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Comparing Chaucer's 'The Nun And The Plowman'

563 Words3 Pages

It’s nun of my business (Rough Draft) “Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful.” (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) Would people expect peasants to be more holy than religious leaders in the church? Not even Nuns who devote their life to god and helping others are safe from the slimy claws of corruption and the nasty narcissistic noise that crawls into their heads, becoming their obsession to create this perfect version of themselves that is so far from attainable they're stuck in this dream. The farmer who plows the fields has beliefs purer than the woman who was vowed to a life of worship, he himself devotes most of his own earnings to god, assisting the poor expecting nothing in return, all while wearing only a simple shirt. Chaucer presents the Nun and the Plowman to show the stark difference between the working world and the religious one, but maybe they’re different in the most unexpected ways. …show more content…

. . She may have been consigned to a convent for reasons of a family convenience, because it is clear that she lacks a true religious calling.” (Hallissy pg.26) Being a Nun in the middle ages wasn’t always a comfortable life, especially not one without autonomy. They were dedicated to worship, reading, and working in the nunnery, their life revolved around the hours of each day. Spending several of the hours in prayer and meditation that they hardly were able to go and interact with the outside world. “Nuns took of vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Some also promised to remain within the enclosed community. Enclosure meant remaining within the physical confines of the convent. Only a few authorized people were allowed to visit.” (Hull pg.

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