How To Use A Twitter Chat To Grow Your Audience

How To Use A Twitter Chat To Grow Your Audience Twitter has always been a quick and easy way to connect with other people and be informed.  You can publish your content and reach hundreds (even thousands) of people. Even better, unlike many other social networks, you can repost your original content several times to gain even more exposure. You can do more with Twitter than just share content, though. You can both  market your blog or business and make connections with top industry players from around the world. How do you do it? You get involved in Twitter chats. What Is A Twitter Chat? Youve probably seen a Twitter chat or two in your newsfeed. A Twitter chat is a conversation between a group of people on Twitter. To keep the conversation organized, a specific hashtag that fits the conversation is used on every tweet. For example, #SamllBizChat is a popular Twitter chat for small  businesses.  Everyone who participates will use that hashtag in their tweets, which makes a Twitter chat easy to find and follow. You can also follow a Twitter chat by using a website like TweetDeck  or Twubs. Finding a Twitter chat is fairly easy.  There are websites that have lists of Twitter chats, such as  Tweetchat,  Tweetreports. There is even  a  random Google doc  that has a ton of Twitter chats listed. You can also ask people if they participate in Twitter chats and which ones they like. Joining A Twitter Chat Joining a Twitter chat conversation is easy, once youve found one that youre interested in. As the tweets appear and questions are asked, hop right in and  answer a question. Thats all it takes! Dont forget to include the specific hashtag for the chat in all of your responses as you participate. Welcome! Thank you for joining us. Please remember on each tweet to use the hashtag #edchat Jerry Blumengarten (@cybraryman1) June 10, 2014 Most Twitter chats are  open, so feel free to participate. Its important that you are make comments that add to the conversation, though. Stay on topic and be respectful of the other participants.   Participating In A Twitter Chat The rules of participating in a Twitter chat vary depending on the type of Twitter chat you have joined. These different types of chats depend upon how they are moderated. Heavily Moderated A  heavily moderated Twitter chat will be in a question and answer format. The beginning of a twitter chat will begin with people introducing themselves. For example, if I was participating in #SportsPRchat then Id write, Hi, Im Krista and Im a senior @MSUM. I love everything PR related. So excited to chat with you all. #SportsPRchat The moderator will start a tweet with Q1, meaning Question 1. The proper response will start with A1, meaning Answer 1. There is no need to hit the reply button when you type your answer in Twitter. Just create your own tweet, start it with A1, and include the hashtag. That will make sure that your tweet is part of the conversation. You can reply to peoples answers if you have something to add or if you just like their answer. Q5: After the backlash online, was this a social media fail or an act of PR genius? The topic is still trending. (2/2) #SportsPRchat Pam Chvotkin (@reddusfoximus) June 4, 2014 A5. Epic fail team if they really wanted to keep name ! All they did was prove more people feel strong about changing it #SportsPRchat Ben Christly (@BenChristly) June 4, 2014 Lightly Moderated/Open A lightly moderated/open Twitter chat will be less structured.  Theyll usually start with a question or a topic from the moderator, and then its free rein. Theres more to a lightly moderated Twitter chat than just tweeting one answer. It is more like a natural conversation rather than a Q and A session. You can tweet your opinion without needing to start your tweet with A1 since no official question was asked. In an open Twitter chat, you are free to contribute to the conversation as it fits, which includes responding to what others have said.  If you like what they say, tell them. If you disagree, let them know. If you need advice relating to the topic, ask and people will respond. As always, be a respectful participant. #edchat Topic: With the hundreds of issues that effect teaching learning, what should be the primary focus for change in ed? Jerry Blumengarten (@cybraryman1) June 10, 2014 Twitter Chat Is A Marketing Tool Twitter chats are marketing tools, but they arent typical. They approach marketing in a direct manner and are highly conversational. A Twitter chat can be both business-to-business (because you are conversing with others in your niche) or business-to-community (because you are conversing with your audience). Here are a few benefits of a Twitter chat and ways to use it as a marketing tool. Connect and network in your niche using #TwitterChats.1. Twitter chat lets you interact with people. Twitter chats are all about interacting and networking with like-minded professionals in your niche as well as your audience.  They provide an opportunity to market your personal brand and blog, and educate yourself by staying on top of trends and changes that you should know about in your industry. If you want to build creditability and make new connections, you are going to have to respond and interact with people. It doesn’t take much. If you see a comment you agree with just reply and say, I agree! It could be as simple as that, letting them know you are interested. 2. Twitter chat promotes your blog. Twitter chats are a great opportunity to promote your blog. If you wrote a blog post about a specific topic and there just so happens to be a Twitter chat on that topic, then it would be a good idea to mention your post. Just make sure it is something that is valuable to the conversation.  If its a lightly moderated chat, some people may ask questions that your blog answers. Reach out and personally invite them to take a look at it. When promoting your blog in a Twitter chat, though, dont be overly aggressive. You wouldnt want to say A1. I wrote a blog post on this topic. Read it. Its important to build relationships and trust. Find a person who needs some advice, give them some advice and mention they can read more at the blog post you wrote about the topic. That shows you care about their concern and genuinely want to help them. 3. Twitter chat builds credibility. Honestly, you dont need to mention your blog too often. Just participate in a twitter chat and provide relevant and valuable information. Interact with other participants. If you are building relationships and providing valuable information, people will begin to trust you. Then when they find out you have a blog, they will be more likely to read it. They know the writer and they know the writer knows what theyre writing about. 4. Twitter chat is a good way to learn. Twitter chats can connect you with people that are in your profession from around the world.   It gives you an opportunity to learn from  people who are true experts in their field.  Stay up to date in your industry and keep up with current trends, technology, and best practices. A Twitter chat is a great way to stay relevant. You can also discuss things with people who have experienced things that you haven’t experienced. For example: people deciding whether or not to study abroad can read and interact with people in a Twitter chat dedicated to studying abroad on a budget.

Spanish Place Names in the U.S.

Spanish Place Names in the U.S. Much of the United States was once part of Mexico, and Spanish explorers were among the first non-indigenous people to explore much of what is now the U.S. So wed expect that an abundance of places would have names coming from Spanish - and indeed thats the case. There are too many Spanish place names to list here, but here are some of the most well-known: U.S. State Names from Spanish California - The original California was a fictional place in the 16th-century book Las sergas de Esplandin by Garci Rodrà ­guez Ordà ³Ãƒ ±ez de Montalvo. Colorado - This is the past participle of colorar, which means to give something color, such as by dyeing. The participle, however, specifically refers to red, such as red earth. Florida - Probably a shortened form of pascua florida, literally meaning flowered holy day, referring to Easter. Montana - The name is an anglicized version of montaà ±a, the word for mountain. The word probably comes from the days when mining was a leading industry in the region, as the states motto is Oro y plata, meaning Gold and silver. Its too bad the à ± of the spelling wasnt retained; it would have been cool to have a state name with a letter not in the English  alphabet. New Mexico  - The Spanish  Mà ©xico  or  Mà ©jico  came from the name of an Aztec god. Texas - The Spanish borrowed this word, spelled Tejas in Spanish, from indigenous residents of the area. It relates to the idea of friendship. Tejas, although not used that way here, also can refer to roof tiles. Key Takeaways: Spanish Language Place Names Spanish-language place names abound in the United States in part because its history includes Spanish colonization and exploration.Many of the Spanish place names in the U.S. have been anglicized, such as by changing à ± to n and by dropping the accent marks from accented vowels.Many of the Spanish names are derived from the names of Roman Catholic saints and beliefs. Other U.S. Place Names From Spanish Alcatraz (California) - From alcatraces, meaning gannets (birds similar to pelicans). Arroyo Grande (California) - An arroyo is a stream. Boca Raton (Florida) - The literal meaning of boca ratà ³n is mouses mouth, a term applied to a sea inlet. Cape Canaveral (Florida) - From caà ±averal, a place where canes grow. Conejos River (Colorado) - Conejos means rabbits. District of Columbia; Columbia River (Oregon and Washington) - These and many other place names honor Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colà ³n in Spanish), the Italian-Spanish explorer. El Paso (Texas) - A mountain pass is a paso; the city is on a historically major route through the Rocky Mountains. Fresno (California) - Spanish for ash tree. Galveston (Texas) - Named after Bernardo de Glvez, a Spanish general. Grand Canyon (and other canyons) - The English canyon comes from the Spanish caà ±Ãƒ ³n. The Spanish word can also mean cannon, pipe or tube, but only its geological meaning became part of English. Key West (Florida) - This may not look like a Spanish name, but it is in fact an anglicized version of the original Spanish name, Cayo Hueso, meaning Bone Key. A key or cayo is a reef or low island; that word originally came from Taino, an indigenous Caribbean language. Spanish speakers and maps still refer to the city and key as Cayo Hueso. Las Cruces (New Mexico) - Meaning the crosses, named for a burial site. Las Vegas - Means the meadows. Los Angeles - Spanish for the angels. Los Gatos (California) - Meaning the cats, for the cats that once roamed in the region. Madre de Dios Island (Alaska) - The Spanish means mother of God. The island, which is in Trocadero (meaning trader) Bay, was named by Galician explorer Francisco Antonio Mourelle de la Rà ºa. Merced (California) - The Spanish word for mercy. Mesa (Arizona) - Mesa, Spanish for table, came to be applied to a type of flat-topped geological formation. Nevada - A past participle meaning covered with snow, from nevar, meaning to snow. The word is also used for the name of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. A sierra is a saw, and the name came to be applied to a jagged range of mountains. Nogales (Arizona) - It means walnut trees. Rio Grande (Texas) - Rà ­o grande means large river. Sacramento - Spanish for sacrament, a type of ceremony practised in Catholic (and many other Christian) churches. Sangre de Cristo Mountains - The Spanish means blood of Christ; the name is said to come from blood-red glow of the setting sun. San _____ and Santa _____ (California and elsewhere) - Almost all the city names beginning with San or Santa - among them San Francisco, Santa Barbara, San Antonio, San Luis Obispo, San Jose, Santa Fe and Santa Cruz - come from Spanish. Both words are shortened forms of  santo,  the word for saint or holy. Sonoran Desert (California and Arizona) - Sonora is possibly a corruption of seà ±ora, referring to a woman. Strait of Juan de Fuca (Washington state) - Named after the Spanish version of Greek explorer Ioannis Phokass name. Phokas was part of a Spanish expedition. Toledo (Ohio) - Possibly named after the city in Spain.

Review Of A Musical Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Review Of A Musical Performance - Essay Example Considering the tight competition, the audience is always sure of getting the best from every performance. From the look of the audience, some come mainly to be entertained while others come to support their preferred artist. Jeers and cheers are depending on how the audience takes it usually accompany the performance. Every year, the concert grows bigger and bigger with new and raw talent. Students are usually packed in the auditorium hours before the main performance. This is done to ensure that none misses on good space view or single performance. Before the concern officially begins, students can be heard talking among themselves while others are busy browsing their phones. On the announcement of the first performances, the mood changes abruptly as every eye is fixed on the podium. The show is usually full of many surprises, fun and a lot of laughter. The various music producers can be seen in their notebooks, recording what they feel is relevant to them as they discuss among the mselves. The thrill of the performers as they jump from one corner of the podium to the other is refreshing. A keen look at the performing artist, we notice that his thrill increases when the crowd cheers and cools a little bit when there is a jeer. The behavior really proves that the success of an artist largely depends on the number of fans that enjoy their music. This kept me thinking about the kind of music that is common in our radio stations and even TV screen.  

Provider Roles in Spiritual Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Provider Roles in Spiritual Care - Essay Example As the discussion stresses the spiritual dimension of the client is strongly evident during illness, stress, difficulties, and end-life-care when people strongly needed the direction and comfort derived from their spiritual preferences. Faith and religion are essential components of a client’s spiritual dimension and health provider has the responsibility to have self-awareness of one’s spiritual preferences before integrating a non-biased spiritual care.This paper discusses that in order to address a holistic care, the healthcare team must involve the participation of multi-faith chaplain professionals to assist healthcare team members in providing specific cultural, religious, and faith needs of clients and families. Spiritual care is the most difficult task of a provider, specially the nurses. Most of the nurses lack adequate training for spiritual care giving and may influence the provision of adequate spiritual care. Healthcare providers such as nurses need to have formal education training or graduate programs in pastoral counseling or ministry in order to provide an excellent and competent spiritual care and to refer clients to other spiritual care providers as needed.  Organizational team members such as the Baptist Healing Trust aim to further the work of non-profit agencies in providing health services to vulnerable populations in Middle Tennessee.  Members of the Baptist Healing Trust heal with love and compassionate care in accordance with the Christian tradition.

Developmental Apraxia Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments Essay Example for Free

Developmental Apraxia Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments Essay Apraxia of speech is a neurological condition in which a person finds it impossible to move their mouth or tongue to speak (Apraxia, 2005). There are two main types of apraxia; they are acquired apraxia of speech and developmental apraxia of speech (Apraxia of Speech, 2002). This paper is about Developmental Apraxia of Speech, its symptoms, causes, and appropriate treatments. Developmental apraxia of speech is also called childhood apraxia of speech, because it is present from birth (2002). There are many symptoms of developmental apraxia, and each child may have different symptoms (Childhood, 1997). Some symptoms of very young children include problems eating, not cooing as an infant, late first words, problems combining sounds, and deleting difficult sounds and replacing them with easier ones more often than normal children (1997). In older children, symptoms can include making inconsistent sound errors, understanding of language better than their ability to talk, difficulty imitating speech, difficulty saying long phrases or words clearly, difficulty for others to understand their speech, and speech which sounds choppy or monotonous (1997). Other symptoms may include delayed language development, word order confusion, word recall issues, difficult fine motor development and coordination, over sensitivity or under sensitivity of the mouth, and trouble reading, writing, and spelling (1997). Because there are so many possible symptoms of developmental apraxia, it is important to have children evaluated by a professional to rule out other causes of speech problems (1997). Developmental apraxia is believed by many researchers to be a neurologically based speech-motor disorder, but exact causes have not been isolated (Causes of Apraxia, 2010). Researcher’s studies have not shown a difference or abnormalities in the brains of children with developmental apraxia (2002). Children with developmental apraxia often have family members with learning disabilities or communication disorders (2002). Researchers continue to conduct studies to find any brain abnormalities and genetic factors which may cause developmental apraxia (2005). Speech language therapy is used for treating developmental apraxia. Intensive intervention which begins early is best for children with this disorder (Lederman, 2012). In the beginning, children should have treatment 3-5 times per week (1997). Children diagnosed with developmental apraxia show improvement more quickly when they receive treatment individually (1997). Speech language therapy for children with developmental apraxia differs from the therapy of children with other language disorders (2012). Treatment is based on the principles of motor learning, including repetition to establish and develop motor plans, practice opportunities to maintain learned patterns, use of relevant words and phrases, increased sensory feedback, and work on sound and word sequences (2012). There are still many things to learn about developmental apraxia, and studies regarding causes and treatments are still ongoing (2002). There is also research being done to find more specific criteria to identify and diagnose developmental apraxia and to distinguish it from other communication disorders (2002). References American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Childhood Apraxia of Speech (1997). www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/childhoodapraxia.htm Lederman, D. (2012). Speech Language Therapy for Childhood Apraxia of Speech. www.donnalederman.com/disorder-types/apraxia-of-speech.php National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Apraxia of Speech (2002). www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/pages/apraxia.aspx University of Rochester Medical Center. Causes of Apraxia (2010). www.urmc.rochester. edu/speech-pathology/speech-language-disorders/apraxia/causes-apraxia.cfm Web MD. Apraxia: Symptoms, Causes, Tests, Treatments (2005). www.webmd.com/ Brain/apraxia-symptoms-causes-tests-treatments

Critical Analysis of A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare :: William Shakespeare Plays Literature Essays

Critical Analysis of A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare William Shakespeare, born in 1594, is one of the greatest writers in literature. He dies in 1616 after completing many sonnets and plays. One of which is "A Midsummer Night’s Dream." They say that this play is the most purely romantic of Shakespeare’s comedies. The themes of the play are dreams and reality, love and magic. This extraordinary play is a play-with-in-a-play, which master writers only write successfully. Shakespeare proves here to be a master writer. Critics find it a task to explain the intricateness of the play, audiences find it very pleasing to read and watch. "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" is a comedy combining elements of love, fairies, magic, and dreams. This play is a comedy about five couples who suffer through love’s strange games and the evil behind the devious tricks. This play begins as Theseus, the Duke, is preparing to marry Hippolyta. He woos her with his sword. Hermia is in love with Lysander. Egeus, Hermiaâ⠂¬â„¢s father, forbids the relationship with Lysander and orders her to marry Demetrius. Demetrius loves Hermia, but she does not love him. On the other hand, Helena is in love with Demetrius. To settle the confusion, Theseus decides that Hermia must marry Demetrius or become a nun. In retaliation to her father’s command, Hermia and Lysander run away together. Amidst all the problems in the human world, Titania and Oberon, the fairy queen and king, continually argue about their various relationships that they have taken part in. (Scott 336) Titania leaves Oberon as a result of the arguments. Oberon is hurt and wants revenge on Titania. So he tells Puck, Oberon’s servant, to put a magic flower juice on her eyelids while she is sleeping. This potion causes the victim to desperately in love with the first creature that they see. Oberon’s plan is carried out, but the potion is also placed on Lysander’s eyes. Lysander awakes to see Helena, who is aimlessly wal king through the woods, and instantly falls in love with her. She thinks that he is making fun of her being in love with Demetrius, so she leaves and Lysander follows. This leaves Hermia to wake up alone. Puck now has journeyed to the area where several actors are rehearsing. He uses his magic to turn one of them into a donkey, in hopes that Titania will awake to see it.

History of British Literature

Late Medieval Period 14th Century British Literature 14th and 15th were period of transition from feudalism to pre-industrial era. A time of political, social and ideological conflicts; England was in war with France (the hundred year war 1337-1453 Edward’s claim to the French throne and attempt to bring England, Gascony and Flanders under unified political control). The defeats in France lead to deepening the internal crisis. The decline in agriculture together with the rise in the population resulted in frequent famines and helped the spread during the 14th c. of the â€Å"Black Death†. 381 – The Peasants’ Revolt. Culture: by 15th century England had become a nation with the sense of separate identity and indigenous culture 1362- English became the official language in court and was also used in schools. 14thc. witnessed the first original literary works written in English. Middle English literature English literature of the medieval period, c. 1100 to c . 1500. Background The Norman conquest of England in 1066 traditionally signifies the beginning of 200 years of the domination of French in English letters. French cultural dominance, moreover, was general in Europe at this time.French language and culture replaced English in polite court society and had lasting effects on English culture. But the native tradition survived, although little 13th-century, and even less 12th-century, vernacular literature is extant, since most of it was transmitted orally. Anglo-Saxon fragmented into several dialects and gradually evolved into Middle English, which, despite an admixture of French, is unquestionably English. By the mid-14th cent. , Middle English had become the literary as well as the spoken language of England. The Early PeriodSeveral poems in early Middle English are extant. The  Orrmulum  (c. 1200), a verse translation of parts of the Gospels, is of linguistic and prosodic rather than literary interest. Of approximately the same date,  The  Owl and the Nightingale  (see separate article) is the first example in English of the  debat,  a popular continental form; in the poem, the owl, strictly monastic and didactic, and the nightingale, a free and amorous secular spirit, charmingly debate the virtues of their respective ways of life. The Thirteenth Century Middle English prose of the 13th cent. ontinued in the tradition of Anglo-Saxon prose? homiletic, didactic, and directed toward ordinary people rather than polite society. The â€Å"Katherine Group† (c. 1200), comprising three saints' lives, is typical. The  Ancren Riwle(c. 1200) is a manual for prospective anchoresses; it was very popular, and it greatly influenced the prose of the 13th and 14th cent. The fact that there was no French prose tradition was very important to the preservation of the English prose tradition. In the 13th cent. the  romance, an important continental narrative verse form, was introduced in England.It drew fro m three rich sources of character and adventure: the legends of Charlemagne, the legends of ancient Greece and Rome, and the British legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Layamon's  Brut, a late 13th-century metrical romance (a translation from the French), marks the first appearance of Arthurian matter in English (see  Arthurian legend). Original English romances based upon indigenous material include  King Horn  and  Havelok the Dane, both 13th-century works that retain elements of the Anglo-Saxon heroic tradition.However, French romances, notably the Arthurian romances of  Chretien de Troyes, were far more influential than their English counterparts. In England French romances popularized ideas of adventure and heroism quite contrary to those of Anglo-Saxon heroic literature and were representative of wholly different values and tastes. Ideals of  courtly love, together with its elaborate manners and rituals, replaced those of the heroic code; a dventure and feats of courage were pursued for the sake of the knight's lady rather than for the sake of the hero's honor or the glory of his tribal king.Continental verse forms based on metrics and rhyme replaced the Anglo-Saxon alliterative line in Middle English poetry (with the important exception of the 14th-century alliterative revival). Many French literary forms also became popular, among them the  fabliau; the exemplum, or moral tale; the animal fable; and the dream vision. The continental allegorical tradition, which derived from classical literature, is exemplified by the  Roman de la Rose, which had a strong impact on English literature. Medieval works of literature often center on a popular rhetorical figure, such as the  ubi sunt,  which remarks on the inevitability? nd sadness? of change, loss, and death; and the  cursor mundi,  which harps on the vanity of human grandeur. A 15,000-line 13th-century English poem, the  Cursor Mundi,  retells human histo ry (i. e. , the medieval version? biblical plus classical story) from the point of view its title implies. A number of 13th-century secular and religious Middle English lyrics are extant, including the exuberant  Sumer Is Icumen In, but like Middle English literature in general, the  lyric  reached its fullest flower during the second half of the 14th cent. Lyrics continued popular in the 15th cent. from which time the  ballad  also dates. The Fourteenth Century The poetry of the alliterative revival (see  alliteration), the unexplained reemergence of the Anglo-Saxon verse form in the 14th cent. , includes some of the best poetry in Middle English. The Christian allegory  The  Pearl  (see separate article) is a poem of great intricacy and sensibility that is meaningful on several symbolic levels. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,  by the same anonymous author, is also of high literary sophistication, and its intelligence, vividness, and symbolic interest render it possibly the finest Arthurian poem in English.Other important alliterative poems are the moral allegory  Piers Plowman,  attributed to William  Langland, and the alliterative  Morte Arthur,  which, like nearly all English poetry until the mid-14th cent. , was anonymous. The works of Geoffrey  Chaucer  mark the brilliant culmination of Middle English literature. Chaucer's  The Canterbury Tales  are stories told each other by pilgrims? who comprise a very colorful cross section of 14th-century English society? on their way to the shrine at Canterbury. The tales are cast into many different verse forms and genres and collectively explore virtually every significant medieval theme.Chaucer's wise and humane work also illuminates the full scope of medieval thought. Overshadowed by Chaucer but of some note are the works of John  Gower. The Fifteenth Century: The 15th cent. is not distinguished in English letters, due in part to the social dislocation caused by the prol onged Wars of the Roses. Of the many 15th-century imitators of Chaucer the best-known are John  Lydgate  and Thomas  Hoccleve. Other poets of the time include Stephen  Hawes  and Alexander  Barclay  and the Scots poets William  Dunbar, Robert  Henryson, and Gawin  Douglas.The poetry of John  Skelton, which is mostly satiric, combines medieval and Renaissance elements. William  Caxton  introduced printing to England in 1475 and in 1485 printed Sir Thomas  Malory's  Morte d'Arthur. This prose work, written in the twilight of  chivalry, casts the Arthurian tales into coherent form and views them with an awareness that they represent a vanishing way of life. The  miracle play, a long cycle of short plays based upon biblical episodes, was popular throughout the Middle Ages in England. The  morality play, an allegorical drama centering on the struggle for man's soul, originated in the 15th cent.The finest of the genre is  Everyman. English Society in the 14th Century Summary:    The Canterbury Tales is set in fourteenth-century London, one of the medieval period's great centers of commerce and culture. In England at this time, society was still very strictly ordered, with the King and nobles having all power in things political and the Catholic Church having all authority in spiritual matters. English Society in the 14th Century The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, is recognized as the first book of poetry written in the English language.This is because poetry was often written in Italian or Latin not English, even writers from England wrote in the other languages because English was considered low class and vulgar, but after Chaucer's writings were published they became a recognized and legitimate work. The Canterbury Tales gives modern readers a good judgment of language in the 14th century as it also gives a rich, elaborated tapestry of medieval social life, combining elements of all classes, from nobles to wo rkers, from priests and nuns to drunkards and thieves.The view of the Canterbury Tales being held up as a precise reflection of English society in the 14th century is significantly correct, because they were very attached to the church and beliefs and the way they all act in the Tales shows how they really were a society of the Church. â€Å"The Canterbury Tales is set in fourteenth-century London, one of the medieval period's great centers of commerce and culture. In England at this time, society was still very strictly ordered, with the King and nobles having all power in things political and the Catholic Church having all authority in spiritual matters.However, trade and commerce with other nations had expanded dramatically in this century, giving rise to a new and highly vocal middle class comprised of merchants, traders, shopkeepers, and skilled craftsmen. † The story starts with a general prologue that provides a panoramic view of society England begins the period with wars, unrest, and almost chaos; it concludes with a settled dynasty, a reformed religion, and a people united and progressive. England in 1300 was well on the way to rapid expansion. It was rapidly increasing in intellectual and mathematical sophistication.Technically, thanks to water power and the mechanical discoveries that flowed from it, England was in the midst of what many historians call the Medieval Industrial Revolution. One reason there seems to be such a break between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance was that there was in fact a break. The 14th Century was a time of turmoil, diminished expectations, loss of confidence in institutions, and feelings of helplessness at forces beyond human contro. lThe 14th century in Europe was a time of great unrest. This as primarily caused by the outbreak of bubonic plague better known as the Black Death. Another cause were the peasant revolts, and the schism within the Catholic Church. The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer , is recognized as the first book of poetry written in the English language. This is because poetry was often written in Italian or Latin not English, even writers from England wrote in the other languages because English was considered low class and vulgar, but after Chaucer's writings were published they became a recognized and legitimate work.The Canterbury Tales gives modern readers a good judgment of language in the 14th century as it also gives a rich, elaborated tapestry of medieval social life, combining elements of all classes,from nobles to workers, from priests and nuns to drunkards and thieves. The view of the Canterbury Tales being held up as a precise reflection of English society in the 14th century is significantly correct, because they were very attached to the church and beliefs and the way they all act in the Tales shows how they really were a society of the Church.Alliterative verse: 8th – 14th century AD The story of English literature begins with the Ger manic tradition of the Anglo-Saxon settlers. Beowulfstands at its head. This epic poem of the 8th century is in  Anglo-Saxon, now more usually described as Old English. It is incomprehensible to a reader familiar only with modern English. Even so, there is a continuous linguistic development between the two. The most significant turning point, from about 1100, is the development of Middle English – differing from Old English in the addition of a French vocabulary after the  Norman conquest.French and Germanic influences subsequently compete for the mainstream role in English literature. The French poetic tradition inclines to lines of a regular metrical length, usually linked by rhyme into couplets or stanzas. German poetry depends more on rhythm and stress, with repeated consonants (alliteration) to bind the phrases. Elegant or subtle rhymes have a courtly flavour. The hammer blows of alliteration are a type of verbal athleticism more likely to draw applause in a hall fu ll of warriors.Both traditions achieve a magnificent flowering in England in the late 14th century, towards the end of the Middle English period. Piers Plowmanand  Sir Gawainare masterpieces which look back to Old English. By contrastChaucer, a poet of the court, ushers in a new era of English literature. Piers Plowman and Sir Gawain: 14th century AD Of these two great English alliterative poems, the second is entirely anonymous and the first virtually so. The narrator of  Piers Plowmancalls himself Will; occasional references in the text suggest that his name may be Langland.Nothing else, apart from this poem, is known of him. Piers Plowman exists in three versions, the longest amounting to more than 7000 lines. It is considered probable that all three are by the same author. If so he spends some twenty years, from about 1367, adjusting and refining his epic creation. Piers the ploughman is one of a group of characters searching for Christian truth in the complex setting of a d ream. Though mainly a spiritual quest, the work also has a political element. It contains sharply observed details of a corrupt and materialistic age (Wycliffe  is among Langland's English contemporaries).Where  Piers Plowman  is tough and gritty,  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight(dating from the same period) is more polished in its manner and more courtly in its content. The characters derive partly fromArthurian legend. A mysterious green knight arrives one Christmas at the court of King Arthur. He invites any knight to strike him with an axe and to receive the blow back a year later. Gawain accepts the challenge. He cuts off the head of the green knight, who rides away with it. The rest of the poem concerns Gawain, a year later, at the green knight's castle. In a tale of love (for the green knight's wife) and subsequent eceit, Gawain emerges with little honour. The green knight spares his life but sends him home to Arthur's court wearing the wife's girdle as a badge of sha me. Geoffrey Chaucer at court: AD 1367-1400 In 1367 one of four new ‘yeomen of the chamber' in the household of Edward III is Geoffrey Chaucer, then aged about twenty-seven. The young man's wife, Philippa, is already a lady-in-waiting to the queen. A few years later Chaucer becomes one of the king's esquires, with duties which include entertaining the court with stories and music. There can rarely have been a more inspired appointment.Chaucer's poems are designed to be read aloud, in the first instance by himself. Their range, from high romance to bawdy comedy, is well calculated to hold the listeners spellbound. Courtly circles in England are his first audience. Chaucer's public career is one of almost unbroken success in two consecutive reigns. He undertakes diplomatic missions abroad on behalf of the king; he is given administrative posts, such as controlling the customs, which bring lodgings and handsome stipends. Even occasional disasters (such as being robbed twice in fo ur days in 1390 and losing ? 0 of Richard II's money) do him no lasting harm. A measure of Chaucer's skill as a courtier is that during the 1390s, when he is in the employment ofRichard II, he also receives gifts at Christmas from Richard's rival, Bolingbroke. When Bolingbroke unseats Richard II in 1399, taking his place on the throne as  Henry IV, Chaucer combines diplomacy and wit to secure his position. Having lost his royal appointments, he reminds the new king of his predicament in a poem entitled ‘The Complaint of Chaucer to his Empty Purse'. The last line of each verse begs the purse to ‘be heavy again, or else must I die'.Henry IV hears the message. The court poet is given a new annuity. Henry is certainly aware that he is keeping in his royal circle a poet of great distinction. Chaucer's reputation is such that, when he dies in the following year, he is granted the very unusual honour – for a commoner – of being buried in Westminster abbey. Troil us and Criseyde: AD 1385 Chaucer's first masterpiece is his subtle account of the wooing of Criseyde by Troilus, with the active encouragement of Criseyde's uncle Pandarus. The tender joys of their love affair are followed by Criseyde's betrayal and Troilus's death in battle.Chaucer adapts to his own purposes the more conventionally dramatic account of this legendary affair written some fifty years earlier byBoccaccio(probably read by Chaucer when on a mission to Florence in 1373). His own very long poem (8239 lines) is written in the early 1380s and is complete by 1385. Chaucer's tone is delicate, subtle, oblique – though this does not prevent him from introducing and gently satirising many vivid details of life at court, as he guides the reader through the long psychological intrigue by which Pandarus eventually delivers Troilus into Criseyde's bed.The charm and detail of the poem, giving an intimate glimpse of a courtly world, is akin to the delightful miniatures which ill ustrate books of hours of this period in the style known asInternational Gothic. Yet this delicacy is only one side of Chaucer's abundant talent – as he soon proves in  The Canterbury Tales. The Canterbury Tales: AD 1387-1400 Collections of tales are a favourite literary convention of the 14th century. Boccaccio'sDecameron  is the best-known example before Chaucer's time, but Chaucer inThe Canterbury Tales  outshines his predecessors.He does so in the range and vitality of the stories in his collection, from the courtly tone of ‘The Knight's Tale' to the rough and often obscene humour of those known technically as  fabliaux. He does so also in the detail and humour of the framework holding the stories together. His account of the pilgrims as they ride from London to Canterbury, with their constant bickering and rivalry, amounts to a comic masterpiece in its own right. The pilgrims, thirty of them including Chaucer himself, gather one spring day at the Tabard in Southwark.The host of the inn, Harry Bailly, is a real contemporary of Chaucer's (his name features in historical records). He will act as their guide on the route to Canterbury and he proposes that they pass the time on their journey by telling stories. Each pilgrim is to tell two on the way out and two on the way back. Whoever is judged to have told the best tale will have a free supper at the Tabard on their return. Of this ambitious total of 120 stories, Chaucer completes only 24 by the time of his death. Even so the collection amounts to some 17,000 lines – mainly of rhyming verse, but with some passages of prose.The pilgrims represent all sections of society from gentry to humble craftsmen (the only absentees are the labouring poor, unable to afford a pilgrimage of this kind). There are respectable people from the various classes – such as the knight, the parson and the yeoman – but the emphasis falls mainly on characters who are pretentious, scurrilous, m endacious, avaricious or lecherous. The pilgrims are vividly described, one by one, in Chaucer'sPrologue. The relationships between them evolve in the linking passages between the tales, as Harry Bailly arranges who shall speak next.The pilgrims for the most part tell tales closely related to their station in life or to their personal character. Sometimes the anecdotes even reflect mutual animosities. The miller gives a scurrilously comic account of a carpenter being cuckolded. Everyone laughs heartily except the reeve, who began his career as a carpenter. The reeve gets his own back with an equally outrageous tale of the seduction of a miller's wife and daughter. But the pilgrim who has most delighted six centuries of readers is the five-times-married Wife of Bath, taking a lusty pleasure in her own appetites and richly scorning the ideals of celibacy.