Creative writing - The Disappearance.
The Disappearance At first when they heard about the disappearance they didn't believe it. "Why, we saw her the other day at the Ram Ratan grocery store" they proclaimed. "Yes, didn't she wave to us yesterday with her little boy? He looked just like her. We spoke to her the other day, she had that salwar-kameez on, yes she never did wear English clothes." "Terrible" others whined. "Its getting so that nobody's safe here in London these days." Because that's what everyone thought. Crime. It must have been. How else could an Indian woman in a bright flowered lime sari and Nike walking shoes just disappear? So thinking the worst, that maybe Zeneve had been abducted, raped or maybe even murdered, her husband reported her missing that very night. She'd been out for her evening walk he told the police. She took one everyday after he got back from the office. Yes, yes always alone. She said it was her time alone, time for herself. Away from the bubbling curries in their non-stick pans as they hissed on the cooker, away from the never ending chores that had to be done, her own tranquil world where the domesticated wife was non-existent...that's how she had put it to him. (He didn't quite understand that, but was happy to watch his little boy play football with him, perhaps, until she returned to serve them dinner.) "Did you folks have a quarrel?" the policeman inquired with a
The Miller's Tale - Translate the millers tale in modern English.
The Miller's Tale Translate the millers tale in modern English Once on a time was dwelling in Oxford A wealthy lout who took in guests to board, And of his craft he was a carpenter. A poor scholar was lodging with him there, Who'd learned the arts, but all his phantasy Was turned to study of astrology; And knew a certain set of theorems And could find out by various stratagems, If men but asked of him in certain hours When they should have a drought or else have showers, Or if men asked of him what should befall To anything- I cannot reckon them all. This clerk was called the clever Nicholas; Of secret loves he knew and their solace; And he kept counsel, too, for he was sly And meek as any maiden passing by. He had a chamber in that hostelry, And lived alone there, without company, All garnished with sweet herbs of good repute; And he himself sweet-smelling as the root Of licorice, valerian, or setwall. His Almagest, and books both great and small, His astrolabe, belonging to his art, His algorism stones- all laid apart On shelves that ranged beside his lone bed's head; His press was covered with a cloth of red. And over all there lay a psaltery Whereon he made an evening's melody, Playing so sweetly that the chamber rang; And Angelus ad virginem he sang; And after that he warbled the King's Note: Often in good voice was his merry throat. And
General Notes on Chaucer and the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
General Notes on Chaucer and the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales Bifel that in that seson on a day, In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage To Caunterbury with ful devout corage, At nyght was come into that hostelrye Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle, That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde. GP lI.20-27 In April Geoffrey Chaucer at the Tabard Inn in Southwerk, across the Thames from London, joins a group of pilgrims on their way to the Shrine of Thomas à Becket in Canterbury. He describes almost all of the nine and twenty pilgrims in this company, each of whom practices a different trade (often dishonestly). The Host of the Tabard, Harry Bailey, proposes that he join them as a guide and that each of the pilgrims should tell tales (two on the outward journey, two on the way back); whoever tells the best tale will win a supper, at the other pilgrims' cost when they return. The pilgrims agree, and Chaucer warns his readers that he must repeat each tale exactly as he heard it, even though it might contain frank language. The next morning the company sets out, pausing at the Watering of St. Thomas, where all draw straws, and the Knight is thus selected to tell the first tale. Until Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales he was known primarily as a maker of poems
What are the arguments of the Wife of Bath in relation to marriage? How do you integrate her Prologue and her story into a coherent whole?
What are the arguments of the Wife of Bath in relation to marriage? How do you integrate her Prologue and her story into a coherent whole? Acclaimed as the "Father of English Literature" and "the English Homer" before William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer, the writer of The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale, was born to a middle-class family in ca. 1343 and was once a member of the house of Elizabeth, Countess of Ulster. Regarded as one of the most famous and significant poets in the medieval period, Chaucer was well-known for his use of dream-vision form, his masterpiece The Canterbury Tales (ca. 1387), and more importantly, his contribution to the English language by importing more than 1000 new words that were derived from foreign languages. In The Wife of Bath's Prologue, Chaucer's precise presentation of the Wife of Bath's "experience" (line 1) of marriage, which she believes to be "right ynough for [her] to speke of wo that is [inside]" (lines 1 - 3), brings forth to her convincing arguments about marriage. Obviously in the beginning of the Prologue, Chaucer suggests the idea of the Wife of Bath as being a five-time, experienced married woman, whose first marriage experience comes when she is only "twelf year of age" (line 4). The wise woman is without doubt an advocate of marriage, as she is always ready to 'fight back' all kinds of attacks concerning her marrying
How do Thomas Hardy and D.H. Lawrence portray relationships between men and women in "Her Turn" and "To Please His Wife"?
ENGLISH ESSAY HOW DO HARDY AND LAWRENCE PORTRAY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN IN 'HER TURN' AND 'TO PLEASE HIS WIFE'? Hardy and Lawrence use these short stories to portray the relationships between men and women. Both writers show us how money affects and alters these relationships. Lawrence's story, 'Her Turn' follows the relationship of a man called Radford and his wife. He works down a coal-mining pit and she takes care of the home. This alone reveals that at this time men were the workers; the providers for the women. After a strike, she is deprived of her monthly instalments of money, since Radford argues that she has enough already. When the next one comes, she is prepared and ready; she knows exactly how to overcome the problem. Hardy's story describes the relationship of a sailor called Captain Shadrach Jollife with his girlfriend who later becomes his wife, Joanna. He meets and courts Joanna after returning from sea but Joanna becomes unhappy. Her ambition and jealousy get the better of her and eventually lead to the presumed death of her husband and sons, which mentally destroys her. The main relationship that Lawrence describes in his story is the relationship between Radford and his wife. At the beginning of the story we are told that with this marriage 'there was between them that truce which is never held between a man and his first wife'. Their
Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Merchant's Tale" - Commentary.
Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Merchant's Tale" Commentary by Karen Bernardo Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Merchant's Tale," one of the Canterbury Tales, has no moral value whatsoever; it is a fabliau, a ribald and bawdy kind of tale -- very popular in Chaucer's era -- in which women were generally portrayed as lusty wenches and men as eager but foolish partners. The fabliau prohibits any realistic relationship between men and women by restricting the characters to rigidly stereotypical roles. In "The Merchant's Tale," for example, we have a number of characters who still populate comedies today: the street-smart lover (Damyan), the beautiful but unprincipled girl (May) and her duped husband (January). The fact that these characters are going to be stereotypes is indicated by their very names. May is young, just like everything in springtime. She is also fickle; and who has not started out on a lovely May day thinking it was going to be warm, only to wind up donning a jacket? January, her husband, has obviously lived many winters, and has now returned to his second childhood as far as his common sense is concerned. January is absolutely determined to marry the much-younger May; he experiences no doubts or trepidations that would give depth to his character. May is lovely to look at but chronically unfaithful; she is the mainstay of today's afternoon soaps. And Damyan is the
The Marriage Debate.
The Marriage Debate. This includes stories about the conflict between men and women in marriage; the propriety or otherwise of marrying more than once; whether the old ought to marry the young; and the sin or otherwise of adultery. A medieval marriage was often illustrated by a man and woman each pulling at a pair of trousers. As nearly all marriages were arranged for economic reasons; very few married for love. Furthermore, the absence of husbands on crusade (a kind of on-going Gulf War), or in the Hundred Years' war with France, led to an eager rivalry between landless young aristocrats (squires) for the 'favour' of attractive young wives, wealthy widows, or spinster heiresses, left in command of castles and manors. In order to bring order to the stampede, a complex system of codes of behaviour came into existence by which the aspring young man had to prove his ardour by undertaking some 'labour of love' or quest. This had the advantage of getting rid of an over-eager pest for a space of time in which he might prove his bravery and grow up. It was a very elaborate survival of the fittest. Lower down the social scale such devious niceties were dispensed with, and both the Miller and the Merchant's stories are about sexual opportunists. The Merchant's Tale is one of a group of four in the Canterbury Tales that concern marriage, which includes the Tales of the Wife of Bath,
Jewish Attitudes Towards Sexuality.
Jewish Attitudes Towards Sexuality In Jewish law, sex is not considered shameful, sinful or obscene. Sex is not a necessary evil for the sole purpose of procreation. Although sexual desire comes from the vetzerra(the evil impulse), it is no more evil than hunger or thirst, which also come from the yetzer ra. Like hunger, thirst or other basic instincts, sexual desire must be controlled and channeled, satisfied at the proper time, place and manner. But when sexual desire is satisfied between a husband and wife at the proper time, out of mutual love and desire, sex is a mitzvah. Sex is permissible only within the context of a marriage. In Judaism, sex is not merely a way of experiencing physical pleasure. It is an act of immense significance, which requires commitment and responsibility. The requirement of marriage before sex ensures that sense commitment and responsibility. Jewish law also forbids sexual contact short of intercourse outside of the context of marriage, recognizing that such contact will inevitably lead to intercourse. The primary purpose of sex is to reinforce the loving marital bond between husband and wife. The first and foremost purpose of marriage is companionship, and sexual relations play an important role. Procreation is also a reason for sex, but it is not the only reason. Sex between husband and wife is permitted (even recommended) at times when
It is impossible to feel either sympathy or admiration for any of the characters in 'The Miller's Tale'. Discuss.
English Literature 'The Miller's Tale' - Geoffrey Chaucer It is impossible to feel either sympathy or admiration for any of the characters in 'The Miller's Tale'. Discuss. Chaucer's 'The Miller's Tale' is one of the most recognised forms of fabliaux, a short story written in verse about people of lower class, in which the common plot of a love triangle between the stereotypical characters of a cunning young student, a jealous old husband and his young beautiful wife is contained. The characters that fulfil these roles in the Tale are Nicolas, John and Alison, as well as Absolon, the character who takes a shine to Alison, is tricked and later seeks revenge, adding humour and irony to the Tale. When reviewing the characters in the Tale, it is recognisable that there are events that merit the reader's sympathy, however, though we are aware of their suffering, Chaucer presents the characters in such a way that amusement, rather than sympathy, is provoked. Few of the characters and their actions deserve admiration; however certain qualities of the character's personalities can be seen as admirable and it is these that will considered later in greater detail. In 'The Miller's Prologue' the reader is promised a tale of a carpenter who becomes the laughing stock of his town when a young student cuckolds him, "a clerk hath set the wrightes cappe". At this point, the reader will
Chaucer: Satire And Humor
Chaucer: Satire And Humor Until Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales, he was primarily know for being the writer of love poems, such as The Parliament of Fowls, narratives of doomed passion, and stories of women wronged by their lovers. These works are nothing short of being breath taking, but they do not posses the raw power that the Canterbury Tales do. This unfinished poem, which is about 17,000 lines, is one of the most brilliant works in all of literature. The poem introduces a group of pilgrims journeying from London to the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket at Canterbury. Together, the pilgrims represent a large section of 14th-century English life. To help pass the time of the journey, the pilgrims decide to tell stories. These tales include a wide variety of medieval genres, from humorous fables to religious lectures. They vividly describe medieval attitudes and customs in such areas as love, marriage, and religion. Chaucer was a master storyteller, and his wit his shown throughout his work by the use of humor and satire, and it is most present in The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner's Tale, and The Wife of Bath's Tale. Many people that the most popular par to of the Canterbury Tales it The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, which has long been admired for the lively, individualized portraits it offers. More recent criticism has reacted against this
