Pilgrimage In The Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer

In Geoffrey Chaucer’s writing, “The Canterbury Tales”, he writes of a pilgrimage and describes every character that is involved, some more in depth than others. Keep in mind that this writing is dated back in the 1300’s, so there is going to be some distinction between those he described on the pilgrimage compared to how one would describe people of today. If Chaucer did write about people today, three people he would most likely choose would be a teacher or professor, a professional athlete, and a song artist.

The first character Chaucer would add on his pilgrimage from the twenty-first-century would be a teacher or professor of some sort. They are very important to our society today and are supposed to be people that others can model themselves after. Just like all of the Characters in the “Canterbury Tales” teachers are supposed to set a good example for the people around them and they are supposed to have morals and stand by their words. However, not all are that professional. Depending on the gender of the teacher would determine what the attire would be. Back in Chaucer’s day, women did not have as much right to an occupation as they do now.

A female teacher would most likely be wearing a long skirt down to ankles and an appropriate blouse to match. She would speak with respect, intelligence and authority. A male teacher, however, would most likely be dressed in slacks or khakis. He would be wearing a dressy shirt and a tie that matched. He would also speak with respect and intelligence, but I have found that male teachers don’t use their authority as a weapon quite like women do.
Another person from today’s day and age Chaucer would choose to tag along on the journey would probably be a professional athlete.

It doesn’t really matter what type because they seem to all have the same vision. They all want to be the best. Of course some athletes are probably more humble than others so that would be a factor in his decision. Professional athletes are role models for the majority of the world. Whether it was a male or female athlete, they would probably dress about the same, a t-shirt and some athletic shorts with some type of training shoe. They would either speak with arrogance or they would speak with humility. Athletes differ from other athletes in that way, professional or not. Some think they are the best and act like it, but others know they’re the best and don’t quite acknowledge it as

much.
A final addition to the journey would most likely be a song artist or a performer. Again, based on the gender would determine their clothing. For some reason, female artists these days get a little crazy with their outfits. They make sure to be noticed whether they are wearing something extraordinary and completely bizarre, or whether they are lacking clothes. Either way, they stand out. Male artists would most likely dress in an expensive t-shirt and some jeans or pants that are probably a little too tight. They would look good and take good care of their appearance, because to them, appearance is everything. The males would speak with vulgarance, always referring to sex, drugs, and alcohol. The females on the other hand only care about one thing: finding a man who will love and treat her right.
Of course, not all of these predictions could be one hundred percent accurate, but based on what we see and know of the people in our society, the way these new characters dress and speak couldn’t be too far off. The reason Geoffrey Chaucer would most likely choose these characters to join him on his journey is because they are a huge part of today’s society. All three kinds of people have a tremendous impact on society. Although it is the twenty-first-century, Chaucer still might see some likeliness in these characters and the ones he chose to talk about back in the fourteenth century.