A Contemporary Pilgrimage
Create a modern tale which mimics the structure and purpose of Chaucer’s tale. Write from the point of view of a contemporary traveler, heading for Baton Rouge with a group of friends and acquaintances. For your pilgrimage, you must do the following:
- Assume a persona: a football player, a teacher, a lawyer, a secretary, a person of ill repute, a construction worker, etc.. (Perhaps draw upon your own job experiences?)
- Include a PROLOGUE in which you introduce the circumstances of the journey (for our version – we are traveling by bus to Baton Rouge for Thanksgiving Break and the winner of this contest wins an all expense paid trip to Florida for a week.).
- Your tale(s) should have some moral truth, value, or advice to offer.
- Try to write in rhyming couplets, as Geoffrey Chaucer does in The Canterbury Tales.
- Edit your work before writing a final draft. You must use appropriate punctuation and grammar. Writing in verse is not an excuse to abandon mechanical accuracy.
- You will be graded on: how well you adhere to the stated criteria; imagination and creativity; skill; humor; presentation; mechanical accuracy.
As you begin to create your character, here are some things to help guide you.
Character description:
1. Name 2. Age 3. Height 4. Eye color 5. Physical appearance 6. Unique physical attributes 7. Hobbies/interests |
8. Where does he or she live? 9. Special skills/abilities 10. Family (describe) 11. Description of his or her house 12. Description of his or her bedroom 13. Favorite bands/songs/type of music 14. Favorite movies 15. Favorite TV shows |
Consider what your message is going to be: The hero is brave in deeds as well as words. Honor your father and mother. Do not kill. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife or possessions
What story can you tell that will exhibit your morals?
yall sleep