A Little Late

     Due to my lack of thumbs, I am a little late on these blog comments. I am officially the person Dr. Mitchell-Buck warned us about in the beginning of the class! Oh well, better late than never...right?

     Bringing us back to the Miller's Tale, I wanted to point out a few things about the story. I was extremely surprised by the amount of people who were offended by this type of writing. Not to sound like I am giving a lecture or anything, but doesn't everyone witness worse things in every day life? I think I could definitely be more offended listening to a conversation on the street rather than reading this particular story.

    Granted,  my amusement with the story may have something to do with the fact that I grew up with five other brothers and sisters. Maybe it is just programmed into my system to find fart jokes hilarious at this point.

    I was not offended by any of the characters, either! Yes, Alisuon may have been fibbing a bit when she made her marital vows, but I don't believe she can be dubbed a "bad person" just for acting that way. She was clearly unhappy with her life and relationship, so, she found someone who made her feel better! Her husband, John, was not really deserving of the husband award himself and was a bit old for her anyway.

    Nicholas was young just like Alisoun and it makes sense to me that they would have an attraction for each other. The way he gets Alisoun's "attention" was a bit harsh, but, hey, it worked! I know it is easy for someone to read that and feel mad at Alisoun's lack of anger in being violated, but if you can look at the story as a whole, it won't be as offensive. The teller of this story is drunk and so as a reader, you can't expect it not to involve anything vulgar or potentially offensive. Plus, I give major props to Nicholas for allowing her to feel comfortable enough to fart in front of him! It is easy to see it as karma coming back to bite him (literally in the butt) when you see his fate at the end of the story.

   It is really hard for me to dislike or even be annoyed by any of the characters or humor used in the story. In my opinion, it is all about not taking life too seriously. That plays into something as simple as an old story.