or “torras,” yet another loan-word (Frankis 225). The poet of “The Ruin” simply may not have had the Old English
Have you ever thought of some problems before you sleep, and when you woke up, the answer magically appears into your heads? Also, when people are bored with the object they do not find attractive, they get more motivated into tasks they enjoy. This explains that boredom can inspire people
Two of the greatest masters of British literature, Shakespeare and Chaucer, tended to look to the classics when searching for inspiration. A lesser-known example of this lies in an ancient tale from Greece about two star-crossed lovers. There are many variations on the names of these lovers, but for the purpose of solidarity, they shall henceforth be referred to as “Troilus and Criseyde” for Chaucer and “Troilus and Cressida” for Shakespeare. Chaucer’s “Troilus and Criseyde” offers up a classic tale of love that is doomed, whereas Shakespeare’s “Troilus and Cressida” is not only tragic but also biting in its judgment and representation of characters. This difference may be due to the differences in time periods for the two authors, or their own personal dispositions, but there can be no denying the many deviations from Chaucer’s work that Shakespeare employs. Shakespeare’s work, by making the characters and situations more relatable, builds upon Chaucer’s original work, rather than improving it or shattering it.
Over the course of the semester, this British Literature course has adequately exposed myself to a variety of works of differing styles coming from a millennium of English authors and poets. With this literary immersion, some works have proved more memorable than others. Out of these select few, I hope to choose the literary work which demonstrates the greatest combination of entertainment and morals for future readers to take away from the text. After some deliberation, I found the solution obvious, as I had to write about Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. While in reflection of the readings this semester, I could not deny that Chaucer’s collection should be preserved as the author succeeded what his stories were meant to accomplish: to “delight and instruct”. With the alluring variety of characters and entertaining situations which are described in well-chosen detail, each story provided by the pilgrims. Additionally, as each of the chosen tales (as stated in the course reading syllabus) provided a lesson that is still relevant after five centuries, the “instruction” comes from these universal morals. Therefore, in the
was “inspired” by God over a period of 1500 years using 40 different men. The Words of