1. Outline and First Paragraph
Research Paper
Outline and First Paragraph

2. Where to begin your outline?
Start with your thesis.

3. Although Beowulf names Wiglaf his successor before he dies at the end of the epic, the reader sadly realizes that Wiglaf will be unable to match Beowulf’s heroic status.
His family background
His courage
His strength
His generosity/concern for others
His leadership
His legacy

4. Strong women in Chaucer’s life Physical description
Although during the Middle Ages women were often treated as second-class citizens, Geoffrey Chaucer in his Canterbury Tales creates very memorable female characters. With both The Wife of Bath and The Prioress, Chaucer describes assertive and domineering women who defy the expectations of his readers.
Strong women in Chaucer’s life
Physical description
Occupation (weaver/ nun)
Control over men
Defiance of expectations/breaking the rules
Contrasted with male characters
The start of feminist literature?

5. A. Avoid greed: “The Pardoner’s Tale”
Teaching morality through stories is a time-honored practice. From Aesop’s fables through the parables of the Bible to the morality plays of the Middle Ages, writers use stories to reinforce society’s values. In his Canterbury Tales, Chaucer enforces morals through “The Pardoner’s Tale,” “The Physician’s Tale,” and “The Reeve’s Tale.”  
A literary tradition
Morals
A. Avoid greed: “The Pardoner’s Tale”
B. Live and die honorably” “The Physician’s
Tale”
C. Control Lust” “The Reeve’s Tale”
III. Other morals (sins) touched on in the C.T.