FREE ESSAY ON THE SUMMONER AND THE WIFE OF BATH

THE SUMMONER AND THE WIFE OF BATH

On the other hand, the vivid description of the Summoner is disgusting. His skin is full
of pimples and boils. He smells of garlic and wine. Chaucer writes, "No borax, ceruse,
tartar, could discharge, Nor ointment that could cleanse enough." The tone is vivid as to
how unclean the Summoner was. He was unclean in body and mind. He lied and was
sanctimonious. He was suppose to be a man of God and he was very much full of pride and
of the purse. The Summoner's bad nature could bring harm to others as illustrated by
Chaucer's statement, "he brought duress on any young fellow in the diocese. Chaucer's
writes vividly about the Summoner, "who had a fiery-red, cherubic face." In other words
he is not what he seems. Fiery-red is incongruent with a cherub. The impact on the reader
is heightened by the dissonance of terms. The hypocrisy is highlighted by the tone of the
language. The tone of Chaucer's writings used vivid descriptions to heighten the impact
of the themes and messages he was expressing. The contrast between The Summoner and The
Wife of Bath is striking. The disgust for hypocrisy could be seen, smelled and understood
vividly in the characterization of the Summoner. Whereas, the attraction to the Wife of
Bath was a tribute to honest thinking. 
On the other hand, the vivid description of the Summoner is disgusting. His skin is full
of pimples and boils. He smells of garlic and wine. Chaucer writes, "No borax, ceruse,
tartar, could discharge, Nor ointment that could cleanse enough." The tone is vivid as to
how unclean the Summoner was. He was unclean in body and mind. He lied and was
sanctimonious. He was suppose to be a man of God and he was very much full of pride and
of the purse. The Summoner's bad nature could bring harm to others as illustrated by
Chaucer's statement, "he brought duress on any young fellow in the diocese. Chaucer's
writes vividly about the Summoner, "who had a fiery-red, cherubic face." In other words
he is not what he seems. Fiery-red is incongruent with a cherub. The impact on the reader
is heightened by the dissonance of terms. The hypocrisy is highlighted by the tone of the
language. The tone of Chaucer's writings used vivid descriptions to heighten the impact
of the themes and messages he was expressing. The contrast between The Summoner and The
Wife of Bath is striking. The disgust for hypocrisy could be seen, smelled and understood
vividly in the characterization of the Summoner. Whereas, the attraction to the Wife of
Bath was a tribute to honest thinking.