Lesson 2.06: The Pardoner’s Tale

Task

In this particular assignment, you will have three or more preselected group members.

Canterbury Tales is a unique poem that encompasses stories within stories. That is called a frame story. This literary technique serves as a guide to introduce the main narrative. All of the tales have prologues that introduce them and epilogues that conclude them.

Think of three to five present-day people who come from very different walks of life. For example, you may group together a bride-to-be, a football player, a computer nerd, a college professor, and a landscaper. For these individuals, you are going to write unique descriptions in rhyming coupletsIn a poem, every two lines rhyme (a,a, b,b).

Example:
I see a beautiful butterfly
fluttering around the sky.

Do you hear the honking of a goose?
I think he's angry at the moose..

Now, go to the 2.06 Collaborative Character Description Discussion to brainstorm about possible characters. Once you have your list finalized and you know which character(s) you are describing, complete the 2.06 Character Description Chart. You will need to attach the Word file and post it to your 2.06 Collaborative Character Description Discussion so that all members may contribute. Open the 2.06 Character Description Chart Rubic for guidance.

Next, think of a situation that could bring all of these unique characters together. It may be that they are forced to be together due to an emergency such as being stuck in an elevator while they were going to a wedding, or they may be delayed on an Amtrak train riding to New Orleans. You decide.

Write a story telling about these people and how they came to be together. In the story explain why they decide to pass the time by each telling one story, how will the best story be determined, and what prize the winner will get.

You will need to utilize your completed 2.06 Character Description Chart as well as the 2.06 Collaborative Character Description Discussion to collaborateto work jointly with others, especially in an intellectual endeavor with your group members about who is finished and who is still working on the poem.

The length of your poem will depend on how many characters you are describing. Remember, you are including the following in your poem:

Tell why the characters are together,
State why they decide to pass the time telling stories,
Include what the prize is for best story,
Describe each character.

Follow Chaucer’s prologue for examples.

Be sure to keep in mind appropriateness of your characters. We don’t want to have offensive or distasteful comments. We want to entertain our audience, not offend them.

When your story has been proofed, edited, and corrected, submit your final draft to the 2.06 Collaborative Character Description Dropbox. Each person in your group will need to submit the same file. Open 2.06 Character Description Chart Rubric for guidance.

Visit Proofreading at the Purdue Online Writing Lab for some tips on proofreading your story.

You are now going to write your frame story from one of the characters invented from the collaborative assignment. This will be independent work.

Write a story that is fitting for that character to tell. For example, the Pardoner was a greedy man who told his story about greed. An example for the modern day character could be from the professor’s point of view. Maybe he hates to read but he tells a tale about how important literacy is. You could even brainstorm the seven deadly sins.

Think about the important ingredients in “The Pardoner’s Tale.”

Characteristics of a Middle Age Exemplum:

Good or Evil characters
Framework follows plot
Allegory or Symbol
A Moral or Lesson

You want to brainstorm a possible exemplum for your story; then follow the framework in creating one.

Your poem will still be written in rhyming couplets. One and a half to two pages should give you plenty of length to incorporate the characteristics of an exemplum. Open the 2.06 Exemplum Rubric for guidance.

When you are finished, submit to the 2.06 Exemplum Dropbox.