Radio Tales

The Squire: Beyond The Appearance “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” (Aristotle) Although The Canterbury Tales is not the distinct type of art that Aristotle was referring to, his words still apply to the story, particularly when it comes to the Squire. (Chaucer, 199) Chaucer describes the Squire as “embroidered like a meadow bright, and full of freshest flowers, red and white” also pointing out that his hair had “locks as curly…

Chaucer and The Church In Geoggrey Chaucer’s, The Canterbury Tales, 29 people are on a pilgrimage to Canterbury to worship the shrine of the martyr Saint Thomas Becket. One of these pilgrims is a Wife of Bath. She has a unique story; she has wedded five different men. During this time, (The Medieval Times) The Church was one of the most powerful institutions in Europe. The Church had an immense influence on people and governments all across Europe. In the Medieval times, The Church looked…

Living in a city with constant surveillance would drive anyone to paranoia. This is exactly what happens in Margaret Atwood’s book The Handmaid’s Tale. In this novel about a handmaid named Offred, the multiple strategically placed methods of surveillance drive her to moments of senselessness and cause her to lose sight of control, individuality, and independence. Gilead has several methods of surveillance set up throughout their community. First, they have the ominous Eyes. These are people…

Fairy Tales are an important means used to teach life’s basic truths to children. These stories contain deep moral beliefs that sculpt basic understanding of right and wrong for society. Throughout time they have been adapted to a more child friendly form, even so that the film industry now bases child-oriented movies on classic fairy tales. Fairy tales, such as Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”, appeal to a sense of romance, adventure, and the fight between good and evil. Society…

The Martian: grace under pressure. In the book the Martian, we follow the journey of a stranded astronaut in mars after a windstorm, his struggle for survival and subsequently rescue. We are privy to his thought process and problem solving abilities through a series of log entries. We learn how he overcomes trial after trial until help arrives. He manages to do this as a result of grit, by fostering a growth mindset which allows him to maintain his optimistic outlook, despite the fact that he…

William Goldman’s abridgment The Princess Bride is a fairy tale. Generally the number three or seven occur in fairy tales (Ashliman). Ofttimes, fairy tales have a “happily ever after” ending. Fairy tales usually begin the story with “Once upon a time…”, and take place in a far away setting and time. Magic will appear a number of times in fairy tales. Magic will occur in fairies, witches, or talking animals. Fairy tales are written to show children that even with the toughest struggles in life,…

To what extent does Atwood portray women as being responsible for their own oppression in the Handmaid’s Tale? Explore this with reference to use of language and structure. Atwood presents the women in Gilead as being responsible for their own oppression. At the time of the novel’s creation, the conservative governments lead by Ronald Regan and Margaret Thatcher were threatening to return to a patriarchal society with the nuclear family at its core. Atwood wanted to make it clear that women…

As a child, the beloved Disney versions of fairy tales instilled the notion of the stories having a perfect ending in our minds. Hence, whenever the phrase “happily ever after” is cited, we would immediately associate it to fairy tales. However, as we mature, we realize this jejune perception is not entirely authentic. The level of complexity becomes increasingly apparent as we delve deeper into the origins; we discover the profound discrepancy between the adaptations and the antecedent…

Canadian author Margaret Atwood is the writer of countless poems, essays, criticisms, short stories, and novels. The author of over a dozen novels, Atwood continually features female protagonists and covers themes pertaining to women. The Handmaid’s Tale deals with the rise of the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian theocracy that replaces the United States and returns to the suppression of women. Another one of Atwood’s novels, Alias Grace focuses on Grace Marks, a women convicted for double…

One of the most influential pieces of literature in history is The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales takes place in medieval England, a time full of religious pilgrimages and exploration. The Canterbury Tales is a revolutionary piece of literature, known for its satire and truthfulness. Chaucer begins the tale with a prologue that individually describes diverse characters. Chaucer created these characters to be authentic; they are boastful, mean spirited, reckless, and…