The Canterbury Tales

Central Character: young Christian boy

Point of View: Told by the Prioress in 3rd person

Setting: Town in Asia

Summary of the Plot: A young Christian boy 7 years old learns a new Christian hymn and sings it all of the time. He walked through a Jewish ghetto to and from school singing it. Satan tells the Jewish people that the boy was disgracing them and he should be killed. So the Jewish people catch him and slit his throat. His mother finds him dead, but still singing the hymn. The Jewish people are dragged by horses and then killed. Later, he is silenced when the grain is removed from his tongue.

Nature of Conflict: Jewish boys don t want the Christian boy to sing anymore.

Tone: A sad story of hatred between different religions.

Style: informative, easy to read, simple

Central events: A boy is killed by Jewish boys, but continues to sing

Theme: The Jewish people are evil

Evaluation: A story about religions told by a nun. It views the Jewish people are bad and the Christian people are good. The tale shows the Prioress feelings for Jewish people.