Diverse Folk Diversly They Post

And now, for the most eclectic blog post thus far:

First of all, in reference to the Second Nun's Tale and today's class discussion, I think there is a very large difference between the martyrdom of the little Clergion and Cecelia. The little boy's death does not strictly meet the traditional definition of martyrdom. According to the Catholic Church (and most other Christian churches that recognize martyrdom) in order to become a martyr, one must be killed for one's religious beliefs, knowing that this continuation of the religious practice or belief in question will most certainly result in death. Because the little boy in the Prioress' Tale dies more so because he ignorantly wanders through a "bad" neighborhood arbitrarily singing a song he doesn't understand, he would not actually be considered a martyr. The bottom line, martydom must be the result of a deliberate choice, and not simply a set of unofortunate circumstances. Also, there is no evidence that the anonymous Jews killed the young boy simply for being a Christian. The text (ie. the Wasp's nest quote and references to Satan) suggest they killed him because of their own evil status.

In reference to discussion of Cecelia as being one of the few female characters thus far with true individual agency, I think it is worth noting the source of that agency. Just as chivarly provided a sort of agency to earlier female characters in the tales, Cecelia's agency in this instance is provided by Christianity. It is difficult to imagine she would have been as brave and upright if she had been standing up for anything other than her Christian beliefs. Especially when viewed within the context of her continued "life after death" to preach the gospel, it is difficult to determine where Cecelia's agency ends and her "holy spirit" provided by Christianity begins. Therefore, I think in some ways that her agency is much less than other female characters because she derives this agency from a universal application of Christian righteousness to believers.

Lastly, I looked up the Simon and Garfunkel song "Cecelia" after class. Apparently, Paul Simon named the song in reference to St. Cecelia, patron saint of music in Catholic tradition. The romantic connotations in the song are more an allusion to the difficulties an artist has maintaining his relationship with the muse than any actual physical liasons. The best way I can relate this to class is that St. Cecelia's connection to music led to the connotation "way for the blind" and her blind faith in the church is what led to her martyrdom. Therefore, Paul Simon may be at risk of becoming a martyr of pop music. Just kidding. Cecelia's blind devotion demonstrates the Christian concept of maintaining a relationship with Christ at all costs, just as Paul Simon struggles to stay in touch with his muse.