How Secrecy is Presented in The Miller’s Tale
Secrecy is a prominent theme in The Miller’s Tale and Chaucer uses it
to not only make the tale more interesting but also to give the
characters more depth, or in the case of Alison less depth. The way
that secrecy is presented and what effects it has will be discussed.
Chaucer introduces the reader to secrecy at the beginning of the tale
in The Miller’s Prologue, indicating its importance, ‘An housbande
shal not been inqusitif of Goddes privetee,’ and this immediately
makes the reader assume that at least one of the characters will in
fact be inquisitive of ‘Goddes privetee’ and that there will be
secrets in The Miller’s Tale.
The element of secrecy is evident in the characters and their
descriptions. This is necessary as the characters in the tale are of a
fabliau sort and the incorporation of sex with ‘low-life’ characters
requires secrecy, and the description sets the tone for the tale.
This begins with the description of Nicholas. Chaucer depicts
Nicholas’ personality as ‘sleigh and ful privee’ instantly makin...
The statement,“The Crucible is essentially about courage, weakness, and truth,” is proven true numerous times, throughout the play. The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller, about the true events that happened in Salem, Massachusetts, between the years 1692 and 1693. The Salem witch trials consisted of many hangings, lies, and complete mass hysteria. The citizens of Salem followed the religion of Puritanism, and the ideas of predestination. The root of the mass hysteria comes from their belief in the sense that in something happens then it must have been planned by God. In Miller’s portrayal of the story, Abigail Williams was the ringleader of the witch trials, and she used the idea of predestination to cover up her own sins. Abigail was a very manipulative girl and ruined many lives. John Proctor, Mary Warren, and Elizabeth Proctor were just a few of the victims in Abby’s game. John, Mary, and Elizabeth exhibit the traits courage, weakness, and truth, whether it was in a positive or negative way.
In “The Pardoner’s Tale,” Geoffrey Chaucer masterfully frames an informal homily. Through the use of verbal and situational irony, Chaucer is able to accentuate the moral characteristics of the Pardoner. The essence of the story is exemplified by the blatant discrepancy between the character of the storyteller and the message of his story. By analyzing this contrast, the reader can place himself in the mind of the Pardoner in order to account for his psychology.
In Arthur Miller 's book “The Crucible” there is an inadequacy of honesty which is a very important trait for everyone to learn. In this essay I am writing to prove that the paucity of honesty is negative and was very prevalent in Salem and that very few people remained truthful throughout the Salem Witch Trials. The dishonesty in The Crucible would soon lead to the deaths and imprisonment of many residents in Salem. Those accused would lie and accuse other people to stay out of trouble from the authorities, but this took the life of many innocent victims. In Miller 's book Dishonesty is expressed by almost everyone included in The Crucible such as Abigail, Mary, and Elizabeth.
Every character in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible had their fair share of sins throughout the play. There is betrayal, lechery, lying, death, and cowardice.
The narrator is the first element of humor Chaucer uses in his story. The Miller is rude and drunk but generally a jolly fellow. This sets the tone of story as being fun and even a bit coarse, just like the Miller himself. He tells a few jokes before he tells his story: "One shouldn't be two inquisitive in life? / Either about God's secrets or one's wife. / You'll find God's plenty all you could desire"(53). As well, the Miller wants to punish the Reeve, a ...
Cornelius, Michael G. "Sex and Punishment in Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Miller's Tale.'" Human Sexuality. New York: Bloom's Literary Criticism, 2009. 95-104. [ILL]
In every conflict there always seems to be at least one person to blame. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, many problems arise that deal with live and death. Many innocent people in this play were hanged during the Salem Witch Trials. Of course, there are many people that may be blamed. In The Crucible, one may find Abigail Williams, The Putnams, and Mary Warren to blame. Abigail was manipulative, The Putnams were very jealous, and Mary Warren was weak-willed.
The Salem Witch Trials, Who is Really Guilty? After all of the witch trials in 1692 concluded, a total of 20 people were hanged, all because of people craving attention and personal gain. There are three people depicted in Arthur Miller's The Crucible that are most responsible for this and they are, Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Thomas Putnam. Abigail Williams is mostly responsible for the Salem witch trials because she was the first person to start accusing innocent people of witchcraft.
The desire for power and authority has always been a part of the human nature. Today’s society most often use power to dominate one another and fulfill one’s personal intentions, which can affect other people in many ways. Having power and authority is truly gratifying but it is terrifying if abused and used for selfish acts. The play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller is an example to illustrate the consequences of abuse of power. The characters Abigail Williams, Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris use their power over society by manipulating people and using their authority to fulfill their personal intentions, like material gain, vengeance, maintaining social status and reputation, and attention, which eventually lead into a mass hysteria.
In both the Miller’s Tale and the Wife of Bath’s Tale, Chaucer uses his characters and stories in order to project various stereotypes to the reader. Although varying a tad bit throughout the book, the tone that seems to be drawn from the stories is that women are manipulating, sinful, and power hungry, while men are considered gullible and rash. Its through understand and analyzing these stereotypes that we can fully understand what Chaucer’s stories are trying to convey to us.
ruinously impact a whole community, is very aptly titled. By definition, a “crucible” is “a severe test,” and the challenges faced by Miller’s characters are many. The historical events dramatized in the play reflect how core human values, including truth, justice and love, are tested under life and death conditions. The trials of the characters and the values they hold dearly come when their simple, ordered world ceases to be black and white and easily deciphered, and is turned upside down in the gray shades of ambiguity.
Honesty is the best policy. It is a virtue that we all must aim for to have a peaceful and serene life. It is a foundation to a healthy relationship dealing with the people in our lives, whether they are our parents, friends or brothers and sisters. There isn’t a healthy relationship without trust and that is how you gain honesty. Being honest avoids trouble and makes your life easier instead of worrying about things that you have lied about and implying stress on yourself.
Integrity is having a good reputation with ethical principles and being honest no matter the circumstances. People who have integrity are very ethical with their professions. In many cases integrity may mean a lot to a person who grew up with moral principles and this have a huge influence on how they live their life. Integrity is often reflected on plays, for example in the Crucible a play by Arthur Miller. One of the main character Rebecca Nurse had the opportunity to live, by confessing that she was a witch and by making false accusations on people, but instead she disagree and died. However this character died with integrity and knowing that her election was the best for everyone on town.
The general public of Americans believe that their lives are private, not public. Most people do not want their private and personal lives shared with random people they’re not even acquainted with. Privacy is held up high in the eyes of Americans and the majority don’t want to change that. In the novel The Circle by Dave Eggers, a 24-year-old girl named Mae grasps her dream job of working at the Circle thanks to her friend Annie. The Circle is a huge company that creates and supports advancing technologies. Eggers notes that the Circle has its own social media site that connects everyone to everything and backs up all information received in their cloud. Mae creates many new relationships, such as her love interest Francis and her best friend
An interesting aspect of the famous literary work, "The Canterbury Tales," is the contrast of realistic and exaggerated qualities that Chaucer entitles to each of his characters. When viewed more closely, one can determine whether each of the characters is convincing or questionable based on their personalities. This essay will analyze the characteristics and personalities of the Knight, Squire, Monk, Plowman, Miller, and Parson of Chaucer's tale.