Education Standards
"The Prologue" to The Canterbury Tales as a Model for a Student Writing Activity
Overview
Students will read “The Prologue” to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, examine Chaucer’s use of heroic couplets, figurative language, and tone, review types of poetical foot and meter, and write a narrative poem modeled after Chaucer’s “Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales.
Overview
This lesson/activity does not include a link to "The Prologue." This lesson/activity is created with the idea that the teacher is utilizing a traditional classroom textbook as the source for the text of a modern English version of "The General Prologue" to the Canterbury Tales.
The student instructions for the Modern Day Prologue writing activity are written as if student groups have already been established. This writing activity can also be completed as an individual writing assignment.
I did not include a time schedule for completing the task. In the past I have assigned the writing activity after reviewing "The Prologue." As we continue with the whole class reading and review of selected tales from The Canterbury Tales, a portion of that class time is allotted for individual and group work on the Modern Day Prologue writing assignment.
Students will read “The Prologue” from The Canterbury Tales, examine Chaucer’s use of heroic couplets, figurative language, and tone, review types of poetic foot and meter, and write a narrative poem modeled after “The Prologue.”
Before Reading “The Prologue”
Before reading “The Prologue” go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm2in7KHmjk The Canterbury Tales – General Prologue Video Summary to view a brief animated summary of “The Prologue.” Use this video to help you visualize the characters or pilgrims that you will read about in “The Prologue.”
The Canterbury Tales is written in heroic couplets. The following link provides a definition of heroic couplets and a passage from a Middle English version of "The Prologue." https://eriksimpson.sites.grinnell.edu/Connections/Poetry/Forms/couplet2.html
In most of “The Prologue," Chaucer expresses a complete thought over several lines. The literary term for this is enjambment. Since Chaucer includes several lines to express a single complete thought, remember to use the punctuation to guide your reading. Periods, questions marks, exclamations marks, semicolons indicate complete thoughts. Be careful not to stop at the end of each line or couplet unless there is a punctuation mark indicating a complete thought.
During and after Reading of “The Prologue
During and after reading of “The Prologue,” write responses to the following questions. Be prepared to share your responses during classroom discussion of “The Prologue.”
- Select a pilgrim whom the narrator depicts in a negative tone. Copy passages and the line numbers from the text as evidence to support your response.
- Select a pilgrim whom the narrator depicts in a positive tone. Copy passages and the line numbers from the text as evidence to support your response.
- Copy least three examples of figurative language and the line numbers from the text that you feel are especially effective.
- From “The Prologue” list at least three pilgrims and the different sectors of medieval England they represent.
- How would you describe the narrator’s personality? Cite passages and line numbers from the text to support your response.
Modern Day Prologue Pre-Writing Activities
“The Prologue” is written in heroic couplets, consisting of iambic pentameter and rhyming couplets or heroic couplets. Before beginning the writing activity, review the Foot and Metre (meter) slides at Mammoth Memory for a review of iambic pentameter and other forms of foot and meter that you may want to use in the writing activity. https://mammothmemory.net/english/literature/stress/or-unstressed-syllables.html
View acclaimed poet Patience Agbabi performing her retelling of “The Prologue” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-U-ozgjZfjQ titled Patience Agbabi- Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, The Slam Remix.
To read the first part of her version of “The Prologue,” go to https://poems.poetrysociety.org.uk/poems/from-telling-tales-prologue-grime-mix/ “passage from Telling Tales Prologue (Grime Mix) by Patiene Agbabi.”
Modern Day Prologue Writing Assignment
Instructions: Write a narrative poem that borrows plot and structural elements from "The Prologue" to the Canterbury Tales.
Your group of three to five members will write a poem in rhyming couplets that narrates the story of you and a few others who, as in Chaucer’s "Prologue," meet at a designated place for the purpose of travelling to a specific place for a specific purpose. Also, as in Chaucer’s "Prologue," your narrative poem will include a competition among your group members and a prize for the winner. Your poem tells only the prologue, so you do not have to tell what happens once your group reaches its destination or who wins the competition.
For example, a group of you meet at a local fast food restaurant to travel to clothing shops to search for prom attire. As a competition, for example, the person who finds the best looking attire for the least amount of money is treated to a manicure at the expense of the others in the group.
The portion of your poem that tells where you meet, your destination, the purpose, the competition, and the prize should consist of at least six couplets (12 lines consisting of rhyming couplets.)
Individuals are responsible for writing at least two couplets (4 lines consisting of rhyming couplets) that describe themselves. In your groups assist each other with enhancing these descriptive couplets and with inserting these individual’s descriptive couplets so that the passages flow with the rest of the narrative. As in Chaucer’s Tales, you can focus on physical characteristics, behavioral characteristics, or things owned, such as cars, clothing, athletic objects, and other items that are associated with you. Remember, dialogue also reveals personality.
Your group has to choose a narrator from whose point of view the story is narrated. A member of your group can be the narrator, or you can use a pretend narrator. Perhaps, a celebrity is your narrator. Consider comments this character would make about your group.
Include varied figurative language and alliteration in your poem.
In addition to using rhyming couplets, strive for a regular meter, such as iambic pentameter as Chaucer used or use other forms of poetical foot and meter.
Use correct spelling, grammar usage, and punctuation in the text. (Use of slang in dialogue should indicate that its use is intentional and not a grammatical error.)
If needed, use an online rhyming tool such as Rhymer at https://www.rhymer.com/ to help with creating couplets.
Publish your poem on either PowerPoint slides or Google Slides. Embellish your display with images, such as your own selfies, your original artwork, or public domain images (access Open Culture at https://www.openculture.com/ for numerous links to public domain artwork and images.)
Plan a group presentation of your poem. Decide how all members of the group can participate in the presentation of your modern day prologue to the class to show the text slides of your modern day prologue and to give a rehearsed reading of your narrative poem.
Evaluate your response with the attached rubric before submitting and presenting your response.
Image Source
Highsmith, Carol M, photographer. North Reading Room, east wall. Detail of mural by Ezra Winter illustrating the characters in the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2007687191/>.