English 3 A.M.D.G.
Ms. Batchelor

Writing Assignment #3: Medieval Literature
Due Friday, December 2nd, 2016

Assignment: Produce an original and analytical essay comparing the role of virtue in Medieval literature. The final essay will be around 1000 words and formatted according to MLA standards. Select one of the following virtues to frame your analysis:
• Faith: strong belief in God or the doctrines of religion
• Charity: benevolent giving and loving God above all things for his own sake, and loving others as his image
• Prudence: being wise and showing good judgment
• Chastity: virtuousness or purity in sexual matters
• Temperance: moderation in action and statement; moderation of natural appetites and impulses/passions
• Diligence: careful and persistence work or effort
• Truth: Seek the Truth wherever possible (always quest for virtue and the will of God)
• Valor: great courage in the face of danger or opposition

Prompt: Select one passage each from two of the readings we have done this semester: Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and The Canterbury Tales. The passages should both express, in some way, one of the virtues listed above. Compare and contrast the passages to argue whether this virtue is better in practice or in theory.