U N I T 2 : T H E M I D D L E A G E S E N G 1 2 A

Transcription

1 U N I T 2 : T H E M I D D L E A G E S E N G 1 2 A

2 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Unit Objectives Read, analyze, and interpret selections from the medieval period Identify and analyze elements of medieval poetry, including narrative poems and epic tales Identify causes and effects while analyzing the historical, social, and cultural context of the Middle Ages Write a literary analysis following the writing process Review phrases and the sentence base Texts Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales The Prologue "The Pardoner s Tale "The Wife of Bath s Tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

3 UNIT OVERVIEW You will read literary works composed during the medieval era. Chaucer's narrative poem The Canterbury Tales, which presents various figures of medieval English society and the tales they tell while traveling on a long journey Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a narrative poem based on the legends of King Arthur and his court. You will analyze literary elements such as: Character Narrator s Voice and Perspective Tone You will examine the historical, social, and cultural climate of the Middle Ages by identifying causes and effects. You will use the writing process to write a literary analysis about one of the pilgrims who are voyaging to Canterbury for your Portfolio. This process involves a an outline and a final draft.

4 UNIT ASSIGNMENTS Discussion (U2L4) DROPPED Portfolio (U2L7 & L12) Writing a literary analysis Outline due lesson 7 Final draft due lesson 12 Unit Test Study Guide Posted on the class website

5 What is an Allegory? The Canterbury Tales is an allegory. A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning. Usually a moral or political meaning. Example: A Pilgrim s Progress is an allegory of the spiritual journey.

6 THE CANTERBURY TALES THE PROLOGUE What is a prologue? An introductory part of a discourse, poem, or novel. In The Prologue, the speaker introduces the characters who will be going with him on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. Keep track of the characters by making notes about their character traits and completing the Characterization chart. THE PARDONER S TALE The Pardoner begins his tale by explaining that he tells this story when he really wants to make some money. His tale is about three greedy rioters who go looking for vengeance against Death. As a result of their greed and treachery, they all meet their own deaths. Your literary analysis will be on this portion of The Canterbury Tales. Please pay close attention to this story. TAKE NOTES!

7 THE CANTERBURY TALES THE WIFE OF BATH S TALE Narrated by the Wife of Bath, who considers herself very skilled at manipulating men. Married five times, she has grown rich from her previous husbands' wealth. Despite women's inferior position in medieval society, she has also learned how to get and keep the upper hand in marriage. The Wife of Bath's tale, like the Pardoner's, presents a moral lesson. SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT Written by an anonymous poet in the 1300s, refers to the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. King Arthur's nephew, the noble Sir Gawain, accepts a dangerous challenge from a mysterious stranger. The quest that follows leads to numerous tests of Gawain's courage and honor.

8 UNIT 2 PORTFOLIO: LITERARY ANALYSIS Goals: In this task, you are to demonstrate your ability to Construct analytical paragraphs that include strong topic sentences supported by well-selected concrete detail evidence and developed with a thoughtful, analytical commentary. Establish an engaging introduction that provides an objective overview of the text before establishing a thesis statement the essay will go on to analyze. Compose a strong conclusion that reviews, makes connections, draws conclusions, and brings your essay to a convincing close. Follow the rules and conventions of standard American English and MLA formatting. Task:You will be writing a literary analysis essay discussing the characterization of the pilgrims who journey to Canterbury in The Prologue of The Canterbury Tales. Your essay will be a 5-paragraph, double-spaced essay. Make sure that you have a strong thesis statement at the end of your introduction and clear topic sentences in each body paragraph.

9 Prompt: The description of each pilgrim provides insight into not only the characters, but also medieval culture and the view Chaucer has about the culture. Choose one character from The Prologue to analyze, focusing specifically on: Your character s traits - qualities, motivation, flaws (first body paragraph) How your character reflects medieval culture (second body paragraph) Chaucer s opinion about the culture through your character (third body paragraph) UNPACK THE PROMPT

10 CHOOSE ONE CHARACTER FROM THE PROLOGUE TO ANALYZE Your character s traits - qualities, motivation, flaws (first body paragraph) How your character reflects medieval culture (second body paragraph) Chaucer s opinion about the culture through your character (third body paragraph) You will use the characterization chart to keep track of your notes.

11 CHARACTERIZATION Characterization refers to the techniques a writer used to develop characters. In The Prologue, Chaucer offers a vivid portrait of English society during the Middle Ages. Some of the way Chaucer characterizes the pilgrims include: Description of a character s appearance Examples of a character s speech, thoughts, and actions The responses of others to a character The narrator s direct comments about a character As you read, look for details that reveal the character traits, or consistent qualities, of each pilgrim.

12 Keep track of your character s appearance, clothing, actions, your own thoughts and the narrator's thoughts Use the chart to keep track of FOUR characters. When you write the essay, you will choose the ONE you have the most in-depth information about.

13 THESIS: THE ANSWER TO THE PROMPT What is our prompt? The description of each pilgrim provides insight into not only the characters, but also medieval culture and the view Chaucer has about the culture. Choose one character from The Prologue to analyze, focusing specifically on : Your character s traits - qualities, motivation, flaws (first body paragraph) How your character reflects medieval culture (second body paragraph) Chaucer s opinion about the culture through your character (third body paragraph)

14 HOW TO WRITE YOUR THESIS Pick a character. Thesis should be one sentence at the end of your introduction. It should mention (without going into great detail) what you plan to discuss i.e appearance, how the character reflects medieval culture and Chaucer's opinion about the culture A thesis is a direct statement that explains the topic of your essay, what you believe about that topic, and why you believe it. A thesis statement is made up of three parts: Topic: Identify what you are talking about. When writing a literary thesis, this will be the title of literature and the author. Claim: What do you believe about the topic based on the question or prompt? Direction: What are the 3 main reasons you can support your claim? This will basically outline the body paragraphs of your essay. In a literary essay, you will need specific examples from the text to support each reason. Identification of Topic (title and author) + Claim (belief about topic) + Direction (reason 1, reason 2, and reason 3)

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17 PROMPT WRITE A THESIS The description of each pilgrim provides insight into not only the characters, but also medieval culture and the view Chaucer has about the culture. Choose one character from The Prologue to analyze, focusing specifically on: Your character s traits - qualities, motivation, flaws (first body paragraph) How your character reflects medieval culture (second body paragraph) Chaucer s opinion about the culture through your character (third body paragraph) Identification of Topic (title and author) + Claim (belief about topic) + Direction (reason 1, reason 2, and reason 3) In The Prologue of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer illustrates the character (character name) through their traits, as being a reflection of the medieval culture, and Chaucer s opinion about the medieval culture.

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19 Your character s traits - qualities, motivation, and flaws Only use The Canterbury Tales for a source. No outside sources How your character reflects medieval culture Chaucer s opinion about the culture through your character

20 C I TAT I O N NEED: Quote must be in quotation marks. Author s name and page number where the quote was found in the textbook in parenthesis. Sentence punctuation goes AFTER the citation. Quote goes here (Chaucer 435).

21 QUESTIONS? Always start by going to the Class Website Use the 3B4Me policy to see if you might answer your own questions first. Contact me! Call, text, WebMail, or book an appointment