Merchants Tale - Marriage Essay Example for Free

Merchants Tale Marriage Essay Geoffrey Chaucers presentation of marriage throughout The Canterbury Tales is, indeed, varied, abstract and supplemented by dispute over the sincerity of specific works. This literary inconsistency is strongly evident in The Merchants Tale, making it essential to address the disparity of its message on the topic of marriage. It could initially be assumed that the poem is not solely a cynical attack on marriage; Chaucer offers a somewhat objective overview of the issue, purveyed by the obvious difference in opinion of its characters, for example; the merchant in the prologue we wedded men live in sorwe and care1 and Januaries opinion in this world it [marriage] is a paradis2 or the differing judgements of both Justinus it is no childes pley3 and Placebo Dooth now in this matiere right as yow leste4 after Januaries consultation with them. By addressing the fact that the message fluctuates it could be argued that Chaucer offers multiple compatible interpretations. Should we interpret the opinion of Placebo in the same way as we should Justinus, or do the subsequent events of the Tale prove to us that we should primarily concern ourselves with the view of the more reasoned, objective character the name Justinus implies a judicial figure? Concerning an answer to the question, it is also important to address the relationship between Januarie and May, and the following cuckolding. Is it more a cynical attack on adultery than that of marriage? The fundamental basis for investigating the status of marriage in The Merchants Tale is to address the initial opinion of the merchant in the Prologue, and the subsequent irony at the beginning of the Tale. Chaucer directs the poem through the narration of the merchant, who has a clear cynical attitude towards his wife (in reaction to The Clerks Tale and patient Griselda), though not overly marriage in general: Thogh the feend to hire ycoupled were, She would him overmacche5 Here, he specifically links his wife with the devil, that she would defeat him if they were they coupled. He goes as far as demonising his wife and presenting her in an evil, even heretic manner. This is in stark contrast to his later comment, for who kan be so buxom as a wyf? 6, which emphasises the inconsistency of thought throughout the poem. The idea of a woman having dominance over a potent figure can be related to Mays apparent supremacy over Januarie and the Tale as a whole: And every signe that she koude make, Wel bet than Januarie, hir owene make7 She manipulates Januarie in the garden in a similar manner to the serpent (the devil) in Genesis, suggesting that May has crafty, cunning and stealthy attributes relative to a snake. Januarie is blind to her cunning in both a literal sense and a moral sense as Adam is initially to the serpents influence. Januarie is manipulated by his wife as Adam is by his. Chaucer also refers to the realisation of sin, as with Adam, Januarie becomes aware of nakedness with the literal return of his sight, viewing his wife, May, actively engaging in a sinful act of adultery with Damyan, further linking wyfs with the devil. These religious connotations and the vivid sensitive view of cuckolding (and adultery) suggest the Tale is providing a cynical attack on marriage for a clerical purpose. When this is related to Januaries ambiguous, yet seemingly devout, reasons for taking a wife it can still be believed that Chaucer is addressing a particularly religious theme, albeit this should be addressed with caution when consulting the merchants narration:

A lesson from a truck driver :: essays research papers

A Lesson from a Truck Driver   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This story is about a lesson that my friends and I learned from a truck driver. It was a fine day when two of my best friends and I were walking home from school. We were in second grade and just immature as everybody else in our age. As we were walking on the sidewalk I found a big sucker on the ground. I wanted to have some fun and told one of my friends, Junghee, that if he is brave enough, he could throw that sucker and hit a car driving by. He hesitated for a while and I started to make fun of him for being such a chicken. I could see that he was about to do what I asked him to, but he was still hesitating, afraid of getting in a trouble. I said,  ¡Ã‚ °Come on, I throw small rocks at cars all the time. You will be just fine. And what else the driver is going to do, huh? They are not going to stop and run after us. And even if they do, we can still run away from them. We are pretty fast. ¡Ã‚ ± He agreed with me and he threw the sucker high in the air. I di dn ¡Ã‚ ¯t see any car coming at that very moment, but within a second, a loud noise startled my ears when the sucker hit this blue truck ¡Ã‚ ¯s windshield. The truck driver kept going for a second so I thought nothing was going to happen. However, he suddenly hit the brake and stopped in front of the police station. The first thing I had in my mind was that he was going to go into the police station and tell the police officer what we did, and that ¡Ã‚ ¯s what scared me for a second. Fortunately he did not go into the police station. In spite of going into the police station, he looked at us and started running toward us. That ¡Ã‚ ¯s when I said,  ¡Ã‚ °Run! ¡Ã‚ ±   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We started running towards our apartment area, which was about 1000 meters away from the police station. I turned back when we were running, and saw that man ¡Ã‚ ¯s mad face. His face was so red that I thought he was totally drunk. As soon as I reached the main entrance of our apartment, my friend and I hid behind the trees and bushes. However, Junghee was a little bit behind us.

Road to Civil War

Road to the Civil War Joshua Douglas Axia College University of Phoenix It seems the United States is always at war. Our founding fathers fought the British for freedom and the Indians for land. Colonist fought each other for rights to land to grow their crops. Slaves fought for freedom and independence in this new country they were forced to live in. Slave owners fought for the right to keep their slaves so they could profit from their work. Women fought for their rights to be equal, to work outside the home and to vote.The North and the South fought each other in a Civil War for their rights to own slaves and to outlaw slaves. Why are wars important? The impact of war may seem negative at time. The loss of life and resources is tragic but many times the outcome of the war moved the United States forward shaping her into the country she is today. Tobacco was the crop to grow. It grew successfully and was in demand. In 1620, the demand for tobacco reached an all time high and the pri ces of products in Europe rose. Many people from Europe were out of jobs and unable to afford the things they needed to survive and take care of their families.Many left Europe and traveled across the continent to the United States where they thought they would be able to survive. Many of the immigrants arrived in Chesapeake looking for work. They were called indentured slaves and were required to work a certain number of years. Most indentured slaves did not live their entire term due to hunger, disease and the general conditions and abuse they were put under. This was the starting point of slavery. The boom in tobacco was sure to end at some point. During these times, the economy rose and fell on a whim.Indeed, in the1630’s and 1640’s the tobacco boom settled down. Virginia became a more social and political state. Wealthy settlers rose to political offices. They formed militias and defenses to govern their parishes. Since tobacco had become less profitable, the slav es were not worked as hard. This allowed many slaves to survive long enough to finish their indentures. Once they had done this, many slaves started working as hired hands on the plantations. Many saved their money and eventually they were able to buy their own land and become independent planters making their own profits.The economy swung back up in the years following the War of 1812. A domestic market emerged cutting off complete dependence on world trade. Many inventors also emerged with products that would make Americans more efficient and would help produce more products. Eli Whitney was one such inventor. He invented the cotton gin which removed sticky seeds from the lint. This was a huge success. Slaves were now able to clean more cotton per day which caused the cotton production to grow in the lower south. By 1840 the South produced a large portion of the world’s cotton supply.The rise in industries also helped the transportation circuit to grow by creating railroads to transport goods quickly. The economy was great but there were still issues regarding slavery and human rights. Women started speaking out about their rights such as working outside the home. Abolitionist emerged and started also speaking out about slavery. Many Southern colonists like their slaves. They were able to produce large quantities of crops quicker because they had so many people working the fields. They profited and were wealthy. Slaves allowed them to live the lifestyle of the wealthy.Many Northern colonists did not agree with slavery. Slavery was wrong and went against the very grain of what this country was founded on. The country was clearly starting to divide over these issues. The Dred Scott decision in 1857 was a major turning point on the road to the Civil War. Dred Scott was a slave that lived in Missouri. His master had taken him to live in Illinois which was a free state. Eventually the owner returned to Missouri which was not a free state. Dred Scott sued f or his freedom stating he went to live in a free state thus making him free and he should remain free.The case went to the Supreme Court. The court was made up of two northern judges and five southern judges. In the end, the ruling was 7 to 2 that Scott should remain a slave. Roger Taney of Maryland was a member of the Supreme Court. He was one of the judges that voted in favor of Dred Scott remaining a slave. He felt that African Americans were not and would never be a citizen of the United States and he made his opinion known. Around the country, the reaction to the decision varied. Many Southern colonists were happy with the decision.They wanted to keep their slaves and continue to profit off them and live the life of a wealthy man. While many Northern colonist felt this was unconstitutional. The Constitution of the United States was founded on the idea of freedom for all, not just a selected few. The result of this decision had a huge impact on the South. The decision spurred th em to action. In 1861, South Carolina seceded from the Union and the rest of the South followed splitting the North from the South. The Civil War now loomed on the horizon. The Civil War was a significant part of the United States history.Our founding fathers traveled across the continent from Europe to the Americas. They were looking for a new life, freedom from an opposing ruler and oppression from the social classes. Many early colonists had died in this pursuit of freedom. The survivors kept soldiering on, continuing to explore this new land and bargain with the Indians and other countries that had laid siege to different territories. Many wars were fought in this pursuit of freedom. These events, however unfortunate they might be, started shaping our country into what it is today.Had the men and the women in this country just set back and did nothing, where would we be today? What would this country be like? The Civil War and the result of the outcome of the Civil War turned ou t to be one of the most instrumental parts of our history. Many men and women died in the pursuit of freedom and equality that allows us to enjoy the freedoms and rights we have today. References: Davidson, J. , Gienapp, W. , Heyrman, C. , Lytle, M. , & Stoff, M. (2006). Nation of nations: A concise narrative of the American Republic (4th ed. ). Boston: McGraw Hill.

The Humanistic Theory Of Humanistic And Behaviorist

Professor and Classmates: In discussing two of the chosen theories, I made my decision to choose Humanistic and Behaviorist. In the Humanistic Theory, people are often looked upon as to handling their lives and actions, and they have the freedom and will to change their attitudes and behavior. Two important humanistic theorists and psychologists were, Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. Abraham Maslow was a psychotherapist, considered the founder of the humanist movement in psychology. He examined the human experience by looking at the things that are most important to us: love, hope, faith, spirituality, individuality, and existence. One of the most crucial aspects of this theory is that to reach the most highly developed state of consciousness and realize the greatest potential, an individual must discover his true purpose in life and pursue it. Maslow refers to this ultimate state of being as self-actualization. His famous Hierarchy of Needs, which is often drawn as a pyramid, positions the most basic needs at the base of the pyramid and each of the other essential requirements for a fulfilled life in the groups at the top of the pyramid. (The Psychology Book.) 2012. In reading our class textbook I got a very clear understanding of all of this and I love how it was worded by the authors, â€Å"Maslow defines the self-actualized person as one who becomes what he or she is capable of being.† (Isbell, R., Raines, S. C.) 2012. Carl Rogers was a humanistic psychologistShow MoreRelatedThe Five Basic Principles Of Humanistic Education1318 Words   |  6 Pages 1. There are five basic principles of humanistic education. First principle is learners should be able to select what they want to learn (Principles, n.d.). Humanistic practitioners believe that students are motivated to learn and if the subject is something they need and want to know. 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Over the years there are many schools of thoughts in psychology that has developed, that are in addition to the main eight which are structuralism, functionalism, rationalism, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, humanistic psychology, Gestalt psychology, and Cognitive Psychology. . The first school of thought, structuralism was endorsed by WilhelmRead MoreEssay And Peer Reflection : Personality Theory781 Words   |  4 PagesPersonality Theory A.J. Molina LeTourneau University â€Æ' Essay and Peer Reflection: Personality Theory Introduction Humanistic Psychology presents insight into understanding human behavior by delving into the individualistic view of each person. The importance of self-actualization infects the Western culture so psychologists need to have an understanding of individuals in order to counsel those who seek counseling. What is it? Humanistic Psychology arose during the 1950’s. The humanistic approach in