The Canterbury Tales

1. The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer

2. The Medieval Period Make a list of all the things you know or think you know about the Medieval Period, otherwise known as the Middle Ages.

3. Chaucer Review: List at least three details that you learned yesterday about Geoffrey Chaucer.

4. Paraphrase Instructions: One way to understand old texts like The Canterbury Tales is to paraphrase, or restate complex sentences in your own words. When you paraphrase text, you make it simpler and easier to comprehend.

5. Paraphrase Instructions cont’d: On your own paraphrase your assigned line numbers. Share you paraphrase with your group members. As a group, create a three-sentence summary of lines 1-42 of “The Prologue.” Sign your names to the summary to show that you agree with what was written.

6. Characterization: The process by which a writer reveals the personality of a character.

7. Characterization: • Two methods: • Indirect characterization • Direct characterization

8. Indirect Characterization: • 1. Physical description of the character • “She wore a blue gingham dress, rimmed at throat and shoulders with a white edging that accentuated her tan…she was arrestingly beautiful.” (Description of Judy in “Winter Dreams”)

9. Indirect Characterization: • 2. Presentation of the character’s own actions, words, thoughts, and feelings • “I’m more beautiful than anybody else,…why can’t I be happy?” (Judy in “Winter Dreams)

10. Indirect Characterization: • 3. Presentation of the actions, words, thoughts, and feelings of other characters in relation to that person. • “My God, she’s a good-looking girl!” “Good-looking! She always looks as if she wanted to be kissed! Turning those big cow-eyes on every calf in town.” (Mr. Sandalwood and Mr. Hedrick talking about Judy in “Winter Dreams”)

11. Direct Characterization: • 1. The narrator’s own direct comments about that character. • “Whatever Judy wanted, she went after with the full pressure of her charm…She simply made men conscious to the highest degree of her physical loveliness.” (Narrator’s comments about Judy in “Winter Dreams”)

12. Characterization Chart Copy the following chart into your notes and leave room to add to it.

13. The Humors Write a paragraph identifying which humor(s) is/are most prevalent in you and explaining why you believe this is so.

14. The Humors Add the humors to your Characterization Chart for the Knight, the Squire, the Yeoman, and the Prioress. This can be written under the name.

15. Narrator The character or voice that relates the story’s events to the reader.

16. Point of View The perspective from which events in a story or novel are told.

17. 1st Person Point of View The narrator is a character in the work who tells everything in his or her own words. Use pronouns I, me, and my.

18. 3rd Person Point of View The narrator is a voice outside of the action, not one of the characters Use pronouns he, she, and they.

19. 3rd Person Omniscient Point of View The narrator is an all-knowing, objective observer. Stands outside the action and reports what different characters are thinking. Use pronouns he, she, and they.

20. 3rd Person Limited Point of View The narrator stands outside the action and focuses on one character’s thoughts, observations, and feelings. Use pronouns he, she, and they.

21. “The Prologue” Which type of point of view is used in “The Prologue?” How do you know?

22. The Seven Deadly Sins 1. Pride: excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.

23. The Seven Deadly Sins 2. Envy: the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation. 3. Gluttony: an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.

24. The Seven Deadly Sins 4. Lust: an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body. 5. Anger: manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath.

25. The Seven Deadly Sins 6. Greed: the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness. 7. Sloth: the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.

26. Add the Seven Deadly Sins to your character charts. Use what you know about the characters to determine which sin or sins they have.

27. The Seven Virtues • Humility: being humble or having a modest opinion of one’s own importance. • Worked against Pride. • Kindness: being kind; showing compassion • Worked against Envy. • Abstinence: self-restraint or self-denial. • Worked against Gluttony.

28. The Seven Virtues 4. Chastity: being chaste or pure; virginity. • Worked against Lust. 5. Patience: being patient; not losing one’s temper at an annoyance. • Worked against Anger.

29. The Seven Virtues 6. Liberality: being liberal in giving; generous. • Worked against Greed. 7. Diligence: steady and earnest effort to accomplish a task. • Worked against Sloth.

30. Do any of the characters have one of the Virtues? If so, add it to the chart.

31. Answer the following question: Give at least 3 examples of indirect characterization found on a standard Facebook page.

32. Prompt: Write a sentence using at least two of the vocab words.

33. Prompt: • How do you think Chaucer feels about the Cook?

34. Prompt: • What do you like or dislike about your character and why?

35. Prompt: What distinguishes the characters Chaucer likes from those he doesn’t like?

36. Exit Ticket: Do you think there are people today who are similar to the characters in the “Prologue?” Why or why not?

37. Prompt: What elements does a story/tale have to contain in order for you to think it is good? Why are these elements necessary?

38. Paired Paraphrase 1. Choose a partner. 2. Working together, paraphrase lines 810-821. Remember, we are paraphrasing, not summarizing. 3.When you are done, choose one other pair. Share your paraphrases and come to a consensus on which you believe is the best.

39. Exit Ticket: What two elements does the Host set forth as the basis for the “best” tale? Do you agree or disagree? Why?

40. Prompt: What is irony?

41. Exit Ticket: What new information did you learn today? How does it apply to your life?

42. Prompt: What were the two elements that the Host said a good story has to have?

43. Exit Ticket: Which characters are virtuous and which are evil? How do you know?