Post your pilgrim below. Think about the following questions when you define your pilgrim:
1- who are they? What facts can we identify in their description?
2- How does the narrator view the pilgrim?
3 – How do they fit their social role?
4 – what techniques does the author use to question the narrator’s point of view?
5 – Can we find a modern equivalent for the pilgrim?
Parson
I think that the Parson is one of the few “true” portrayals we see. He is poor and rich at the same time – the ultimate Christian. In this portrait, the author and narrator both seem to concur that this is a good man. Yet, within the portrait we get a picture of a bad parson, as our pilgrim is defined in terms of what he is not. The narrator says “He was not hars to weak souls in temptation, / Not overbearing nor haugthy in his speech”(504 -5), using the word “not” repeatedly to emphasize what the Parson is. He is poor, humble and dedicated. He travels, “plodding his way on foot, his staff in hand” (483) through rain and thunder to visit those who need him. We get a few references to his flock, and I think he is truly a shepherd of his people. He is a good example, and when the narrator tells us that “I doubt there was a priest in any place / His better” (512 -3), I think we can believe him. The language is sincere and pious, and the voice of the Parson is simple, too, defining himself by his job and finding contentment there.
Class Portraits
Parson (see above)
