Research Paper

Chance Carmichael
Mrs. Perkins
English IV Enhanced
13 March 2008

Human beings are able to cohabitate peacefully for a few simple reasons. One of them is the idea of ethics and moral behavior. Though ideas of what is socially, spiritually, and psychologically acceptable has changed over the years, people still strive to attain a certain standard of living. From female rights to greed, many issues have been touched by literature pieces such as The Bible, Aesop’s Fables, and The Canterbury Tales. The presentation of morality in The Canterbury Tales is what connects it to how these messages are conveyed today. Television sets have replaced literature in a lot of ways and television has taken on many responsibilities and duties. Teen drama programming on television has taken the responsibility of preaching and advising teenagers on modern moral issues in the same way that Chaucer set out to address hypocrisy and immoral behavior in the middle ages. Ergo, modern “teen dramas” nearly mirror Geoffrey Chaucer’s affectation to convey moralistic lessons and realistic characters.
These morals are woven into each simple plot to teen dramas. Teen dramas are very susceptible of “cheesy” and “corny” messages that lie within their realistic characters and plot arcs. For example, the Degrassi series and Beverly Hills 90210 present modern situations and moralistic themes like integrity, respect, and overall kindness (Simonetti). Both of these series promote wellness and denounce bad choices. The Degrassi series and Beverly Hills 90210 touch on many issues pertinent to teenagers including peer pressure, sexual activity, teen pregnancy, AIDs, child abuse, homosexuality, mental disorders, self abuse, and grieving (Simonetti). These issues are most interesting because they pertain to teens; teens face these problems in everyday life. Simonetti states, “if a text lacks relevance to one’s social experience, it is deemed unrealistic.”
This is why Degrassi has tackled such issues. The writers have, over the years, essentially taught teens and adolescents how to deal with so many issues. For instance, dealing with consequences of sexual activity as a teen is duly discussed in several episodes including the season three episode “Accidents Will Happen” (Degrassi). When freshman Manny Santos becomes sexually active, she soon discovers that she is pregnant. After realizing she is too young to raise a child, Manny decides to abort her baby. Of course, the issue is not as simple as a two sentence synopsis of it. Manny must face public humiliation when it is revealed she is pregnant; she is forced to quit all sports activities she is involved with; and she also must face Craig, the expecting father, who disagrees completely with her decision (Degrassi). This is where Degrassi teaches that because of her actions she was met with an array of negative consequences. It is thusly discussed that had she used a condom or not engaged in sexual intercourse, she would not have had to face the social and self alienation that she now must endure. It is also important to note that “emotional and social consequences far outnumber physical consequences” on teen dramas (Aubrey).
Consequences also occur when a girl decides to perform unprotected oral sex on a classmate she barely knows. This results in public humiliation, self-esteem issues, and gonorrhea for the teenager who after contracting the sexually transmitted disease confronts the aforementioned classmate shouting, “you gave me a social disease” (Degrassi). Although construed usually as only physical, several social and psychological problems may result from intercourse of sexual activities on teen dramas. In fact, scenes that speak of the risks involved in sex have fairly increased in the last few years (Aubrey). She has realized her immoral act and learned a valuable message about unprotected sex.
Not every issue discussed on teen dramas is a negative issue. For instance, in an early episode of the show, eighth grader Emma experiences her first menstruation. She is embarrassed at first for going through it, but later stands up to a male classmate taunting her and admits “Like my mom says, never be embarrassed to be female” (Degrassi). Other teen dramas like My So-Called Life try to encourage viewers to pick their battles and stand up for their morals. In the episode, “The Substitute” Angela – the protagonist of the series – finds a mentor in the new substitute who plans on printing her English class’s poetry despite the school deemed inappropriate references to sex. However, Angela soon learns that her idol isn’t much of an idol at all when the principal informs her that he abandoned his wife and children. In the end, Angela realizes that although he was hypocritical he made a good point about fighting censorship. She decides to print the paper and hand it out in the hallways (My So-Called Life). “The messages presented in the shows often reflect both the good and bad side of the decision coin alternately. Sometimes, suggesting ‘do it,’ other times enforcing ‘don’t do it’”(Dorr and Irlen 4).
This alternation between what is acceptable and what isn’t can often be found in The Canterbury Tales. For instance, the Wife of Bath is able to argue in a time misogyny and male supremacy “And—Jesu hear my prayer—cut short the lives / Of those who won’t be governed by their wives…” (CT p.188. 437-438). This is a radical message due to the lack of female rights during this era. Of course, we can respectively assume that Chaucer may not hold this exact thought. Treatment of women is a big issue discussed in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. The Wife of Bath’s Tale is a tale that preaches women are just as equal in superiority if not more superior in a marriage. The one thing that the Wife of Bath makes clear is that she believes that women certainly are not objects. However, the Scholar’s Tale infers women should stay true to their husbands through the most trying of dilemmas. Chaucer ultimately included all appropriate viewpoints of his age (Leone 22).
Teen dramas offer many ideas and routes for certain problems. Two other pregnant girls appear throughout the series: one who has her baby and puts it up for adoption and another who has kept and is raising her child (Degrassi). Hot topics of our generation are analyzed, elaborated through the dialogue and plot of the show, and deliberated in an educational way. This is one of the main objectives of these shows – to make a platform that can incur growth in adolescents (My So-Called Life). “[These] shows, as most stories, strike a careful balance between pleasure and instruction,” stated Linda Schuyler, one of the creators of the Degrassi series (Simonetti). They offer up a heaping plate of interesting relatable characters and have hidden a small dose of morality in each episode.
The Canterbury Tales offered entertainment with a hidden moral to take in as well (The Virtue). Chaucer offers up descriptive and imaginative tales that illustrate life lessons in an inventive way. There are several issues discussed in The Canterbury Tales including promiscuity, fraud, love, and greed (The Virtue). The Canterbury Tales does not focus in on specific issues – such as an STD or self abuse – but he incorporated the issues plaguing the people of his time. Those who act immoral in the piece must pay back – usually with their life – for their sins if they do not realize their misdeed and make up for it. For example, in The Pardoner’s Tale, the three hoodlums are given many opportunities to give penance for their blasphemy and avaricious acts, but shirk their responsibility for repentance (Retribution). When the three are told by the old man that Death is by the oak tree, they are not clever enough to realize that the gold is a manifestation of death (CT p.170. 156, 164). They eventually pay for this indiscretion with their lives (Retribution). This concept of retribution for your immorality is still present in today’s society. It comes in the form of teen drams on television where “the cheating boyfriend is granted [an apology] only after a display of true-felt remorse. With [the girlfriend’s] forgiveness, the penance is complete and retribution of losing his girlfriend if avoided” (Retribution).

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