An Inter-Disciplinary Mini-Unit

Level: High School

 Purpose: To analyze Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales with a focus on the seven deadly sins and the pilgrims.

Overview: These lessons will focus on the seven deadly sins and how they apply to Chaucer’s pilgrims and to modern people. They will also center around the various methods of characterization used by Chaucer in creating his pilgrims.

Lesson One: Students will understand the seven deadly sins: gluttony, ambition, sloth, avarice, pride, wrath, envy. They will apply these sins to modern people. (Language Arts)

Lesson Two: Students will read and analyze the descriptions of the pilgrims from the prologue to The Canterbury Tales. They will focus on characterization. (Language Arts)

Lesson Three: Students will further analyze the pilgrims with a focus on the seven deadly sins, the vows of the medieval church, and Chaucer’s use of satire. (Language Arts)

Lesson Four: Students will present the information that they have obtained about their pilgrims in an oral report. (Language Arts)

Lesson One

 Objective:

Students will understand the seven deadly sins: gluttony, ambition, sloth, avarice, pride, wrath, envy. They will apply these sins to modern people.

Materials:

none

Procedure:

1. Explain to the class that Dante enumerated seven deadly sins which are sins that people commit, but when taken to excess, they can lead to personal ruin and eventually death. For example, a person can be lazy and a procrastinator, but only if their laziness keeps them from brushing their teeth, will that sloth become a deadly sin. As a result of their sloth, that person will lose their job, their friends, and eventually their teeth.

2. As a class, define each sin:

gluttony - too much food or drink

ambition - strong desire to get ahead

sloth - laziness

avarice - greed

pride - conceited

wrath - anger

envy - jealousy which leads to hate

3. Have the students work with a partner to find modern characters or modern people who exhibit each of the seven deadly sins. For example, the Unabomber would be guilty of wrath.

4. Allow students to share and evaluate each others’ work.

Lesson Two

Objective:

Students will read and analyze the descriptions of the pilgrims from the prologue to The Canterbury Tales. They will focus on characterization.

Materials:

copy of the prologue to The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Procedure:

1. Together read the beginning of the Canterbury Tales’ Prologue which explains the season, the pilgrimage, and the contest. Be sure that the students understand that what follows is a series of character descriptions of the pilgrims on the trip.

2. Assign each student one pilgrim. Have the students read their pilgrim’s description and then examine their character.

3. Students should complete as much of the following worksheet as they can based on the description of their character.

Directions: While closely reading the description of the pilgrim, pull out details that fall under the following categories. Not every pilgrim will have details to fit every category.

Name of Pilgrim: ______________________

RELIGION

TRAVEL

DRESS

CUSTOMS

GEOGRAPHY

HISTORY

MANNERS

EDUCATION

Lesson Three

Objective:

Students will further analyze the pilgrims with a focus on the seven deadly sins, the vows of the medieval church, and Chaucer’s use of satire.

Materials:

copy of the prologue to The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Procedure:

1. Lead a short discussion about the following topics in medieval society.

Chaucer uses occupations for most pilgrims, but does mention names in some.

Medieval social classes are: feudal (knighthood), ecclesiastical (church), urban (working class).

Real characters commit at least one of the seven deadly sins while ideal characters commit no sins.

Pilgrims were travelling to Canterbury for miracle cures, for remission of sins, to satisfy their wanderlust, or for personal gain.

Also be sure that students understand that Chaucer writes satire.

2. Have students continue their close analysis of their pilgrim to include this information.

3. Students should be ready to present this information to the rest of the class.

Lesson Four

 Objective:

Students will present the information that they have obtained about their pilgrims in an oral report.

Materials:

work from lessons two and three

Procedure:

1. Have the students present the information that they have gathered about their pilgrim to the class.

2. As students listen to the presentations, they may take notes about the pilgrims to be used to study for an exam or an essay.

The students should be able to describe their pilgrim from the prologue to The Canterbury Tales.

The students should be able to analyze Chaucer’s description of a pilgrim to reflect medieval times and satire.

The students should be able to fully explain their Canterbury pilgrim in an oral presentation.