Canterbury Vacation
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Many writers use satire, a piece of writing ridiculing individuals and society as a whole with the use of sarcasm and irony in order to bring improvement to their environment. Satirists comment on politics, putting their personal views into administrations and abuses of power. Satirists aim at society or just at individuals that make up the problem of which they want to improve. In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer relates to the individual by involving many different types of characters, gently mocking them with sarcasm as he introduces them in the Prologue. Chaucer's technique and goal to make the world around him a better place makes him one of the most important satirists of his time. He has each of his characters tell stories that define the imperfection of humans. These stories show the weakness of the common man and the selfish desire that all people carry. Chaucer touches on issues that still affect people today, therefore making him and his work immortal, continuing to influence the world today.
Chaucer's story-telling techniques involve a large cast of characters, allowing him to relate to individuals as opposed to relating to the society in general. The Nun's Priest Tale is an example of this method, which tells the story of a proud rooster with a mighty crow, Chanticleer, and a wily fox that tricked him into singing and snatched him up the rooster by the throat and brought him to the woods...