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Tyrath

Tyrath

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Tyrath
Yep, I'm asking for help on hw again:wink:

So anyways, we're reading the prologue of The Canterbury Tales and everyone has been giving small sections to analyze and stuff. The section I am analyzing is about the Skipper:

Canterbury Tales said:
There was a Skipper hailing from far west;
He came from Dartmouth, so I understood.
He rode a farmer's horse as best he could,
In a woolen gown that reached his knee.
A dagger on a lanyard falling free
Hung from his neck under his arm and down.
The summer heat had tanned his colour brown,
And certainly he was an excellent fellow.
Many a draught of vintage, red and yellow,
He'd drawn at Bordeaux, while the trader snored.
The nicer rules of conscience he ignored.
If, when he fought, the enemy vessel sank,
He sent his prisoners home; they walked the plank.
As for his skill in reckoning his tides,
Currents and many another risk besides,
Moons, harbours, pilots, he had such dispatch
That none from Hull to Carthage was his match.
Hardy he was, prudent in undertaking;
His beard in many a tempest had its shaking,
And he knew all the havens as they were
From Gottland to the Cape of Finisterre,
And every creek in Brittany and Spain;
The barge he owned was called The Maudelayne.
Click to expand...

So basically, I have to closely analyze this small bit of reading and tell the class about this Skipper character, what they are like, what the narrator thinks of them, etc.

Unfortunately, I suck at reading stuff closely, so if anyone could help point me in the right directions it would be wonderful ^^

So far I have:
-The is in the middle class of society seeing as he owns and ship and all.

-He seems to be an excellent sailor, for which the narrator admires him.

-"His beard in many a tempest had its shaking," I figured that just further said he was a good sailor because his ship had been caught in many storms before.

-But his morals are somewhat lacking because he I think it says he steals wine from merchants("Many a draught of vintage, red and yellow,
He'd drawn at Bordeaux, while the trader snored.").

-And also, he kills any prisoners he takes by throwing them overboard. i got that from this bit: "If, when he fought, the enemy vessel sank, He sent his prisoners home; they walked the plank."

So first of all I have a question about that quote. I'm not sure if by "home" it means that he sends his prisoners up to heaven or if it is considering their sunken ship to be their home and he sends them down with it. Any opinions on that would be helpful :)

Other than that, if anyone sees points I missed(which there are probably many of) or something I'm thinking of in the wrong way, please point them out. Thanks!

Ninja Edit: Oh yeah, anyone know how to pronounce Bordeaux? It's a French city so I'm guessing its probably different from what I think it is.
 
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I actually just finished "The Canterbury Tales" in my english class. I had the Knights tale, but we are doing the exact same thing.

Your points so far are good, but might wanna add these couple things.

His ship was called The Maudelayne

He was very well traveled. From this quote explaining that he knew where everything was.

"And he knew all the havens as they were
From Gottland to the Cape of Finisterre,
And every creek in Brittany and Spain;"

And might wanna think about that middle class point. It said he wore a woolen gown down to his knee. That means hes pretty poor to me. My guess is that he probably stole the ship. Interpertation though, just might wanna mention that.


EDIT:

http://www.bartleby.com/61/4/B0400400.html Has all your bordeaux needs.
 
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For the middle class thing, I have to pick from:
Religious
Middle Class
Feudal System

So I think he'd best fit the middle class, even if this certain skipper in the story may be a bit shady.

Thanks for the link and that other point. It should be a good thing to add. ^^
 
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There was a Skipper hailing from far west;
He came from Dartmouth, so I understood.

Dartmouth was a port in the west of england. It was well known as a haven for Pirates. He grew up around pirates, and most likely learn much of what he knows from them.

He rode a farmer's horse as best he could,
In a woolen gown that reached his knee.

He probably couldn't ride a horse very well, and if it belonged to a farmer, it was probably stolen.

A dagger on a lanyard falling free
Hung from his neck under his arm and down.

He was no stranger to fighting.

The summer heat had tanned his colour brown,

He may have had to live outside for a while. Perhaps that is why he stole a horse, so he could get away from Dartmouth port.

And certainly he was an excellent fellow.
Many a draught of vintage, red and yellow,
He'd drawn at Bordeaux, while the trader snored.

I'm not real sure where excellent fellow comes in. He's a pirate, a scoundral, a thief, and a drunk. And I'm pretty sure that is pronounced {Bor-doe}

The nicer rules of conscience he ignored.
If, when he fought, the enemy vessel sank,
He sent his prisoners home; they walked the plank.

If you weren't with him, you were against him. All prisoners shall be sent to davy jones locker.

As for his skill in reckoning his tides,
Currents and many another risk besides,
Moons, harbours, pilots, he had such dispatch
That none from Hull to Carthage was his match.

He could tell where he was by the moon and the stars much more accurately than... well, anyone from Hull to Carthage I suppose.

Hardy he was, prudent in undertaking;

A large man, never took on more than he could handle.

His beard in many a tempest had its shaking,
And he knew all the havens as they were
From Gottland to the Cape of Finisterre,
And every creek in Brittany and Spain;

He's been everywhere. He's seen and done all there is to see and do

The barge he owned was called The Maudelayne.

Maudelayne is a hebrew name. Today it is "Madeline" and In this context, I believe it means One from Magdala. Magdala is a port city north of Tiberias, also, it was the home of Mary Magdalene.
 
Thats really helpful to have it all narrowed down like that Trippy! Thanks a bunch!

I did have 1 other question I forgot about though. Can anyone figure out why this guy is going to Canterbury? I can't see anything even hinting at it in the reading and we're supposed to find out why the person is going there -.-
 
I think you just helped Tyrath get an A+ Trippy, heh.
 
Trippyhippy said:
In his case... I'd say it's because he's been everywhere else and just wants to see something new.
Click to expand...

That sounds good ^^ Thanks again
 
Tyrath said:
Yep, I'm asking for help on hw again:wink:

-And also, he kills any prisoners he takes by throwing them overboard. i got that from this bit: "If, when he fought, the enemy vessel sank, He sent his prisoners home; they walked the plank."

So first of all I have a question about that quote. I'm not sure if by "home" it means that he sends his prisoners up to heaven or if it is considering their sunken ship to be their home and he sends them down with it. Any opinions on that would be helpful :)
Click to expand...

A sailors life and home is on the sea. By throwing them overboard he is throwing them into the sea which they spend most of their life on. So he is not sending them to heaven because a sailors home is the sea. Also I don't remember but drowning in the sea supposedly curses your soul if I remember correctly it's not good to drown. So yeah he is basicly sending them to their sunken ship in the sea.
 
oraga said:
A sailors life and home is on the sea. By throwing them overboard he is throwing them into the sea which they spend most of their life on. So he is not sending them to heaven because a sailors home is the sea. Also I don't remember but drowning in the sea supposedly curses your soul if I remember correctly it's not good to drown. So yeah he is basicly sending them to their sunken ship in the sea.
Click to expand...
Depends on what sort of sailor you are some find the sea to be special and not to be damaged in any way and what you take from the sea got to give back.
Like if catch baby fish put them back only take old female ones etc.
Or some will go duo boat fishing wrecking all the sea under the water.
If was a pirate then the sea would been death as well so its hard to say what a "sailors life" is like saying a sailor has a girl in every town (lucky guys -_-)
 
Tyrath" said:
A dagger on a lanyard falling free
Hung from his neck under his arm and down.
Click to expand...

A dagger indicates an overwhelming confidence in oneself, especially when worn in such a way that it can be seen as a person's primary weapon, as opposed to the entirety of a sword, or even a pistol. Consider the prowress one would need to best another in a fight using a weapon that is much shorter than the common Pirates.

Also, a dagger has always been meant for something of a sneak sttack (no pun intended ._. ) worn concealed in a beltline, boot, or scabbard hung behind the wearer. It could be said that to wear such a cunning weapon where all can see is this guy having absolutley no misconceptions, or reservations about what/who he is. Kinda like a "Hi my name is: Pirate" sticker.
 
Whatever you do, don't end a sentence with a preposition! XD


Winston Churchill said:
Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.
Click to expand...
 
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