There is always a reasoning behind every choice made, consciously or subconsciously even for something as mundane as whether to put a spread or jam on a sandwich. These decisions even ones that seem minute have a ripple effect in your life, for an hour, day or even years. This idea of choice and its repercussions is demonstrated throughout the texts “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale” from Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and Edmund Spencer’s “First Booke of the Faerie Queene” from The Faerie Queene. In both of these texts the choices made by the protagonists of Chauntecleer and Red Cross Knight in addition to the cast of characters they meet along their journey have a large impact on the direction the story takes. The consequences of the choices …show more content…
The decisions based on past events begin when the dream has influences his actions. Chauntecleer dreams of a hound-like creature that made him fearful, wandering around their yard (Chaucer 121-141). Pertelote scolds him for this dream and tells him to take a laxative and blame something he ate on the cause of the dream (Chaucer 177). The result of Chauntecleer’s lingering dream takes a backseat to Pertelote’s advice and he continues his normal routine of crowing, at this moment in which is when he does encounter a fox. Chauntecleer attempts to run but is stopped by the fox and is persuaded to sing. Chauntecleer is persuaded through, “But trewely the cause of my cominge / Was only for to herkne how that ye singe: / For trewely, ye han as meyre a stevene” (Chaucer 523-525). This plays upon Chauntecleer’s vanity in pride of his voice as his role as a rooster relies on it. This convinces him not to run from the fox but to sing to it, which results …show more content…
This impact on the reader is that the choices one makes will have consequences that can crop up in unexpected ways, as well that even if a right decision is made, if it follows a string of poor choices it can still lead to a negative outcome. The notion of a positive decision leading to a negative consequence occurs when Red Cross Knight realizes that the Castle of Pride is not the right place for him. Following this he is imprisoned at House of Pride and is rescued by the Dwarf (Spenser 1.8.40.357). Then after escaping he has to deal with the consequences of his previous actions, specifically the unknightly taking Sans Foy’s shield as a trophy of sorts after defeating him in battle. This follows after he had been spotted by his brother having been carrying the shield upside down in a disgraceful manner. However, there is an instance that that impact does not particularly hold true, as seen with Chauntecleer in The Nun’s Priest’s Tale in which he learns from his past mistaken choice and uses that lesson to his advantage, tricking the fox in a similar way he was, through pride, to
... middle of paper ... ... As they become aware of this, they realize that the consequences of their decisions have an extensive impact on themselves and those around them. Works Cited: Bloxham, L., Stortz, M., & LaHurd, C. (2003).
We make important choices everyday that can affect our futures. Whether it is deciding what to eat for lunch or deciding what college to go to, these decisions can affect our lives in many ways. Choice is the act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities. By making a smart choice, your health and welfare can be much better but if you make a bad choice, you future can be different than what you intended it to be. Whether it is a mild choice or a major one, choices can affect the way your life unfolds in the future. In the book, The Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings, the main character Brady Parks is faced with a major dilemma. He has to make a decision to either turn in is friends for murder or to live
moral decisions, we will be analyzing why this scenario poses a dilemma, possible actions that
Some choices big and some small but no matter what the choice is, the choice affects each person one way or another. Aristotle states that “It is difficult sometimes to determine what should be chosen at what cost, and what should be endured in return for what gain, and yet more difficult to abide by our decisions; for as rule what is expected is painful, and what we are compelled to do is base, when praise and blame are bestowed on those who have been compelled or have not” (IIIoa29- IIIoa34) This text leads into Aristotle’s talk about Voluntary vs Involuntary actions. Aristotle begins to distinguish voluntary and involuntary and states that voluntary actions are those actions in which the person completing the action knows what he is doing and is fully aware of what the outcome may be. Aristotle states that actions performed because our tempers or our desires are still considered voluntary. Voluntary actions are the only actions that Aristotle considers virtuous. Involuntary actions are actions that are performed through ignorance or by the use of force. However, for an act performed out of ignorance for it to be involuntary it must bring about hardship and sorrow. In order for an act to be involuntary the person doing the act must “contribute nothing” (IIIob17) Aristotle gives us a good example of involuntary action that is common in society today and that is the actions performed of someone who is intoxicated. Although at the
The tales of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Lanval offer their readers insight into a common knightly quandary. Gawain and Lanval are both faced with challenges that threaten their ability to protect, uphold, and affirm their very knightliness. The two knights repeatedly see several knightly traits--- each invaluable to the essence of a knight--- brought into conflict. While the knights are glorified in their respective texts, they are faced with impossible dilemmas; in each story, both reader and knight are confronted with the reality that knightly perfection is unattainable: concessions must be made--- bits and pieces of their honor must be sacrificed.
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 a third level of complexity, revealing the interpersonal dynamics of the societal microcosm comprising the diverse group of pilgrims.
The Paradox of Choice has multiple points that can be considered the big take aways. First, choosing is not an easy procedure in daily life. The consumer must learn to be careful and choose strategically. Second, when making decisions, one cannot expect to get maximum results. Sometimes settling for less is necessary. Finally, the decision maker must account for loss, and be prepared to experience negative results from some decisions.
“In everyday life, men and women make decisions that affect the life and death of existing people. They decide whether to join the army; whether to donate blood, a kidney, or bone marrow to a child; whether to give money to Save the Children instead of buying a new sweater; whether to decline a life-saving blood transfusion; whether to drive a small fort on walls that may protect passengers in a crash but often kills those in less substantial vehicles” (Borgmann 23).
The narrative thrust of the Nun's Priest's Tale is minimal, but the actions that it does contain gives an equal share of praise and mild criticism to both the husband and wife. Chanticleer is absurd to believe that his illness is caused by some psychic portent and rightly follows his wife's sane advice to find herbs to cure himself. However, when he does so, his prediction comes true he is chased by a fox.
Humans live in a world in which every day they encounter numerous choices. The way they decide and the outcomes of their decisions define their lives. Their day to day life essentially revolves around the choices they make. As a whole, a community benefits or suffers from the outcomes of its choices. Freedom of choice is the grant to an individual or community to make its own choices out of free will and without restrictions (Pereboom,2003). This is essay will discuss that though freedom choice leads to variety in life, it does not necessarily guarantee satisfaction. It will also argue that although some choice is undoubtedly better than none, more is not always better than less. It will then consider the implications of the paradox of choice for individuals in the market place and education, and for society in politics.
A fox is one cunning animal. And in the story, it is proven to be right. From the fox's lesson that one can see only what is essential by looking with the heart, the author leaves the desert as a changed person. He agrees with the little prince's thought: 'the stars are beautiful, because of a flower that cannot be seen';.
Chaucer’s book “The Canterbury Tales” presents a frame story written at the end of the 14th century that is set through a group of pilgrims participation in a story-telling contest that they make up to entertain each other while they travel to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. Because of this, some of the tales become particularly attractive for they are written within a frame of parody which, as a style that mocks genre, is usually achieved by the deliberate exaggeration of some aspects of it for comic effect. In fact, as a branch of satire mimicry, its purpose may be corrective as well as derisive. (Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms) Chaucer, therefore, uses parody to highlight – satirize - some aspects of the medieval society that should be re-evaluated. He uses the tales and the behaviours of its characters to paint an ironic and critical portrait of the English society at that time, therefore the tales turn satirical, elevated, ironic, earthy, bawdy, and comical. When analysing the Knight’s and the Miller’s Tale, one can realise how Chaucer mocks the courtly love convention, and other social codes of behaviours typical of the medieval time.
For example, in the story called “The Necklace, Madame Loisel did not choose to lose her her necklace causing her to have to work to pay it off, but it was her choice to lie about losing it and not tell the friend from whom she borrowed it. And therefore, if she had chosen to tell the friend that she had lost her necklace, she would have been informed that it was a fake jewel and it was not worth much money.
...an see, when reading a work such as The Canterbury Tales, there are many advantages and disadvantages to the work being in both middle and modern English. Before reading such a work, one must realize his or her own purpose for reading the work and then decide on which version to read. It is the opinion of many that it is beneficial to read both versions in order to educate one self about both languages as well as to experience the evolution of the English language. The English language has changed greatly over the many centuries since the time this work was written. However, this work helps create a bridge between the languages of the middle and modern English worlds. This was a work that transcended any work previously written and one that will continue to have an important place in the history of English literature and the English language as a whole.
We make choices every hour, every minute, and every second of our lives; whether big or small our choices are slowly putting us in the direction we choose or end up. Many of us do not realize what contributes to the choices we make and why it affects others the same way if affects us and because of this many authors and writers have written stories and articles about coming to terms with making a choice and how to better ourselves when it comes to decision-making for the future.