Brandon Scribner

6/2/2018

Comp 201 World Literature

Dr. Victor Gomia

Module 3 Discussion Answers

What is the setting of Chaucer's "The General Prologue?"

The author mentions the sweet showers of April that pierced March’s drought. I visualized a
very light misty rainfall perfect for the wetting of freshly planted crops and flowers. The weather is fair
and the greenery is bright. Spiking up the courage and curiosity of the natives to move about the land,
pursue passions, and seek religious reformation. I picture all the individual tales of the pilgrims to all be
happening simultaneously. All walks of life in a day of pilgrimage.

How relevant is the setting of the story to your understanding of the text?

The setting is very relevant and that including the subtext at the bottom of the page to provide
clarity to terms like martyr. Without the setting you would not realize that all the people are from the
same region and the era the stories take place. In the additional reading you learn that the prologue
does not even mention all the pilgrims the full tale talks about. The prologues focus is attention to detail
in the descriptions of the characters and who they are to the core. The extra reading describes it as a
medieval portrait in words.

Who is a pilgrim?

Each character in the story is described to be a pilgrim because of the overall theme of the tales
which is religious reformation. The pilgrimage to Canterbury includes twenty-nine individuals from
which the author is convinced to join after speaking to them at the Tabard Inn in Southwark, London.

Who are your two best pilgrims and why?

I enjoy the clerk character who is also a student in the pursuit of education. The clerk reminds
me of myself. The clerk is not wrapped up in the riches of the world and only focuses on his personal
passions. Not that I want to be a scholar, but I do like to focus on happiness and self-improvement.

Lastly, I am stuck in choosing between the cook or the franklin. Both of which have a lot to do
with food. I would have to say the cook specifically because I have grown up with a love for cooking as
well as eating. The cook in the story can definitely bake better than I can though.

Name two pilgrims who are hypocrites and explain why you think they are hypocritical.

The first pilgrim that I thought to be a hypocrite would be the Doctor of Medicine. The doctor
has such a large knowledge of strictly medicine and has never studied the bible but has chosen to travel
Canterbury for religious reform.
 The second pilgrim I find to be hypocritical would be the first monk. The hunting monk who
follows very modern traditions. This is against everything the monk’s true religion would allow. Maybe
this pilgrimage will do some form of massive reformation or maybe converting.