Januarie's A Humorous Wedding Essay

The narrator begins with a disclaimer, saying that even her surface appearance must remain inaccessible to those reading the tale. This disclaimer is followed by an amazingly unhelpful simile: May is like the morrow of May. The element of cliché is not the only problem with the simile. Especially in a literary context, the reference to the month is already contained in May's own name. The simile becomes sadistically repetitive. In text, the word "May" (the name of the woman) becomes not only the signified but the signifier; her own name, in a way, calls us to liken her to the month. Consequently, the line likening her to the month shoves one metaphor back into itself, and then this simile becomes not one of A=B but rather A=A or even A within A. If a simile's two parts are too similar, then the simile ceases to be a simile, thus losing its poetic power to describe. Chaucer drives the point home by rhyming "May" with "may," setting up a parallel situation between his simile and his rhyme; "may" cannot properly be said to rhyme with "May"‹they are homophones. So in describing May on the night of the wedding feast, Chaucer first creates an aura of mystery, then intimates that much may be unknown about the bride, then finally gives the reader completely undescriptive lines about May's

The inclusion of Theophrastus, the author of "The Golden Book of Marriage", shows another view that preaches that women lead men to their doom. It can certainly be said that throughout the poem, Chaucer uses imagery of temptation and Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Damyan is described as being "like to the adder in bosom sly untrue". While Januarie is physically blind, it can be said that he was blinded by his love, or lust, for May as they spent time in the garden. It is when Januarie becomes blind that we learn of his much more possessive nature with regard to nature. He would rather have May dead than any other man touch her. Chaucer builds up the dramatic tension by describing May's desperation for a younger partner who is more emotionally in tune with her while concurrently expressing Januarie's desperation to hold on to the piece of youth he

Jan van Eyck has been one of the more prominent early Netherlandish painters during his time. He has had many famous works, however one of his more interesting and questionable pieces is The Arnolfini Portrait. There is much to be desired in this painting by the great van Eyck. Van Eyck has been a master painter most of his career, but in this painting he is able to show how his excellent painting skills can bring this painting to life. The Arnolfini Portrait, which measures 82 × 59.5 cm (32.3 × 23.4 in) is an oil painting on oak panel dated 1434. This painting is also known by other as The Arnolfini Wedding, The Arnolfini Marriage, The Arnolfini Double Portriat, or Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife. It is one of the only 15th century

To this the knight retorted with Biblical stories that state a man without a wife is bent on ruin. These stories cites the creation of Eve for Adam as proof that a wife is man's support, as well as examples of humble and devoted wives. January, wished to have a young wife of no older than thirty, for a young wife would be more pliable, but Placebo warned him that it takes great courage for such an aged man to take a young wife. He warned him of the misery that can come from taking a wife, for she could be shrewish or a drunkard, facts that a husband will not learn until well into the marriage. Despite the common opinion that Placebo has a wonderful wife, he knows what faults she has. They argue about the merits of marriage, with Placebo predicting that January will not please his wife for more than three years, but Placebo eventually assents to January's plan. January finally decided to take a young and pretty wife, foolishly believing that nobody would find fault with his choice. He spoke to Placebo and his friends about his choice, praising his intended wife. January, however, worries that a man who finds perfect happiness on earth as he would with his wife would never find a similar happiness in heaven, for one must choose between one perfect happiness and another. Justinus countered by stating that it is more likely that married men will get to heaven than single men. He muses that marriage might be January's purgatory.

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen - I would like to start by thanking Frank on behalf of the bridesmaids for his kind comments and echo the fact that they look wonderful and performed their role fantastically well, despite the inevitable and healthy rivalry that can sometimes occur. In fact, just before the service I overheard a furious sisterly argument about who was going to be first to dance with the best man. Understandable, I thought - until I got closer and heard them saying, 'You!', 'no, you!'

Good evening. I would like to begin by welcoming each and every one of you to this joyous and stressful occasion.

The marriage of May and Januarie brings attention to their names. While the spring month of May is full of life, the winter month of January is a new beginning (to the year), but still contains the cold deadness of winter. Eventually, spring defeats winter. There is a stark contrast between the characters of May and Januarie. The latter's roughness is especially focused upon on the wedding night. His skin is "Lyk to the skyn of houndfyssh" and there is an almost repulsive focus on his appearance. May is a much livelier, younger character and so Damyan, the lovesick squire seems

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen - I am the groom's father, Ken, and I have the great privilege of being best man. I have recently found out there are two reasons why J W asked me to do this job. 1) To make him look younger and slimmer in the photos. 2) Because he didn't want to burden any of his friends with the terrible prospect of having to give this speech.

Second of all, Janie 's second husband was a man by the name of Jody Starks. He made Janie fell in love with his sweet talks but later in the relationship he abused her. The abuse drove them to become distant partners. With Jody, Janie thought that she would forever have “flower dust and springtime sprinkled over everything” (59). She thought she’d have “a bee for her bloom” (59). Sadly, she didn’t find this in Jody. Instead she found change in him but still not the love she was searching. Before they weren’t married, the author said that "Janie pulled back a long time because he did not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees, but he spoke for far horizon. He spoke for change and chance" (28). Meaning that Janie might have known that Jody might not be the one that will make her happy and provide the kind of love she was looking. Jody was very protective of her, and he didn’t want anyone

Marriages in the 1300’s have to deal with the conflict of man verses himself due to the roles and powers society believes a man should full fill instead of the way a man wants to operate. “The Merchant’s Tale” illustrates through January’s decision about marriage, how he accepts what he has to perform in the holy bond. Matrimony proves corrupt due to societies’ view. Rosalyn Rossignol states in her book, Chaucer: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, that January’s decision on the “virtues of marriage” does not blind his vices and that he tries to convince himself that he has honorable reason for wanting a wife. (175-176). Chaucer states that January has lust for a wife, for who he can have intercourse with, without it being a sin (1258-1264).This shows his lust for women because society tells him his wife should

The novel reads, “Janie waited a bloom time, and a green time and an orange time” (25). Here Hurston uses a metaphor to describe the changing season and demonstrate how long Janie has been waiting for her dream of love to come because she is not receiving the kind of love that she has imagined. Furthermore, Hurston personifies Janie’s dream. Her dream was alive but it died. Janie’s dream of love was dead because it was something that got destroyed and will never be able to come back, it is gone. She learned that marriage did not equal love. Janie had questioned if marriage equated love “Did marriage end the cosmic loneliness of the unmated? Did marriage compel love like the sun the day?” (21). She had since learned that being married to someone does not mean that you are going to fall in love with them and all your problems will be solved. Her ideal of marriage was shattered and the child in her could no longer dream. Becoming a woman for Janie meant to completely let go of her dream of love and to resign to the domestic role of being a wife. She can not find anything other than the routine of life. To Janie the routine life was what a woman did; took care of the house and her husband. Her grandmother lived a routine life and Janie considered her grandmother a woman. In addition, becoming a woman to Janie meant becoming like her grandmother, not believing in love and marry for

Patience is another issue that "The Franklin's Tale" deals with and exemplifies. Dorigen's patience and perseverance allow her marriage to succeed. Patience is vital in a marriage and without it, problems begin to arise. In "The Merchant's Tale", January is increasingly watchful of May because he is blind and,."..with fears that his young wife would stray. He wished death for himself and May" (p. 209). May becomes frustrated with her marriage and commits adultery in the presence of her blind husband. January, sees the act; however, May convinces him that it was a dream. For May to be able to marry again she would have to wait for January to die. However sad as it may be, January is bound to die soon: he is already blind. But May's impatience and deceitful nature taint her marriage and therefore it can never be pure.

I hope you had a nice Christmas! I've been wondering how the catering worked out for you guys. It seemed like a pretty damned good idea to me, but as you said, you never know how the food will be.

     Within the very beginning of the story we see that the characters are placed into a society of which there is seemingly very little value in a persons humanity and kindness, but rather the society into which we first enter is seen as almost materialistic, and even though Egeon, has lost a wife and son, the Duke of Ephesus is only concerned with the money from which he can extract from Egeon. We see here that in order for Egeon to keep his marriage alive he has to pay for his life and so we begin to see the trend of what one can posses in a marriage, instead of love and respect.

January, a noble knight, yearns for a wife and an heir to his land, wishing to fulfill God’s wish of marriage. After an examination of the youthful maidens of the land, January settles upon May, a charming ingénue. Damian, January’s attendant, falls madly in love with May, to the point of physical impairment. January sends May to attend to Damian, and he slips May a note professing his love to her; May confesses she reciprocates his feelings. January is suddenly stricken with blindness and commands May to stay by his side at all times. May is, rightfully, miserable. Using warm wax, May creates an impression of the garden key so that Damian might court her. Confusingly, Chaucer gives us an interlude by the god, Pluto and his wife, Proserpina.