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Character

The occupationof a parson is a priest

*Job Description link*

§  The parson interacted with commoners on a daily basis, preached in church every Sunday, taught in the schools (Being that priests were the only literate and educated people during medieval times), listen to confessions, kept records of the church or village in which they resided, aided in tax collections, and tended to the sick and poor.

· In Medieval times, the social hierarchy was divided into three estates. The first estate was primarily priests and clergymen, the second consisted of knights and squires, and the third was mainly peasants. The Parson would have been in the first estate social standing being that clergymen were educated and also because the Medieval era was dominated by religion and the church.

In today’s society, the Parson would still be a priest but maybe also a missionary because of how parsons during the medieval times were help the sick and poor the way missionaries do now.

Language

§  I paraphrased the parson as being educated, generous, and a Holy an who treated others the way he would want to be treated.

§  *Character Description Link*

§  This website described the Parson as “benign”, “hardworking”, and “would give away his earnings to the poor and needy”.

§  Chaucer did not give us a physical description of the Parson, but the reader could assume that he dressed very plain being that he was willing to give his earnings to the poor. He was also probably rather thin from working so hard.

§  The Parson’s personality is described by Chaucer as a religious and wholesome man. The bold and underlined words in the quote are specific words that illustrate the Parson’s personality.

§  In the quote describing the Parson, Chaucer calls him a “chaplain”, a word from medieval times.

§  *Chaplain link*

§  During the medieval era, a chaplain was responsible for religious activities and keeping records for the castle, church, or village in which they resided. They also looked after spiritual needs of nobles and their families.

Passage Analysis

§  Chaucer’s opinion of the Parson was very high. He believed that there is no better priest than he. We know that this is Chaucer’s personal opinion because he states “I’ll swear”.

§  A word connected to the medieval era that Chaucer again uses to describe the Parson is the word “layman”.

§  *Layman Link*

§  During medieval times, a layman was someone who part of a religious organization but is not paid. The Parson was paid for his work as a priest, but he did not do it for the money. He genuinely wanted to help people.

§  *Parson video Link*

§  Thisvideo describes the Parson in depth, while also giving quotes that further illustrate this character.

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*Chaucer's Opinion: "You'll never find a better priest, I’ll swear ./ He never looked for pomp or deference,/ Nor affected an over-nice conscience,/ He taught the gospel of Christ and His twelve/ Apostles; but first followed it himself" (Wright, 14).

"If gold can rust, then what will iron do?/ For if a priest be rotten, whom we trust,/ No wonder if a layman comes to rust" (Wright, 13).

Parson Video

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*Description: "He was the needy priest of a village,/ But rich enough in saintly thought and work./And educated, too, for he could read;/Would truly preach the word of Jesus Christ;/ Devoutly teach the folk in his parish./ Kind was he, wonderfully diligent;/ And in adversity most patient," (Wright, 13).

*Paraphrase: Educated, generous, and the way a priest should be

Character Description

*No physical description

*Personality: "To seek some chantry and sing mass for souls,/ Or to be kept as  chaplain by a guild;/ But stayed at home; and took care of his fold,/ So that no wolf might do it injury./ He was a shepherd, not a mercenary./ And although he was saintly and virtuous,/ He wasn't haughty or contemptuous" (Wright, 14).

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*Occupation: A priest

Parson job description

*Very religious time period

*A first estate social standing, but did not illustrate it "Few were his needs, so frugally he lived" (Wright,13).

*Day to day life would include helping those in need and visiting the parishioners. (Novel Summary).

*Chaucer does include much of a physical description

*In today's society, could still be a priest or a missionary