Piers 6-9
After 6 grueling Passūs of barely comprehensible middle English, we finally get to understand why the title is Piers Plowman. He’s the key to truth, and he claims he can lead the pilgrimage to him.
How he wants to be repaid for his guidance however, is not money (A.6.43). Piers owns a farm, and he needs acres to be plowed and tended to. He’s almost setting up a Utopian society, where everyone does their fair share of work and is then fed (A.7.5). However, like any utopia, something goes wrong. Some refuse to do work, like the Breton who gets into an argument with Piers. I think the author is trying to make a point about how there are always those people who don’t participate and ruins things for others in large group activities. Reminds me of group projects I’ve done in the past, actually.
For passus 8, it's another episode of “Insert character here vs. the clergy” there are more disputes against priests and alike. Insults like “ignorant wretch” are being traded between Piers and a Priest (A.8.123). The general theme of certain parts of the Church being corrupt and morally incorrect is present throughout Piers Plowman. Even though the reformation is 200 years from when Piers Plowman was written, the book has connotations very similar to the reformation. You can see the historical origins and ideas of where the reformation came from in Piers Plowman.
Overall, the narrator seems to be becoming closer and closer to solving the mystery of finding Truth. He wakes up for once, and actually interacts with some people, instead of tripping in the woods (A.9.1). In the other mysteries we have read, there was a plot twist around this point, whether it be a Orangutan or a man brought back from the dead. The question I have, is will there be a shocking plot twist in Piers Plowman? Since this mystery is a very different than from what Doyle or Poe has written, it might not be that likely. Like the Wizard of Oz being a man behind a curtain, I have the feeling that Truth may not be exactly what they expect.
It is interesting how you consider Piers Plowman's farm to be a kind of Utopian society. Piers seems to be in search of an eternal heaven and afterlife, therefore his own post-life Utopia. However, I agree with you that there is no such thing as an actual Utopia, as corruption is prevalent in all aspects of society. Therefore, it seems justified that Truth is actually unattainable.
ReplyDeleteI would like to disagree with the idea presented in Passus 8 that the church is corrupt in this instance. In line 96 - 99, the lines are interpreted into saying that God shall have his soul based on his evil or good actions and death shall be his judgment day. This is the priest who is saying this which is very controversial for the times he was living in. I believe that Piers is the corrupt one who believes in the idea of indulgences.
ReplyDeleteI really like your connection to utopias. I think the idea of utopias can connect to the topic of the Garden of Eden and the fall. The author writes about a scenario in which everyone is working diligently and harmoniously, and this connects to how the Bible says that everything on Earth was perfect before sin entered the world. The story continues to talk about the laziness of humans and starts addressing the idea of one's role in an imperfect society. It makes me wonder what the author believes about how people should live their lives, especially in the context of salvation and forgiveness in Christianity.
ReplyDelete