Geoffrey Chaucer presents a realistic portrayal of the medieval period in The Canterbury Tales. These details are especially accurate of the pilgrimages to Canterbury and the types of people who made them. Whether the character and its description are based on actual historic figures, then being called individuals, or are more general portrayals, types, they give the reader a genuine idea of the medieval society. Chaucer displays several aspects of this society: a range of classes or groups; different occupations; medieval dress of various types of people; the condition of the Church (mainly in his opinion).
It can be understood which characters he sees as particularly good or bad from his use of satirical irony towards the dislikes. The combination of description and opinion creates a realistic depiction.
The many occupations include a Knight, a Squire, and a Yeoman of the feudal group. There are also a Nun, a Monk, a Friar, a Pardoner, and a Summoner of the ecclesiastical order. And of the urban group, a Merchant, an Oxford Cleric, a Sergeant at the Law, a Franklin, a Haberdasher, a Dyer, a Carpenter, a Weaver, a Cook, a Skipper, a Doctor, a Woman from Bath, a Parson, a Plowman, a Reeve, a Miller, a Manciple, and a Host. Each is identified in a unique way. The Knight, for example, is described as a distinguished warrior who is unexpectedly modest, wearing dirty clothing, reused after many battles whereas the Yeomans weapons and tools are described as being well equipped for the forest. Comments are made to display the corruption of the Church in each passage concerning the clergy: the Nun is only attempting to act like a loving person; the Monk enjoys hunting and eating a fat swan roasted whole more than he should; the Friar is the finest beggar of his batch.
The Essay on Small Group Communication
Small Group Communication in the Elementary Classroom The definition of a small group is a group having at least three and no more than fifteen members ( Borchers). At least three members are necessary to keep the group from being a dyad and a maximum of fifteen members is important to avoid inhibition of the group members ability to freely communicate with fellow group members (Borchers). It is ...
The Skippers personality is what is told about him, and a past event of making prisoners walk the plank is mentioned to support Chaucers claim that the Skipper is a cruel man. The Cooks skills are described with the end note that it would be disgusting to eat the food of a dirty man with an ulcer on his knee. Each character is told of in a way to give Chaucers message or opinion about that individual or those types of people in the medieval age. Chaucer explains everything about the social status of the medieval age that can be explained or implied with the description of characters. He gives an example of a knight of England, describes the dress of certain occupations, notes some positions that were despised at the time, and, most obviously, criticizes the corruption of and a lack of devotion in the Church and the clergy. By describing twenty-six pilgrims, Chaucer tells us that many people of diverse personalities and backgrounds set out on journeys to Canterbury but most were far from having a devotion to their religion.
