The Canterbury Tales How are the Canterbury Tales similar to modern stories? How would we classify them? Read the following tales and look for elements that they have in common. How would you classify these tales? How are these tales similar to the Pardoner’s Tale?

A fellow and his date pulled into their favorite “lover’s lane” to listen to the radio and make-out. The music was interrupted by an announcer who said that there was an escaped convict in the area who had served time for rape and robbery. He was described as having a hook for a right hand. The girl got very nervous and begged her boyfriend to take her home. He tried to convince her that it is no big deal, but she wouldn’t listen. Angrily he drove his date home. When they arrived at her house, he went around to open the door for her. Then he saw – a hook on the door handle!

This lady had finished her shopping, and she went back to her car with her packages. When she got to the car, there was someone sitting in the backseat. As she approached, she saw it was an old woman. She asked the women what she was doing in her car, and the woman said that she had gotten lost looking for the bus and got so tired that she just had to sit somewhere to rest, and asked if she could possibly see her way to driving her home or just to the nearest bus stop. Well, this lady was suspicious, so she said that she would be right back, and she returned to the mall and asked security of they could so something about the old women. When a security guard got to the car, they found out she wasn’t an old woman, but a man; and in her purse was a hatchet!

A young woman leaves the Ocean County Mall alone A young woman leaves the Ocean County Mall alone. While walking to her car, she keeps her eyes open and scans the parking lot. It is late and dark. She is worried about her safety. When she arrives at her car, she quickly tries to put her keys in the lock, but because of her nervousness, she drops the keys. When she bends down to pick them up, she notices a man laying under her car with a knife in his hand! She runs as quickly as possible back into the mall and calls for help. Apparently the man under her car was planning on cutting her Achilles tendons so she wouldn’t be able to run away!

What do all these tales have in common? Three young men are hanging out at a local bar discussing the recent death of one of their buddies. While expressing their anger over the passing of the youth, they decide that they are going to get revenge and are going to find Death. While looking for death… What do all these tales have in common? What would we call them?

Now for a little research! What is an urban legend? How Urban Legends Work Cautionary Tale –Zombies Ahead!

Master List of Traits for Cautionary Tales: Characters and Plots Moral Lessons Modern Fictional Stories Told as the Truth Don’t Always have Narrative Elements of Traditional Legends Funny, Shocking Stories Spread as Fact or Fiction Related to Popular Culture Happened to a Friend Horror is the Most Outstanding Passed from Person to Person – Spread Around World Variations of the Story

Now Write Your Own: Directions: With a partner (it can be the same person you worked with on your research), you must write a cautionary tale. PART 1: Pretend you are a pilgrim in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Give me your name, occupation, physical description, and class system. Also tell me how Chaucer would feel about you. (You may be a modern person, but it must be written like Chaucer wrote his) You must have at LEAST 10 lines of POETRY. Look at the way the prologue is written and follow the example using more modern language. PART 2: Once you have created your character, decide what cautionary tale you are going to tell. What lesson do you want your audience to learn? You MUST include all the traits that we listed on the previous slide. Your tale does not have to be in poem form. Use “The Pardoner’s Tale” as an example.

Grading: Prologue: Tale: Includes all Traits – 20 Well-written – 15 10 Lines – 5 pts Written in Poetic Form – 6 pts Physical Description – 6 pts Social Class – 6 pts Job Description – 6 pts Author’s Tone – 6 pts Tale: Includes all Traits – 20 Well-written – 15 Teaches a Lesson – 15 Creative - 15