The+Pardoner's+Tale

IronyPardoner's Tale: Chaucer A Frame Story from Canterbury Tales



**The Pardoner's __Job__: **
 * Licensed by the Pope to distribute indulgences in his name - __gifts__ of divine mercy to people who had truly repented for their sins.
 * People __received__ pardon or releases, from the pain of punishment for their sins
 * In return, these people could make a voluntary contribution to a church __charity__.


 * During Chaucer's Time: **
 * Pardoner's were taking advantage of this system for their own profit - offering indulgences for __money__ and claiming that the more generously one gave, the more clearly one showed true repentance.
 * They preached hair raising sermons aimed at maximizing collections, which they might pocket entirely.
 * In the Prologue, the Pardoner boasts to be such an unscrupulous man.


 * Tales that Teach: **
 *  __[|Exemplum]__ : a tale used as an example to illustrate moral truth or to make a point in an argument.
 * Lessons were embodied within entertaining stories.
 * The Pardoner uses his exemplum to heighten the impact of his sermon.

Literary Elements/ Devices used in "The Pardoner's Tale,"
 * __Personification__ : A figure of speech in which human qualities are given to an object, animal, or __idea__. ([|Examples of personification])


 * __Irony__ - the contrast between expectation and reality.
 * //Verbal irony //: exists when a person says one thing but means another
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">//<span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Situational irony //: exists when an outcome of a situation is the opposite of what someone expected.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">//<span style="color: #ff00ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Dramatic irony //: occurs when the audience or reader knows something that the characters do not know.


 * Prior to Reading: Vocabulary **
 * [|Vocabulary Practice] **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Analyzing Literature: **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">//Recall//:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">At the beginning of "The Pardoner's Tale," what are the three rioters doing?
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">What do the rioters find under the __tree__, and what do they decide to do as a result?
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">What finally happens to the rioters? How does it happen?

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">//Interpret//:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">What do the opening lines of the "The Pardoner's Tale" imply about the character of the three rioters? Why might an exemplum employ such characters?
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">What does the rioter's reaction to their discovery reveal about their __outlook__ on life?
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Near the end of the story, the narrator says, "Why make a sermon of it? Why waste breath?" What does he mean?

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">//Evaluate and Connect//:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">In "The Pardoner's Tale," the narrator uses personification to __describe__ Death. What attributes does he assign to Death? And in your experience, is this a common way that people __deal__ with the subject of death? Explain.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">In the description of the Pardoner in the "The Prologue," the narrator mentions how well the man can tell a story. Do you __agree__? Why or why not?

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">//Literary Elements//:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">In "The Pardoner's Tale," one rioter says, "We'll be brothers in this affair, and each defend the other." How is this quotation an example of verbal irony? How do you know what the character really means?
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">When the rioters find the __money__, the wickedest says that Fortune gave it so they could live happily ever after. Why is this an example of situational irony?
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">What example of dramatic irony occurs near the end of the story?

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