Brit Lit Gallery: Chaucer's "Prologue" Updated

[Gary Anderson]

 

  

 

Choose a pilgrim described in Chaucer's "Prologue" from The Canterbury Tales.  Then choose one of the following approaches for providing an updated version of that pilgrim.

 

 

Option A:  Choose a contemporary figure from pop or political culture who reminds you of your chosen pilgrim.  Include a graphic (photo, video, something else) and a juicy paragraph telling why the person you chose matched up with the pilgrim.

Option B:  Choose a contemporary actor or actress who you think is perfect to play your chosen pilgrim in an epic movie of The Canterbury Tales.   Include a graphic (photo, video, something else) and a juicy paragraph telling why the actor or actress you chose matched up with the pilgrim.

Your writing should be your best standard, informal English.  In other words, use your shift key to capitalize some letters and avoid "text-speak." 

Go.

Due:  Midnight on Tuesday, April 9.

[Jaci Caras]

The present day person I could best compare the pardoner to would be Bernard Madoff. These men see greed and money as sources that fuel their lives and motives. The pardoner told all of his victims that “money is the root of all evil,” in an effort to convince them to give it up to him instead. Bernard Madoff did something more or less similar by attempting a Ponzi scheme, where he would take investors’ money and use it for himself instead of investing it. Both the pardoner and Bernard Madoff have care little, or not at all about the people who they have duped. The pardoner says that he doesn’t care about whom he sells pardons to because he doesn’t care about whether they live or die, he just wants their money. Bernard Madoff is similar in the way that he has been accused of being a sociopath, which means that he is and anti-social who lacks moral responsibility and social consequence. This, in turn, makes it okay in his mind to takes people’s money with no remorse, just as the pardoner did.

[Ben P. Perkins]

The best actor that can take the role of the Monk would have to be Philip Seymour Hoffman. I always saw Hoffman as a selfish, unruly character in all the movies that he starred in. I feel like he would be able to play the role of the monk because of his somewhat sizable body type, unattractive looks, and the way he handles himself on film. The monk is this pilgrim who loves to hunt, eat a great amount of food, does not pray as often as most monks do, and chooses not to follow the oldest traditions of monk-ship. I can just imagine the scene where Chaucer is speaking with this monk (Hoffman) and he is just sitting there looking abnormally plump and eating food while bragging about his skill in hunting and how he is a "rebel" by not following the old traditions and sticking with the present.

 

 

Another reason I would consider Hoffman in this role is because he has played as a priest in the movie "Doubt". In this film, the priest is being accused by a fellow nun of molesting the boy students in the catholic school. Hoffman already has the experience of portraying a religious character in a movie so this would also improve the chances of creating a better character for the monk.

 

 

[Haewook Lee]

A contemporary figure that reminds me of the Pardoner is Ronald McDonald.  The silly, goofy, always smiling Ronald McDonald is the primary mascot of McDonalds.  In commercials or other advertisements, he appear to be having fun around kids and many kids like him in return.  In reality, however, he does not care about kids at all.  He doesn't care if they are happy or not because all he wants to get is money off of them.  If Ronald McDonald did care about the kids he would have stopped them from eating McDonalds becasue McDonalds' foods are not healthy, and may lead to obesity and/or health issues.  However, because Roald McDonald doesn't care about the kids, he is urging them to eat junk foods.  Also, like the Pardoner, he thinks he is at least making the children happy by providing greasy foods for them to enjoy.  He does think that he is doing good just like the Pardoner thinking he is giving comfort to those people who thinks they are forgiven of their sins from the fake relics he sell.  Both characters, the Pardoner, and Ronald McDonald think they are doing good but they also know that they do not care about others, they just want the money from them. 

[Haley Bohl]

The person I could see as being the Franklin would be James Garner. They are both sweet old men who would open their homes to any one. To me James Garner just seems like the grandfather type that you could go to and he would help you with everything. They both seem to live in the pursuit of pleasure. Maybe because they have live through hard stuff so they see the good in the little things. In the story it says how the Franklin had his house set with the finest china all the time and i can see James being like that. he seems as though he would treat everyone with respect and the parts he always plays are the fatherly type.

[Mercedes Kemp]

 The present day person I would compare the Franklin to would be Betty white. Betty reminds me of this sweet old lady who had alot of success in her life and she is just now rekaxing and living her life to the fullest. She also donates alot of money to charities like the Franklin is  very hospitable. She also seems like she dresses in the best clothes and has all the finest items. The Franklin dresses nice and his clothes were always trimmed, he also had the finest food and wine. The Franklin also was honored with many awards as was Betty was honored with many award for her acting in her carrer. The Franklin had a white beard and Betty white has white hair, so this also reminds me of her.

 

[Kathleen Mackenzie Mayo]

Jim Carrey is my favorite actor, and I think he could play any of the roles with enthusiasm and humor like no other. If I had to choose one I would say he would be the best as the Shipman/Skipper. Jim brings a lot of energy to his rolls and forwards that energy towards his audience whether in comedy or drama. I choose the Shipman because he seems like one of the more animated of the group. He also fits Jim's persona, a festive and mischievous man. Jim would do a good job at bringing a subtle humor to the epic even if he were directed to be more dramatic rather than his usual comedy routine. Knowing Jim, he'd find a way to bring a smile to your face no matter how small.

[Erick Hernandez]

Will smith is like the Parson, in the Canterbury tales. Will smith has a very famous actor career. In some of the movies that he has done, he has to play the role of a good man, and sometimes a bad/brave man. Like  the Parson is a good person he helps the others to get salvation. Will Simth has donated money to charities that shows that He is a noble person that cares about others like the Parson.  Will Smith has a talented career as a actor because he has work hard all his life to be what he is right now. Like the Parson on the Canterbury tales he is a hard worker, he like to get his money the right way not like the Monk and the friar they just like to make money and have fun. Will Smithwill be the perfect person to  represent the Parson in a move. They have lots of things in common.

[Paige Smaha]

Chris Gardner, who's story is featured in The pursuit of Happyness, is a man who went from rags to riches through hard work and determination.  Chris Gardner relates to the Franklin because they are both nice, happy, generous people.  He is generous because even in the hardest times when he was homeless and didn't know what he was going to do next, he always made sure his son was happy and always made sure he was fed and content before himself.  He eventually became a wealthy man after many long hours of hard work.  Now he is donating his money to various charities and organizations to help individuals who are struggling to make ends meet.  The Franklin is generous because he is hospitable and offers his food and wine for anybody to come and share it with him.  He always willing to open his house up even to anybody and share his wealth in food.  

 

 

[Amy Bidstrup]

Emeril Lagasse reminds me of the cook because he's a famous chef and can make really good food like the cook can in the Prologue. While we were reading the section that introduces the chef, I automatically thought of Emeril in my head. The chef was very talented in the art of cooking and so is Emeril. People liked the chef's cooking even though his flaw was that he had an ulcer on his knee. Maybe if the chef were alive today he'd have his own TV show like Emeril.

[Ahnna Yoo]

 

 

The description of the Franklin made me think of Santa Claus. The Franklin is described as, happy, enjoys pleasure of food and his life, and he is also generous. Santa is happy to see children being good and he is generous because he gives children presents during Christmas. Franklin also likes to eat sweets, and on Christmas Eve, Santa is known for his consumption of milk and cookies that children left for him to eat as he leaves. He works hard all year deciding which kid was good or bad, and enjoys what he does. He then gives others happiness by the awesome presents, like the Franklin does to make others around him happy.

[Bernice M. Heiderman]

Helena Bonham Carter would have to  play the Wife of Bath in The Canterbury Tales. It seems that a lot of  the characters Helena Bonham Carter has played are strange and promiscuous. When she played Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd she was very convincing as a conniving, heartless and cold woman.  As the wife of Bath is both a world traveler and skilled in the art of seduction she would have to be portrayed by a very talented actress.  Ms. Carter is both worldly in her looks and sexy enough to be believable as the Wife of Bath.  At the same time she is very easy to identify with - she could be a regular person.  Helena Bonham Carter could create the Wife of Bath and twist her character so well, she is perfect for the role.

[Callie VanDeVelde]

In the Canterbury Tales, the Nun is described as a person who should be perfect and tries very hard to be but as hard and she works to be perfect, she has faults. her charater reminds me of Lindsay Lohan. Lindsay Lohan started off her career by starring in Parent Trap and other kid freindly and positive movies. She had such potential to become a star that everyone admired her and thought only good things about her until they realized that she had a lot of problems under her surface. Lohan has gone to rehab nore than once for alcohol and drug use, been arrested many times, gotten a DUI, and there were rumors of her stealing expensive items more than once. The Nun and Lohan remind me of each other because they both came off as well respected people, but under that they were both lacking qualities that made them who they are supposed to be.