Part 2: More on Hypocrisy
The Canterbury Tales, by the English author Geoffrey Chaucer, were written near the end of the middle ages. Feudalism dominated English culture at the time. Feudalism is a socio-political system in which order is maintained through strict adherence to a top down societal hierarchy. The greatest values of the English people during the middle ages were order and loyalty because their society depended on these principles.
The Canterbury Tales are written in a now common poetic form, but when Chaucer originally wrote them, they were unique. Through most of the Middle Ages, English poetry was recited verbally, and the style focused on alliteration and other effective oral techniques rather than on the rhyme and meter Chaucer used in his work. During England’s Elizabethan age, poets began to use and develop the style Chaucer pioneered in his country.
Chaucer used a frame story to construct his work, meaning he began telling one story, but added many more within the overall frame of the original. The setting of the frame story is the road to Canterbury. A group of over twenty people are traveling on a pilgrimage to Canterbury where the former Archbishop Thomas a Becket is buried. In order to pass the time, the group decides that every pilgrim must tell two stories on the way to Canterbury and two stories on the way back. Chaucer wrote stories for each of the characters to ‘tell’ within the frame story.
Though The Canterbury Tales are quite humorous and even risqué in parts, they deliver a sober message. The primary theme of the work is the evil of hypocrisy. To Chaucer, hypocrisy was the greatest sin because it clashed with the important values of his age. Through the use of excellent poetry and humor, Chaucer exposes the hypocrisy of many of the pilgrims in his story and then subtly ridicules this hypocrisy.
-----------------------------------------
The following questions are designed to spark (but not limit) discussion. Please consider them and feel free to post your comments.
1. Do you agree with Chaucer that hypocrisy is the greatest sin?
2. Is hypocrisy as much of a problem in modern America as it was in medieval England?
3. What should/can we do about it?
12 comments:
Thanks, Karen. I'm reading Canterbury Tales this semester for literature, and this will be really helpful. :)
- Beth
1) Do you agree with Chaucer that hypocrisy is the greatest sin?
In favor of an affirmative answer the Bible teaches, "if you think you walk in the light when you really walk in darkness, how great is that darkness." To act as one thing when you are another reflects a great darkness. However, whether this deception is purposeful or ignorant is an important distinction and can only be made on a case-by-case basis.
On the other hand this question requires that we agree that there are different levels of sinfulness. From God's perspective all sin is sin and is equally deserving of punishment. From man's perspective some sins are infinitely worse than others.
2) Is hypocrisy as much of a problem in modern America as it was in medieval England?
It depends on whether you ask a modern atheist or Chaucer. Seriously, I am not familiar enough with medieval England to venture that either time had a worse case of hypocrisy. I will say that hypocrisy is still a problem.
3) What should/can we do about it?
What kind of hypocrisy are we talking about? Is this general hypocrisy or Christian hypocrisy? For both I would say there is nothing we can do about other people's hypocrisy, at least in the sense of "forcing" them to be genuine. On the other hand there are likely a myriad of ways that we can influence people positively in this area. As Christians I think we've created an incentives trap where people can get substantial benefits from calling themselves Christians without actually having a heart change. Cutting back on our seeker-sensitivity would be a first step.
DISCLAIMER: This was very much off the top of my head. Please understand that these opinions are not set in stone and I am open to correction on any front.
I've just been pondering the first question, especially its relation to the concept of levels of sin.
Generally, the sins that man sees as especially bad are the ones that harm large quantities of people or the ones that cause great qualititative harm. Those sins are more heavily punished. Though hypocrisy can fit under that heading, it usually affects the hypocritical person more than anyone else. So, using the criterion of punishment merited, hypocrisy is not the worse sin.
However, hypocrisy springs from pride (the desire to be independent from God), which is the heart sin that causes almost all sinful actions. The direct correlation between hypocrisy and pride seems to reinforce Chaucer's view that it is one of the worst sins.
Hypocrisy is the sin that unbelievers love to point out, since it is the sin they are least likely to exhibit. Then, they tell themselves, "In my unbelief, at least I'm not a hypocrite." Hypocrisy at least honors virtue in the breach, because it desires to appear virtuous. This makes me think that hypocrisy is not the worst sin, but perhaps only the easiest target.
I hadn't thought of that, but it's quite true. At least hypocrites acknowledge that a standard of goodness exists.
In Chaucer's time, most of the English were Christians, and Christian morality was prevalent. Nearly everyone agreed about the nature of right and wrong.
In America today, the situation is much different. Maybe people who would have been 'hypocrites' in medieval England are atheists and moral relativists today?
Hey, come here for a second
I don’t like the way he treats you
He doesn’t deserve you
He really don’t
What kind of man
Would leave you standing in the cold
Must’ve been a silly one
To sacrifice a pot of gold
You’re the kind of woman
melbourne stripperfree porn
It doesn’t make sense
That you should have a broken heart
If I were the only one
I’d never let you fall apart
You’re the kind of woman
sex videosMelbourne Swingers
I’d never let you fall apart
You’re the kind of woman
That needs a man with lots of cash
With a stack of major credit cards
And with me you don’t have to ask
free sexVegas Escorts
I give good love
I’ll buy your clothes
I’ll cook your dinner too
Soon as I get home from work
I’ll pay your rent
Your faithful lover
free cam to camEscorts Sydney
I'll cook your dinner too
Soon as I get home from work
I'll pay your rent
Your faithful lover
Soon as I get home, soon as I get home from work
Girl, I'll treat you right
best sexy lingerieEscorts
Soon as I get home, soon as I get home from work
Girl, I'll treat you right
And I'll never lie or flirt
Soon as I get home, soon as I get home from work
Girl I'll be around, never let you down
London Escortsalvia divinorum
Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlingDo you feel my heart beating
Do you understand
Do you feel the sameVegas EscortEscort Roma
Post a Comment