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| Erin Reynders 11/01/2010 11:07 PM |
“Rich merchants and noble, prudent folks, you are for this reason in an enviable state! Your dice-cup is not filled with double aces but with elevens, which bring you only good luck; at Christmas you can dance merrily! You seek profits on land and sea; likewise people you find out the facts about all the kingdoms; you are the makers of news and events, both in peace and war.”
The man of law’s tale is all about Lady Constance and the rich sultan who wants to marry her. Every character in the first part of the story is rich and comes from good backgrounds. They talk about the merchants travels to foreign countries. The story outlines the lives of the wealthy. If they did not travel the Sultan would never have met Constance, therefore there would be no story. The Sultan falls so in love he is willing to change his religion for her or do anything to impress her. I don’t think poverty really has as great of an impact as the rich in the first half but it does in the second. Constance is drifting along for years living without glamour or freedom. She has faced death on more than one account in her little boat. |
| Justin Stever 11/01/2010 10:49 AM |
I think it is ridiculous how The Man of Law would rather be dead than to live a poor life. I think if he would have been raised different than what he was, he would have more respect for those who are less fortunate then him.
In the story the wealth theme is played by all who want to and those who succeed in marrying Constance. They were all very rich and got pretty much anything they wanted. The poor and poverty theme is played out by Constance and later by her son also. She keeps getting sent from place to place with no choice and even though she only has her faith to keep her going she lives in that poverty with out complaint because in her mind everything that happens to her is happening for a reason. |
| Miss Schultz 10/26/2010 9:19 PM |
Erin- good first response. Now, I want you to continue this analysis, take is a bit further. The "opinions of the wise" are the Man of Law's opinions on wealth and poverty. I want you to specifically state his opinions on wealth and poverty and then write about how these two themes play out in the tale.
POST IS DUE TUESDAY NOV. 2nd |
| Erin Reynders 10/24/2010 3:01 PM |
The man of law talks about how horrible poverty is and how it’s better to bed dead then to live a poor life. When he talks about the rich merchants he says they exported their spices, gold cloth, and rich-colored satins far and wide. So they deal with a lot of expensive goods and make good money off of it.
I read and then looked through my packet again and didn’t see anything about the opinion of the wise. All I read was the Sultan doing everything he could to marry Constance. |
| Miss Schultz 10/18/2010 10:40 AM |
Recall what the Man of Law said about poverty and wealth in his Prologue - what he calls the "opinions of the wise." How do these opinions play out in the tale? Be sure to use speicific examples from the text. |
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