Courtly Love Conventions in Troilus and Creseyde
From the beginning the reader knows that "Troilus and Criseyde" is both a romance and a tragedy, for if the name of the poem and the setting of doomed Troy are not enough of a clue, Chaucer's narrator tells us so explicitly. This is a tale of:
The double sorwe of Troilus to tellen,
...
In lovying, how his aventures fellen
Fro wo to wele, and after out of joie2
This waxing and waning of Troilus' and Criseyde's happiness in love allows Chaucer to explore the different manifestations of love in his contemporary society, and what the costs of loving might be. In particular, Criseyde's fear of love, and betrayal of Troilus' love, raises the question: who is allowed to choose to love?
Yet despite the readers' foreknowledge of a tragic ending, Chaucer's skill is in exploring this theme, while making the outcome of the story seem anything but fixed. He "directs our responses and controls the narrative situation,"3 so that we are in constant anticipation. One scene in particular strikes me as a powerful example of Chaucer's ability to evoke this feeling of uncertainty and infinite possibility suddenly coalescing into the next inevitable movement of the plot.
In a relatively short passage in Book II (lines 876-931) Criseyde makes the symbolic decision to love, despite her concerns about the power games involved with 'true' or courtly love. She "wex somwhat able to converte"4 her fears into love of Troilus.
This scene is made up of what appears to be a simple convergence of four important elements: Antigone's song of true love, and her certain and convincing belief in true love (as opposed to mere passion - "hoot"...
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...Cambridge University Press, 1986) pp. 213-226. This from p. 213.
4. Benson, Book II, 903, p.501.
5. Benson, Book II, 892, p.501.
6. David Aers, "Criseyde: Woman in Medieval Society," The Chaucer Review 13 (3) (1979), 177-200. This from p. 180.
7. Benson, Book II, 872, p. 501.
8. Benson, Book II, 874-875, p. 501.
9. Benson, Book II, 887, p.501.
10. Benson, Book II, 891, p. 501.
11. Benson, Book II, 894, p. 501.
12. Benson, Book II, 922, p. 502.
13. Aers, p. 186.
14. Benson, Book II, 922, p.502.
15. Benson, Book II, 930, p. 502.
16. Eugene Vance, "Mervelous Signals: Poetics, Sign Theory, and Politics in Chaucer's Troilus," New Literary History 10 (1979), 293-337. This from p. 328.
17. Aers, p. 180.
18. Aers, p. 181.
19. Benson, Book II, 903, p. 501.
20. Benson, Book II, 890-891, p.501.
Hansen, Elaine Tuttle. Chaucer and the Fictions of Gender. Berkeley: U of California P. 1992. Print. (Kennedy Library PR1928.W64 H36 1992)
Martin Luther King is widely known as one of the greatest speakers to ever approach our nation. The impact he made on America was so much more than effective; it was incredible. The speech Martin Luther King gave took place 48 years ago, and even today people remember and quote the words he spoke. Being a man of Christ, he allowed the Lord to use him in furthering the kingdom of God. He is a man that has gone into history, and every child who goes through school is made known of works. Martin Luther King's passion for the civil-rights movement was so strongly effective and evident that it changed our nation.
The Civil Rights Movement is one of the most important events of the history of the United States. Although many people contributed to this movement, Martin Luther King, Jr., is widely regarded as the leader of the movement for racial equality. Growing up in the Deep South, King saw the injustices of segregation first hand. King’s studies of Mahatma Ghandi teachings influenced his views on effective ways of protesting and achieving equality. Martin Luther King’s view on nonviolence and equality and his enormous effect on the citizens of America makes him the most influential person of the twentieth century.
...e that a weak relationship between the blacks and the whites can transform with some work into a solid (rock) connection.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very important leader of the American Civil Rights movement as well as a Nobel Prize winner. He proved that Civil Disobedience was an effective weapon against depression. King’s challenges to segregation and racial discrimination in the 1950’s and 1960’s helped convince many white Americans to support the cause of Civil Rights in the United States.
Martin Luther King, JR., was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929 to Martin Luther King and Alberta Williams King. He was the middle child. He had an older sister, Christine and a younger brother, A.D. His father was the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, following in the footsteps of Martin's maternal grandfather A.D. Williams. Martin went to public schools in Atlanta and he did so well in school he skipped the 9th and 12th grades, graduating high school at only 15 years old. He went on to be accepted into Morehouse College as an early admission student. He graduated at 19 with a degree in Sociology in 1948. (Williams)
Dr.King was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. Dr.King is the son of Michael King Sr.and Alberta Williams King. Dr.King is the middle child, Dr.King had an older sister, Willie Christine King and a younger brother, Alfred Daniel Williams King. At age 5 Dr.King attended a public school. In May, 1936 he was baptized, but the event made little impression on him. In May, 1941, Dr.King was 12 years old when his grandmother Jennie, died of a heart attack. Dr.King (young) jumped from a second story window at the family home, attempting suicide. Dr. King took over the small struggling Ebenezer Baptist church with around 13 members and made it into a forceful congregation. Martin Luther King Jr. was never his birth name, his birth name was Michael King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. was definitely an influential speaker and writer. He was able to move people with his ideas and words. In his letter from the Birmingham jail he was trying to inform people of the injustices that African Americans were experiencing at this time. His audience was mainly the clergymen of the church. Since most Americans at this time believed that African Americans were uneducated and not on the same level as white Americans, MLK had to prove otherwise. MLK did this by using strong rhetoric in his speeches and letters. Two of the rhetoric styles that I feel was most effective were his use of logic and pathos. MLK knew that if he was going to make an impression on his audience he was going to have to bring his A game.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was perhaps one of the most influential person of our time. As the father of modern civil rights movement, Dr.Martin Luther king, Jr., is recognized around the world as a symbol of freedom and peace. Born January 15, 1929, King was the son of an Atlanta pastor. King accomplished many achievements during his life. He graduated from Morehouse as a minister in 1948 and went on to Crozer Theological seminary in Chester, Pa., where he earned a divinity degree. After that King went on to earn a doctorate in theology from Boston University in 1955. King also achieved the Nobel Peace Prize in December of 1964. He was assassinated on April 4,1968, outside his motel room by James Earl Ray. While his views at the time seemed radical to many, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is remembered and respected today as a martyr of the civil rights movement and an icon of change through nonviolent means.
Mitchell, J. Allan. (2005). Chaucer's Clerk's Tale and the Question of Ethical Monstrosity. Studies in Philology. Chapel Hill: Winter 2005. Vol.102, Iss. 1; pg. 1, 26 pgs
A Discussion and Analysis Of some of his Contributions As Well as their Social, Political and Economic Impacts Since the Thirteen Colonies first united, the United States has had one of the strongest economies in the world. Over the years, many theorists have had varying opinions concerning the reason for this nation's strong economic standing. One reason that has often been overlooked is that a great many of this nation's workers have been influenced by the Protestant work ethic. The philosophy behind this work ethic has driven many workers to attain as much as possible at their jobs during their lifetimes. If one man were to be given credit for the development of the Protestant work ethic it would have to be Martin Luther. In the course of the next several pages this researcher will examine the ethic that has had such a great impact on the United State's economy and on the economies of other nations. It has been suggested by such writers as Weber and Smith that the Protestant work ethic first developed around the word "calling." Basically, this term has a religious connotation which is a task set by God. However, gradually this term was expanded to the point where it covered many of man's activities. During the Protestant Reformation, the term "calling" started to take on a new meaning. Fulfilling one's duty in worldly affairs became a task of extreme importance. gradually, fulfilling one's duty was not only important but it became the moral obligation of every individual (the highest form of moral activity). Before the Reformation, the Catholic Church did not believe that everyday world activities had a religious significance. As a result of Luther these world activities were quite important in adhering to God's wishes. Rather than devote one's life to worshipping God through prayer, and instead of sacrificing all worldly goods to follow Christ, the Protestants believed that the task of every person is to fulfill (to the best of his/her ability) their tasks on earth. This unique conception of the word "calling" was developed by Luther during his first active decade as a reformer. At first he believed, like many other theologians, that everyday world activities were activities of the flesh. Although these activities were willed by God, they were nonetheless morally neutral. However, gradually Luther began to protest against ...
And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I
In the Middle Ages, when The Canterbury Tales was written, society became captivated by love and the thought of courtly and debonair love was the governing part of all relationships and commanded how love should be conducted. These principles changed literature completely and created a new genre dedicated to brave, valorous knights embarking on noble quests with the intention of some reward, whether that be their life, lover, or any other want. The Canterbury Tales, written in the 14th century by Geoffrey Chaucer, accurately portrays and depicts this type of genre. Containing a collection of stories within the main novel, only one of those stories, entitled “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, truly outlines the 14th century community beliefs on courtly love.
...eveals insecurities of him in the process while that itself tells us more about the popular culture in this time. Chaucer, along with many of the other pilgrims attempts to place themselves in a socially desirable or even superior position. With the Narrator having the responsibility of articulating the tales to us in a coherent fashion, he might feel pressure to present himself as all-knowing or superior to his companions rather than show us an honest and unbiased point of view. After all, he is telling the story; the Narrator can ultimately choose to tell us whatever he pleases. The Narrator plays the role of telling tales and providing the groundwork for this pilgrimage story, but since his ideas and opinions are designed in such a particular way; he indirectly tells us so much more about not only about the pilgrimage but of this time period’s culture as a whole.
Michael Luther King Jr. was born in the city of Atlanta, Georgia on January 15th, 1929. The second child of Michael Luther King Sr. and Alberta Christine Williams King, Michael was to become one of the most widely respected civil rights leaders in our country's history (#1).