Differences versus similarities: Describe people and society in fourteenth-century England and today.Explain differences or similarities

Let's imagine that we're rewriting the Tales to set them in the 21st century. First of all, we'd have to find a reason other than religion for them to be traveling. In the 14th century, people regularly went on pilgrimage to a shrine for healing or to ask for special prayer. Today, some groups, particularly in Islam, still practice the pilgrimage, but few Christians do.

The modes of travel would have to change. Chaucer's pilgrims mostly rode donkeys, with the wealthy riding horses. Today, people travel by car. Our travelers would probably ride in a comfortable, air-conditioned bus.

Occupations have changed. While we still have religious orders and might still include a prioress, a parson, and a friar, there would be no summoner or pardoner. We would still have a merchant, a cook, and a lawyer, but we wouldn't have a tapestry weaver, a dyer, or a miller. We'd have to rename some of the pilgrims. For instance, the Reeve would be called a Caretaker, the Manciple might be a Paralegal, the Franklin would be called a landowner. We might still have a knight, but he would not likely be a soldier returning from war. Today people are knighted because of some great deed they've done.

There was government corruption in the 14th century, and there is government corruption today. There were poor people then and now. There was drinking then and now.

You might find that there are just as many similarities between Chaucer's pilgrims and people today as there are differences!