The Nun’s priest Tale (Reflection)

Cristal Jean J. Castones (BSED- ENG 3C) LIT 115

The nun’s priest Tale one of the entertaining stories in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The
Canterbury Tales”. As they journey, each pilgrim is tasked with telling two stories, one
on the way to Canterbury and one on the way back, creating a collection of tales that
offer insight into the medieval English society and culture. This tales emphasizes the
idea that wisdom and vigilance are essential even in seemingly secure situations. The
story ultimately teaches us about the importance of vigilance and the need to discern
between genuine praise and deceitful flattery. Through the rooster Chanticleer and the
cunning fox, the author illustrates themes of pride, flattery, wisdom, and the
unpredictability of life. It also satirizes various aspects of medieval society, It pokes fun
at the courtly love tradition and the highlights the fascination with dream interpretation
prevalent during that era. This satirical edge provides a deeper layer of meaning,
inviting readers to reflect on the societal norms and human foibles of Chaucer’s time.
The provocative tale "The Nun's Priest's Tale" teaches important lessons about
arrogance, aspirations, and the unpredictability of fate. It challenges readers to think on
the negative effects of arrogance, the possible significance of dreams, and the
possibility that unexpected things can happen in life. This narrative is a timeless addition
to "The Canterbury Tales" thanks to Chaucer's adept storytelling and use of metaphor,
which make it both entertaining and significant.
 Reflection paper about The Knight’s Tale by Joffrey Chaucer

“The Knight’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer is a timeless piece of medieval literature

that offers valuable insights into the chivalric code, love, fate, and human nature. This
reflection paper will delve into some of the central themes and characters of the tale,
exploring their significance and relevance to contemporary society.

One of the primary themes in “The Knight’s Tale” is the idea of fate and destiny.
The characters, Palamon and Arcite, are prisoners who are both in love with Emily, the
sister of their captor. Their eventual release and subsequent rivalry for Emily’s love
illustrate the concept of fate, as it seems that destiny plays a significant role in their
lives. This theme raises questions about whether individuals have control over their
destinies or if external forces dictate their paths.

Chivalry is another essential theme in the tale. These knights adhere to a strict
code of honor, emphasizing qualities like bravery, loyalty, and courtesy. Palamon and
Arcite’s willingness to risk their lives for love embodies the chivalric spirit. However, their
intense rivalry also leads to violence and suffering, highlighting the potential conflicts
within chivalry.

The character of Emily Is pivotal to the narrative, representing the idealized concept
of courtly love. Her beauty and purity captivate the two knights, leading them to
extraordinary feats. Emily’s passive role in the story raises questions about the agency
of women in medieval literature and society, providing a platform for discussing gender
roles and expectations.

The story’s tragic ending underscores the capriciousness of fate and the
impermanence of human desires. It serves as a reminder that even the noblest of
intentions and the most valiant efforts may not always lead to a desired outcome.

In today’s context, “The Knight’s Tale” continues to offer valuable lessons. It

prompts us to reflect on the balance between fate and free will, the complexities of love
and rivalry, and the evolving roles of gender and honor in society. Moreover, it invites us
to examine the timeless aspects of human nature that transcend historical and cultural
boundaries.

In conclusion, “The Knight’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer remains a thought-

provoking work that encourages readers to contemplate fundamental human themes
and values. Its exploration of fate, chivalry, love, and destiny provides rich material for
reflection and discussion, making it a literary treasure with enduring relevance

A Reflection from
“The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale”
by: Laressa A. Domingo

Upon reading the tale of “The Pardoner” I’ve read lots of vices stated there such
as gluttony, drinking, gambling, and blasphemy, especially greed and was associated
with betrayal towards men. The pardoner said that gluttony was the sin that corrupted
the world and the first form of gluttony is drunkenness. Drunkenness is sinful because
man loses his ability to reason. The three men were guilty of gluttony when they over
indulged in wine at the tavern that eventually led to swearing and lechery. The next vice
I have read that was a very common issue then until now was gambling. It was a never-
ending and contagious disease of men for they tend to gamble more after winning and
become more aggressive to win after losing. Although it may be entertaining and
exciting, people will never be completely fulfilled. The pardoner demonstrated how to
present something sacred in a false light and preached about vices that he himself
engaged in covertly. The story additionally illustrated how far men would go to satisfy
their own needs; they are willing to kill and do not even consider the impact on
humanity.
Apparently, as I thought back on this tale, I felt horrible for anyone who would be
a victim of intoxication, including myself, which I found disheartening. Basically, being
intoxicated can lead to inappropriate action such as blasphemy since we lose control
and inevitably do something. But I firmly hold to the notion that everything we eat and
drink should be consumed in moderation. This is how I manage and balance my daily
meals. In terms of consuming alcohol, I have also come across certain individuals I
don't trust. As I observed the outcome, I came to the conclusion that getting rid of
something is the wisest course of action rather than choosing moderation.
 The pardoner also makes me think of the folks nearby who were struggling to
meet their own needs and were having a hard time realizing that what they have right
now is what they genuinely need and deserve. My former employers, whom I tend to
believe were presumably the ones I may look upon and be my source of inspiration,
have told me sugarcoated lies while acting profanely. As I can identify with the three
rioters who ended up hanging while attempting to collect the riches under the
misconception that they were about to be wealthy. Additionally, it appears to point to the
dumb reason for separating as friends. In this regard, we cannot really trust anyone
because, as time went on, I had no idea that they were merely one of the perpetrators
of several misdeeds who were skilled at concealing in front of everyone from whom they
might gain something. Sadly, fate must have been particularly kind to me because it
revealed their greedy side, and I can no longer ensure the same alliance.
Maturing in the process, I have concluded to build my perception to trust no one
because an angel might hide his spear behind his wings prepared for me to be stabbed
with. Concurring to the aforementioned vices, I am firmly moderating myself to be
involved to people that I cannot find an inspiration from nor allowing myself to meet too
much random people in my life.

"THE KNIGHTS REFLECTION"

The Knight’s tale is a tale about this two male which said to be cousins. This tale
is also about a befitting a man of his rank and chivalric reputation, is a noble romance
about the world of chivalry. This two males named Palamon and Arcite. The code of
nobility to which knights were expected to adhere. They were amazed by the beauty of
unattainable woman from afar named Emelye. There first encounter with Emelye is that
they are literally inside the prison. They also made a promise to themselves that there
bounds are not meant to be broken in any ways and not even a girl.

However, they are prepared to squabble over Emelye and it is only Theseus’
tempering influence and the fact that they are spared execution thanks to the
intervention of the two women that ‘civilises’ their feud so they settle the matter the
‘proper’ way, via a tournament. Before the so called tournament Palamon prayed to
Venus to get the hand of Emelye, Arcite prayed to Mars for victory and Emelye prayed
to Diana that the god would give her the man who truly loves her. When the duel begins
and Arcite is about to win I think the goddess where Palamon prayed for, answered his
prayer and this is the cause of death of Arcite.

For me this story tells so much morals which whenever we prayed and ask
something from above we do expect that maybe our desires will be answered or not.
Then in this tale also signifies that promises are literally meant to be broken like what
Palamon and Arcite did. We cannot just say that we won't do such things but in the end
we were the one who broke our rules. Remember the one who put the rules is the one
who broke it. So let this tale might be lesson for us that whenever we have something
that we desire we will always think another time if this desire was really meant for us.

“The Nun’s Priest’s Tale”

A Reflective Essay

by: Richard Kien Salvador

“The Nun's Priest's Tale" is a story within "The Canterbury Tales." In this tale, a
proud and handsome rooster named Chanticleer has a disturbing dream in which he is
attacked by a fox. He believes this dream is an omen of danger. His favorite wife,
Pertelote, dismisses his fears as mere indigestion. Despite Pertelote's reassurances,
Chanticleer's dream comes true when a cunning fox tricks him into closing his eyes and
captures him.

However, the rooster uses his wit and cleverness to outsmart the fox and
ultimately escapes. One of the central themes in the tale is the concept of deception
and cunning. The fox, with its sly and manipulative nature, serves as a symbol of deceit.
Chanticleer's encounter with the fox reminds me of the dangers of underestimating the
craftiness of others. It teaches me to be vigilant and not let our guard down, especially
when flattery and deceit are involved.

Chanticleer's ability to outwit the fox demonstrates the power of clever thinking in
overcoming adversity. In the face of danger, Chanticleer uses his intelligence and quick
reasoning to escape the fox's clutches. This serves as a reminder that intelligence and
resourcefulness can be my most valuable assets in challenging situations. Chaucer's
tale also underscores the importance of trust and the potential consequences of
misplaced trust. Chanticleer's initial trust in the fox nearly leads to his downfall. This
aspect of the story serves as a cautionary tale, reminding me to be discerning in whom
we place our trust.
 A Reflective Essay

written by:

Reynaldo B. Tiquian Jr.

The Pardoner's Tale is a confessional story that depicts the hypocrisy of the
Pardoner, who preaches to his gullible parishioners about how greed is the root of all
evil, while living a greedy life himself. Furthermore, The Pardoner tells the story of three
rioters who planned to kill the thief named Death in order to avenge their friend but
ended up killing each other as a result of their greed, as well. As a result, the story
made me sad, it taught me not to fully trust people, and I learned that people are
naturally selfish.

Being a leader in a church community entails taking on the enormous

responsibility of transforming the lives of your members and advocating moral standards
based on God's word. However, in the story, the pardoner shows no concern for his
member, and even today, some church leaders preach about sin and of what and how
our lives should be, but they do not practice what they preach to themselves. This
heinous reality breaks my heart because I looked up to them and admired their
dedication as well as their devotion to God. Nonetheless, I believe that not all of them
are only concerned with money and fortune, and that the majority of God's servants are
faithful and true to their calling.

Furthermore, one of the most important takeaways from the story is not to
completely trust people. I frequently hear numerous stories about how plethora of
people are harmed, devastated, and taken advantage of because they believe in what
others say, especially their friends. Thus, I am fastidious about who I trust with. In the
story, the friendship of the three rioters ended when they discovered a fortune of gold
and planned to kill each other just to get a bigger portion. It taught me that when money
is involved, your friendship will be put to test, and if you value and honour your
friendships, there will be no harm or betrayal. Nevertheless, I am grateful to my friends
that even though there are only a few of them, I know I can trust them, and I guarantee
that our friendship will last until the end.

Finally, I believe that the most prevalent problem in our world stems from
people's selfishness. While I believe that humans are inherently selfish, some people's
selfishness is severe that they become greedy, as seen in both the pardoner and the
three rioters in the story. Taking advantage of people's faith and murdering friends for
money is unequivocally immoral, and unfortunately this is the sad reality of our lives. My
family has encountered numerous people who became envious of our minuscule
success and tried everything to bring us down, for they are greedy as well, and
deplorably, they succeeded. Nonetheless, we are slowly but steadily overcoming it and
embedding what it taught us about the dire truth of life.

In conclusion, the Pardoner's Tale mirrored the harsh reality of life. Nonetheless,
I believe that it is still up to us to decide which side we will take and what decisions and
actions we will make. Furthermore, I believe that at the end of the day, karma will follow
you, because whatever you do to others will inevitably happen to you. Lastly, let us sow
good deeds in order to reap abundant blessings.

THE WIFE OF BATH’S PROLOGUE AND TALE

Reflection Paper

Indeed that “Experience is the best teacher”. We learn from my past mistakes
and experiences because we have been there, so you were. During early centuries,
women are considered as powerless. They were deprived of rights: leading them to be
treated poorly by men and people belonging to the upper class. As a woman, I strongly
believe that every mistakes and failures we went through; we learned from it. Similar to
the Wife of bath, she was enlightened by her own faults and virtues.
In the story the Wife of Bath, I learned that being a woman is quite difficult.
Particularly in maintaining relationships with a husband or lover. We will seek something
that he could not provide. At first, I was amazed by the Wife of bath because of having
five husbands, but it is really a different story. Truly we met people by chance. I agree
that we should have power or ways on how to handle men. We must do our best as
women to fulfil what makes us happy and feel free to do anything. In my own
perception, in a relationship or marriage we must not tolerate cheating or having affairs
with multiple partners because it is a traumatic event in one’s life.
Today I discovered that, we cannot let anybody to treat us without our
consent. As women, we deserved to be loved, protected and respected at all cost. Let
those bad memories and past setbacks go away, because there is still today and
tomorrow. Everyone in this lifetime once felt neglected, and unloved, but all of the
sudden there is one person who will allow us to feel what true love is, a love such
unconditional and will truly accept us no matter who we are. Lastly, because people do
change, we chose to change as a result of our experiences and happenings in life.

Nicole P. Yoro
BSED-ENGLISH 3C

REFLECTION ON THE NUN’S PRIEST’S

PROLOGUE, TALE, AND EPILOGUE
 The Nun’s tale is a fable, a simple tale about animals that concludes with a moral
lesson. Stylistically, however, the tale is much more complex than its simple plot would
suggest. The story has a great introduction, I was drawn in as the story began because
it was written in such a nonchalant manner. Immediately I assumed that the entire story
would be about this simple widowed woman and her two young daughters. However my
thought pattern definitely changed when its tale moved subjects to the personified
Chanticleer. I also noticed that this story had a much different rhythm than Miller’s tale,
which seemed to be more rigid in a writing sense.
One very important theme in general is love and relationships. The reader can
firstly identify this theme during the beginning of the story between the widows love for
her daughter, which then transitioned to Chanticleer’s love for his seven wives. With that
said, Chanticleer also demonstrates “image of chivalry” to his wives; for example,
Chanticleer shows his wives the grain of corn in the grass is found. I would interpret this
personified event as a man pulling out the chair for a woman to sit in a dinner table.
The consistent ties to biblical scripture and miscellaneous stories told by the
narrator makes me feel happy and I really enjoyed it. For example, when Chanticleer
compared the sly fox to Judas Iscariot. I felt a sense of understanding and humour
simultaneously, from that comparison alone. In a broad sense the overall storyline of a
fox pursuing a rooster and the rooster trying to fool the fox is simple and easy to
understand; however to incorporate the somewhat complex stories and personified
animals adds an entirely new twist.
I believe that this is the precise reason why this tale is such popular tale that is
still being read even after hundreds of years since its conception. The only factors that
is disliked about this tale would be sometimes, the side stories are quite too long. Most
of the stories that the narrator rambled about were relevant and humorous, but
sometimes they seemed a little too far off topic for me. Lastly, I thought the ending of
the tale was great because the reader does not know if Chanticleer will make home
safely, leaving it on a cliffhanger. The Nun’s Priest’s also tied the story together well,
urging the audience to understand the moral.

Reflection about The Wife of Bath

The Wife of Bath is among the best well-known of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury
Tales. According to the tale, she is a strong-willed and dominant woman who herself
gets what she wants when she wants it. She is an expert in the realm of marriage and
the relationships between men and women, particularly, she has had five husbands.
She also describes her husbands and explain how was her experience with them. The
story of Wife of Bath makes the point that a marriage can only be happy if the wife
dominates the husband. This narrative may be counter to Philippine traditions; yet, I
think a man and a woman's relationship has no authority over their individual lives; they
should make decisions as one and as a family. However, it is also important for a man
to grow strong for the benefit of his family. In certain circumstances, women nowadays
tend to be the father and mother to their children, as was the case in my case. Well, it's
not an accident; it's a decision between living in pride and living in choice.

The fundamental theme of this story, as told by The Wife of Bath, is that men should
listen to their wives and give them control. From the start of the story, the women of the
court seize control of the situation, giving the knight one last chance to save his life. It is
clearly asserted, the wife of bath wanted to hold complete sovereignty over her
husband, only then can a marriage be happy. It is hard to imagine that a wife of bath
would want a man for anything besides that. The narrative telling me that I should not
have that kind of mentality, keep that in mind before entering to any relationships. It may
sound cliché but marriage is not a joke, they are not a sorts of transitory identity cards
nor happiness, it must come from constant wants and choice to build life together.

She is presented as a bold, articulate and intelligent character in the story. She is bold
in her opposition to social norms, articulate in her lengthy prologue, and intelligent in
justifying her actions. The message of the wife of bath is that women should be viewed
as equals through suggesting they wants self-sovereignty, but this also means that
women simply help their husbands and in addition to focusing on appearance, it also
suggests a desire for self-fulfillment and success in life. No one can instill what firmly
wants, but it is always a matter of choice. I like the point of the last monologue where
the knight let the old woman decide what she wants. I have many questions in life but
that reminds me, you actually hold the answers for a long time. I know what I want, what
I need, and what I should be but I keep blind on it. Life is about choice; I could not use
others just to satisfy my needs nor use them for transitory interest and goals. This
means no form of sovereignty could beat the power of faithfulness and choices you
made without using others for your own satisfaction. Be a man of choice and not for
nothing.
 A Reflection on The Canterbury Tales: The Miller’s Prologue and Tale

After reading the second story in The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chauser,
which in The Miller's Prologue and Tale, I have cognized that "The Miller's Tale" is the
story of a cunning man, Nicholas, who tricks a not-so-bright carpenter in order to get the
carpenter's wife into bed.
I think with this plot, the main use of cleverness in the story seems to be to
seduce and beguile. The same is true of the various talents the characters possess.
Nicholas uses his reputation for prophecy to play his trick, while Nicholas's romantic
rival Absolon attempts to use his various musical gifts to seduce Alison. Add to this a
lengthy exposition from John about how inquiring too much into God's secret
knowledge, can only end in ruin, and "The Miller's Tale" begins to seem like pretty
negative example for cunning and cleverness. Yet, it also seems to warn against their
opposites, it's John, the not-at-all clever carpenter who, arguably, takes the hardest
knocks in this tale.
It's always a bit of a crapshoot to try to draw a moral from Chaucer's tales, but I
think at the very least "The Miller's Tale" seems to warn us against too-smooth, too-
clever types like Nicholas, and the easy-to-get woman whose not faithful like Alison.