The Wife of Bath from Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales...

The Wife of Bath from Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales In Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, a collection of tales is presented during a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral. The pilgrims on the journey are from divergent economic and social backgrounds but they have all amalgamated to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas. Chaucer uses each pilgrim to tell a tale which portrays an arduous medieval society. The values, morals and social structures of the society can be examined through the fictitious tales, unravelling a corrupt, unjust and manipulative world, a world that is based around an ecclesiastical society. Society was closely associated with the Church. Chaucer was clearly unhappy with the way members of the Church†¦show more content†¦However, he didn’t give a plucked hen for that text (l. 177 (translated)) and he also went hunting but hunteres been nought holy men (l. 178). The monk is very similar to the Prioress, as he does not want to live the life that he has vowed to live and is better-suited livin g in the higher classes. The Friar and the Summoner also exhibit non-conforming behavior which again highlights the wrong in the Church. The Friar is a member of a religious order that is completely poor and has to beg to survive. The Friar, though, did not like the vow of poverty and is somewhat praised by Chaucer for knowing who to ask for money and where to go; He was the beste beggere in his house (l. 252). The Friar’s dubious manipulations earned him enough money to become a landowner. This did mean though that he is completely dishonest. The Summoner, on the other hand, is blatantly dishonest. He works for the ecclesiastical court, his job is to bring offenders to the court for justice. Chaucer is extremely critical of the Summoner, giving him a fir-reed cherubinnes face (l. 626). Children were even afraid of his visage (l. 630). His gruesome appearance is ironically correspondent with his afflicted soul. The Summoner was really a blackmailer who played on the fears of sinners so if they paid him enough money, he would not pursue them. The Summoner and Friar outline the huge flaws of the Church as does the Pardoner. The Pardoner isShow MoreRelatedGeoffrey Chaucers Use of Characterization Essay1308 Words   |  6 Pagesattain any work fame or shame. Geoffrey Chaucer, a pioneer of English Literature’s works carried mass appeal. His best known works appealed to those of all walks of life. Chaucer’s work resulted in mass appeal because it used many forms of characterization to present the characters to the reader. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses thoughts and actions, his word, and satire to characterize The Squire and The Wife of Bath. Geoffrey Chaucer is well known for his useRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Essay1115 Words   |  5 Pages The Canterbury Tales is a set of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the fourteenth century. The stories were told by a group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral, in hopes to see a shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. To make time go by the host recommended each pilgrim tell a tale. The tale that each character gives, reveals that person’s background and life. Some pilgrims matched their stereotype of that time but most do not. The Prioress, Madame Eglentyne, and Wife of Bath, Allison, areRead MoreChaucers The Canterbury Tales1381 Words   |  6 PagesThe Canterbury Tales serves as a moral manual in the Middle Ages. In the tales, Geoffrey Chaucer portrays the problems of the society. For instance, Chaucer uses the monk and the friar in comparison to the parson to show what the ecclesiastical class are doing versus what they are supposed to be doi ng. In other words, it is to make people be aware of these problems. It can be inferred that the author’s main goal is for this literary work to serve as a message to the people along with changing theRead MoreGeoffrey Chaucer s Impact On Literature1231 Words   |  5 PagesGeoffrey Chaucer’s Impact on Literature: English poet Geoffrey Chaucer is acclaimed to be one of the best and most influential poets in history. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote several famous literary works in what is called middle English. Geoffrey Chaucer was born in 1340 in London, England. Over the course of Chaucer’s life, he entered and exited several different social classes. He began to write his most known pieces when he became a public servant to Countess Elizabeth of Ulster in 1357. He diedRead MoreThe Worldview Of Society In Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales793 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Time and tide wait for no man† (Chaucer). Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) was a man of creativity, a mind for artful thinking, and a soul full of poetic writing. Chaucer attended St. Paul’s Cathedral School where poets such as Virgil and Ovid strongly influenced Chaucers’ writings (Britannica). Chaucer in his book The Canterbury Tales depicts society as being corrupted and morally declined. Chaucers l ife of events such as his time as a prisoner of war (Biography.com) had impacted his outlook on theRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer1582 Words   |  7 Pages Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Canterbury tales a collection of short tales in the 14th century. The compilation of stories are told by different characters within the narrative as part of a game proposed by the host. Each individual must tell two stories on their journey and two stories on their way back. Each story tells some aspects of English life during the time and often added satire like qualities to the English life. In particular Chaucer often tells stories with elements of the relationshipRead More Character Analysis of The Wife of Bath of Chaucers Canterbury Tales1623 Words   |  7 Pages Character Analysis of The Wife of Bath of Chaucers Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales is Geoffrey Chaucers greatest and most memorable work. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses a fictitious pilgrimage [to Canterbury] as a framing device for a number of stories (Norton 79). In The General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer describes in detail the pilgrims he meets in the inn on their way to Canterbury. Chaucer is the author, but also a character and the narrator, and acts likeRead More Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay - The Powerful Wife of Bath1099 Words   |  5 PagesThe Powerful Wife of Bath   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Geoffrey Chacers The Canterbury Tales we are introduced to 29 people who are going on a pilgrimage to St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. Each person is represented to fit a unique type of behavior as shown by people during the medieval ages.   My attention was drawn to the Wife of Bath through which Chaucer notes the gender inequalities.   Predominantly, women could either choose to marry and become a childbearing wife or go intoRead MoreGeoffrey Chaucers Experiences In the Canterbury Tales Essay1130 Words   |  5 PagesIn the Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer describes the journeys and life lessons of thirty fictitious pilgrims. Scholars explain that only one of the thirty pilgrims was indeed Chaucer, but other characters in the Canterbury Tales represent the struggles of Chaucer as well. Although the pilgrims’ tales were pretend, they were based on actual events that Chaucer experienced throughout his lifetime. He represents his own insecurities and flaws throughout the array of the characters’ tales. SituationRead MoreWomen And Male Authority Figures1507 Words   |  7 Pages In the fourteenth century, women were merely seen as subject to male authority figures. A wife was not seen as a competent adult because they were seen as so dependent on their husband (Bennett 104-105). After a marriage anything she owned became possessed by her husband (Bennett 104-105). Women who manipulated their husband and gained control of his assets defied the norm of women’s position in the fourteenth century. The church was a major part of Medieval England and controlled many peoples lives

Does Rape Culture Have On Teenage Girls - 1965 Words

What Affect Does Rape Culture Have On Teenage Girls? Rape culture is defined as â€Å"the perception of rape myths, sexual objectification of woman, and the media’s legitimization of sexual aggression and violence against women.†(M. Hildebrand 2). It is the idea that being raped is somehow the person that was raped’s fault. The idea that if one dresses too provocatively or acts in a certain way, they are asking to be raped. It has an effect on people. It has an effect on teenagers. In a study conducted, over half of teenagers asked said that â€Å"if a woman dresses seductively and walks alone at night, she is asking to be raped.†(Pipher, et al 206). It has an effect on teenage girls, who have a hard enough time as it is. They should not have to worry that the shorts they are wearing are too short, or worry about walking alone at night, or know how to defend themselves with nothing but keys. Rape culture can affect how teenage girls and the people around t hem view and perceive the action of rape. A girl’s gender identity has the unfortunate ability to be molded by things around her, to be changed by rape culture. The idea that someone can be changed forever by something that is as ridiculed as rape culture, is truly frightening. From the beginning, girls are â€Å"weaker† than boys, destined for lives of Barbies and dress-up. â€Å"They spent minutes of their precious time combing our baby girl’s hair into a miniature topknot, tied with a pink ribbon. Her gender life was already underShow MoreRelatedFeminism : A Feminist Perspective1321 Words   |  6 PagesDo you have a vagina? And do you want to be in charge of it? If you said yes to both, then congratulations -- you re a feminist! (Kingston). People who advertise feminism in this manner are exactly how feminists have reached the point they are today. Feminists are demonizing men to sexual predators and using popular culture as ground zero for their activi sm campaigns, to show females as either a victim or the hero who empowered herself as a woman. These absurd characteristics come to mindRead MoreShould School Dress Code Be Enforced? Public Schools?1285 Words   |  6 Pagesdistricts take advantage of the authority they have over the young mindsets (OCadiz). While having influence over young minds, administrators have suppressed one group, allowing another group to have more freedom than ever. Discriminating against a young woman’s rights to express herself simply because she is a â€Å"distraction† is disconcerting. We often wonder why some men grow to be cruel to women, but have you ever thought this behavior could have been recognized while in their primary and secondaryRead MoreArgumentative Essay : Extremely Wordy Feminist Rant 1153 Words   |  5 Pagesto the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), approximately 207,500 rapes occur annually in the United States (â€Å"Statistics RAINN†). If we were to spread that out evenly over the 365 days of a year, that would equate to a sexual assault occurring every two minutes. Although the amount of rapes occurring annually has decreased by 60% since 1993 (â€Å"Statistics about Sexual Violence†), that’s still an incredible amount of sexual violence occurring yearly--- a facet of American culture that mustRead MoreGirls And Sex By Peggy Orenstein Essay1597 Words   |  7 Pages Girls Sex by Peggy Orenstein portrays teenage sexuality as anything but light-hearted. While the title would lead a person to believe that the book is all about girls’ sexuality, it is not. Sexuality among todays teen seems to be more focused on boys than girls. Today’s teenage culture is what is known as a â€Å"hook-up† culture. This hook-up culture seems to be driving teenagers into impersonal relationships consisting of various sexual acts. This book is a must read for educators, mothersRead MoreThe Realities of Rape Essay1680 Words   |  7 Pages Imagine you are a 28 year old woman, and have been working for a Wall-Street bank all day. You decide to go on a run in Central Park to wind down your day. It is a cool evening. The air is lush and Central Park breathes with the energy of New York. It is April 19th, 1989. You start your run off strong. Halfway through your run, you turn a corner and a man steps out from the shoulder. He strikes you with a tree branch. You realize he is dragging you. Everything spins. You cry out forRead MoreThe Representation Of Arnold s Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Essay1402 Words   |  6 PagesFriend in Joyce Carol Oates’ â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† has often been discussed by scholars. Many, if not most, have come to the conclusion that Friend is an incarnate of Satan himself. While the theory is both founded and legitimate, it is prudent that one examines Friend from different angles as wel l. This paper will argue that Friend is not only Satan (or a Satanic being), but also a personification of modern-day rape culture. Arnold Friend is the epitome of true evil. AnthonyRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Chuck Bass1803 Words   |  8 PagesJenny repeatedly express their dissent. Chuck ignores the girls’ pleas and continues his attacks. Interestingly, however, as the series continued, viewers grew increasingly infatuated with Chuck, often praising his charm. Indeed, by the end of the series, Chuck Bass enjoys a very happy ending; he marries Blair Waldorf and they start a family. The show’s creator himself, Josh Schwartz, even insisted, though a character starts as a villain, it does not mean that a character will not fall in love with himRead MoreA Norm Is A Standard Behavior That Is Expected From A Group1130 Words   |  5 Pagestheir culture has set for them. Culture seems to have a major influence on people’s cognition. Ethan Watters believes that culture influences people. In â€Å"Being Weird†, Watters explores anthropologist Joe Henrich’s research on how culture shapes the world around us. Julia Serano also talks about culture in her essay â€Å"Why Nice Guys Finish Last†. Serano addresses how sexuality culture shapes the mindset of male and female, and the issues it creates in society. She goes on to argue how rape culture is normalizedRead MoreThe Age Of Consent1647 Words   |  7 Pagesfor a woman to have an affair with a boy. Pathetically, men desiring young girls is practically a norm, particularly the way girls are increasingly sexualized at younger ages in popular culture. However, this situation would be fine if the two love birds lived in Hawaii, where the age of consent is fourteen. Is it fair that depending on the state we reside in, determines who we date? Also, is it right that an eighteen-year-old is wrong for having a sexual relationship with a girl who is only oneRead MoreHalf the Sky Documentary Evaluation1025 Words   |  5 PagesHalf the Sky is a movie that discusses the oppression of women around the world. It brings to light the issues that, even in todays society, are still occurring. Women, young adults, and children everywhere in the world are becoming victims to abuse, rape, and being deprived of getting an education. This film documents Nikolas Kristof going around the world with the help of well known people in America to show some of the issues and some organizations that are working to change the way society views

Age Of Reason Essay Example For Students

Age Of Reason Essay Stein 2Certain Individuals that lived in the period of time know as the Age of Reason discovered many knew inventions and advancements to improve the quality of life. When experimented with, these advantages brought forth knew ideas to extraordinary people who forever changed the way we look at life. Although many people found these discoveries to bring a great revival to mankind, others rejected these new improvements and felt as if they were defying god. These years were full of discoveries, conflicts, and new visions that of the world. The age of reason brought on many changes to religious, political, scientific, and literary aspects of the eighteenth century. Ever since the beginning of time, religion has been the dominating source of reason. People have turned to prayer and spirituality for a sense of control and understanding in their lives. Not until the years of the age of reason was there an alternative proposed for a better method of interpreting things. This alternative method was science. Although scientific thought spread rapidly, religion was not forgotten. Religion controlled many things science could not. It gave people a sense of why they are here and why things occur. This understanding results in sanity and calmness. During the age of reason, people who kept religion flourishing were Ethan Allen, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Patrick Henry. In Thomas Paines The Crisis, No. 1, he uses vivid imagery and rhetorical techniques to persuade the audience into believing his point. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.(Paine). In Ethan Allens Reason only Oracle of Man, reason is taugh t through the eyes of an oracle, or someone whom God speaks to the people through. A religious revival that flourished around this point in history was called Deism. Deism beliefs differed in many ways than the traditional religions for its major concept was that God spoke through everyone, not only a particular chosen one. Franklin, Paine, and Jefferson all participated as active Deists, abandoning their previous religion from which they were raised. A key aspect that attracted many people to Deism was that its goal was to achieve goodness and prosperity throughout the world. Although this way of thinking seemed to have no faults, there was the share of those who rejected this idea. As rationalism spread in the 1730 and 1740s, a strongly emotional brand of religion, known as the Great Awakening was flourishing. A rationalist point of view was also shared. Reason was interpreted in different ways. As some turned to religion, others turned to a more practical source, which was science. In 1721, when the deadly outbreak of smallpox took place in Boston, Cotton Mather, a great puritan minister and historian, broke boundaries that had never been crossed before. He experimented with chemicals to try to find a cure of this deadly disease. When he finally succeeded, instead of being treated like a hero, he was looked down upon and excluded from the public. The reason for his treatment was because anyone who turned to something other then religion as a source of information was socially unaccepted. Although he was not appreciated at the time, his work and efforts have forever changed the way we look at modern technology. Today, medical advancements and procedures can be greatly contributed to those who thrived in the age of reason. Another founding father of the scientific thought was Sir Isaac Newton. He was determined to gain the knowledge o f the laws of gravity and Stein 3therefore experimented with it. By using such simple tools as an apple tree, he was able to discover just why all things come up must come down. His discoveries made many thinkers suspicious of claims that those laws were ever suspended by God, Another person who marked his place in the age of reason was Benjamin Franklin. Brought up in a religion-dominated family, Franklin explored the field of science with various items. He eventually invented many useful things such as the open stove, bifocals, and the odometer. He also discovered electricity with a kite in a lightning storm. As new scientific thought and religious beliefs spread throughout the world people looked for a sense of control and protection of their homes. Throughout most of these years, the American Revolution caused much chaos, but resulted in a well managed, controlled government. One of the most major political events of the age of reason was the drafting and writing of the declarat ion of independence. Founding fathers of the Declaration of Independence were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Benjamin Franklin. A famous quote taken from the document reads as follows:We hold these truths to be self evident; that all men are created equal. (Franklin)The advancements made in the political movement of the age of reason are what give the basis and shape of our successful governments today. .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf , .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf .postImageUrl , .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf , .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf:hover , .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf:visited , .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf:active { border:0!important; } .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf:active , .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uaf86c6aea04ee648fcbc712a7bdefbbf:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Child ABuse EssayThe age of reason also contributed a great literary works. Gaining more common sense, authors were able to use more abstract thinking in their writing and talk about truth rather then fantasy or fiction. Some of the great authors of this time include James Madison and Alexander Hamilton (the Federalist Papers), Franklin and Jeffersons Autobiographies, and Michel Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur (Letters from an American farmer). As literary works were at their peaks, poetry was on the duller, unoriginal side. It was often written in direct imitations of the British and had no thought or reason behind it. Great poetry would be soon to come in the age of romanti cism. The age of reason brought on many changes to religious, political, scientific, and literary aspects of the eighteenth century. With advancements, improvements and intelligence improving rapidly through everyone who lived at in that time, the age of reason was more of a turning point in the course of history then just a period of time.

Why was Britain gripped by widespread social disorder during 1919 Essay Example

Why was Britain gripped by widespread social disorder during 1919 Essay In 1919, against a background of worldwide violence and unrest involving people of African dissent, there occurred in Britain a series of racial riots and incidents, which in their severity and extent were unlike anything that had gone before1. There were riots in; Barry, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Newport and South Shields. The motives behind these race riots are hard to establish because there are so many different crucial factors for the social disorder in 1919. I intend to divide the question up based on the key words or phrases in the question, I will particularly focus on the race riots in Liverpool. It will always be difficult regardless of the period to try and understand peoples mental motivations for things such as riots and racial attacks when one is not in that society, just as today we find it hard to understand or sympathize with racial attacks. However there are elements that could and presumably did contribute to the heightened tensions of 1919 that reached its zenith with the race riots in the summer months, including; the First world war, popular opinion, jealously and innate and socialized racism. In the year 1919 the nation was literally in turmoil, the period itself was a transitional one being after the first world war and this formed what I believe to be one of the crucial factors in the race riots in 1919. It is possible to underestimate the immense effect the literal first world war would have had on society. Men were trained to be soldiers and a key feature of army training is to dehumanize and demoralize men, so they will be institutionalized therefore more effective and obedient soldiers. We will write a custom essay sample on Why was Britain gripped by widespread social disorder during 1919 specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Why was Britain gripped by widespread social disorder during 1919 specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Why was Britain gripped by widespread social disorder during 1919 specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This must have had an overtly negative effect on the situations leading up to the race riots. The men may have possibly through trench warfare been more accustomed to violence and have less of a respect for the sanctity of human life and possessions and they would have been more willing to resort to violence. There was also a firm idea of Britishness instilled in to the soldiers of the First World War. Undoubtedly men who fought for king and country were more concerned with this idea, and wold want to preserve British culture and a pure race. There was also the element of colonialism, England as a colonial power was thought to be above those countries and areas it controlled, and therefore there was a lack of respect for other races. Another possible yet hypothetical argument could possibly be that of racism in the army. There have been numerous cases of racism and possibly this is a way of thinking believed by many who serve, this may have affected the way men thought about those of ethnic or racial minorities. Undoubtedly war had unleashed demons that couldnt be tamed and British men ( it is hard to know about the women) were more ready to use violence. There had been many precedents before the 1919 riots, therefore the riotous nature of the cities is an element in the fracases. There had been major anti-German and anti Jewish riots previously. The armistice celebrations in 1918 had degenerated into riot and disorder. The 1911 Transport strike showed the industry militancy spilling into violence. There was also riots in May 1915 at the sinking of the Lucitania Ship and the 1918 end of the war celebrations descended into mad looting and celebrations. Liverpool in particular had a history of riotous behavior. There had been five major riots in Liverpool, 1911,1915,1919, police riots. Once a riot starts it is opportunity that spurs a lot of people on to commit crimes that they would not usually commit. It is possible that there became an opportunistic element to the riots with different groups in society taking advantage of the disorder and the pressure on the police force to loot and attack. It is probable that there were many people involved in the riots that werent directly affected by the implied problems of immigration. It was those seafarers who were directly involved. However it is reported that there were over 6000 people rioting, I believe it is not possible for all 6000 to be involved in the seafarer industry therefore some must have been opportunistic rioters, such as the younger gangs of children who were often active in initiating the disturbances. Rioting recently in other countries such as Russia worried the government and, produced a feeling that social dissent happening in one part of the world had a direct effect on another2. Also once the rioting started in Britain their was a ripple effect with other port inhabitants seeing riot as an acceptable way to vent their anger at the injustices that that government made on a minority group. After the First World War there was an uncertainty felt by many, this specific context is incredibly important as to why the riots began. There was such a huge element of politics involved. The 1918 khaki election was directly in the aftermath of the First World War. The election rhetoric was highly confusing, they talked about the fruits of the British peoples labor and payments for their war time effort. There was never a specific line set out, the population was waiting with baited breath. One slogan that many picked up on was the, homes for heroes. This social policy intended to replace the urban slums with fresh housing stock. In reality there was a shortage of houses so many were facing the possibility homelessness which dramatically increased the tension especially in Liverpool and London. Looking at the race riots specifically in Liverpool it is possible to see how all these wider issues coupled with local problems led to the race riots; the significance of unemployment among seamen as a casual factor of the 1919 disorder similar episodes occurred among other sea faring communities. 3The long-term effects were important, chiefly that of economics. The Seafarers had returned to the ports and there was huge competition for jobs since thousands of immigrants had been imported to fill those spaces vacated by the British servicemen. There were reported incidents where Black British citizens and immigrants were turned away from jobs in order to employ British servicemen. It has been estimated that between November 1918 and March 1919 over 2,100,000 ranks had been de-mobilized. 4, There was a reported population of 3000 black seafarers in Liverpool coupled with the Chinese and Filipino workers, unemployment levels were huge. In some factories white workers refused to work along side black workers, so they were dismissed and replaced with white workers. An interesting point however is that the Seafarers didnt object to working along Scandinavians, so it was not a case of nationality it was purely defined by the color of the skin, which could suggest that it wasnt xenophobia. Another element that caused resentment was that foreign seafarers were employed for less than British men, this undercutting then forced the British workers wages down, laborers believed that blacks usurped whites through their acceptance of lower wages 5. This was also a problem that dated back to the 1880s and there is evidence of xenophobic behavior backed up by the unions. Linked to the dire economic situation was the perceived ideas about the wealth of black resident.. It was a popular thought that the black community had benefited from the war. Some black residents had purchased houses and this was thought to be unacceptable while white demobilized soldiers were homeless. However Jenkinson argues that, while primarily rooted in economic grievances, breaking out again in the early 1920s when the fortunes of the merchant shipping industry fell even lower as the post war recession set in therefore if] economic competition directly provoked riots, reinforces the notion that racial antagonism rather than a basic cause of the violence, was entrenched in the superstructure of Britain at this time. 7 Inter racial sexual relations was another element that heavily influenced the riots. The fear of miscegenation was picked up by the popular press and was almost used as an excuse for the racism. This is particularly evident in Liverpool and London where this is mentioned as a motive from the outset. 8 Sexual relations possibly angered the white population for a number of reasons. Firstly they could have been intimidated and jealous of the reality that they had been away and life had carried on without them. Secondly after fighting the war for Britain the ex-servicemen were possibly more patriotic and wanted to keep the idea of Britishness and a pure white race, even though this was never admitted openly. This issue was highly contended all over the country not just in the port towns. There were numerous newspaper articles perceiving this was a problem, even broad sheets felt threatened by the idea of white women marrying or engaging in sexual relations with black men. Jenkinson believes that, black men and white women was mentioned as an anathema, and soon the stress was laid on savage instincts of the black man9. This is also highlighted in the Liverpool Courier; the average Negro is nearer the animal than is the average white man, and that there are women in Liverpool who have no self respect. 10 However it is important to note the hypocritical element in this argument because there was reported to be over 600,000 half-caste children in South Africa due to white servicemen engaging in sexual relations with the native women. Rowe makes the interesting point that the feelings of miscegenation may not have been a prominent cause for the riot within the working class communities, it is possible the opinion of the middleclass journalists who reported on the race riots in the press. 11 The second element of the question is the idea of rioting in the whole of Britain. There was disorder in 1919 in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. In Ireland and Scotland, the rioting was not racially orientated, however its influence is evident. Glasgow saw social unrest in the early months of 1919. There was a General Strike to attempt to petition for a 40 hour week. However it was the governments reaction that had a negative effect. The industry in Glasgow was paralyzed and the government feared that the protesters could turn revolutionary (influenced possibly by other countrys as mentioned earlier). The government sent in army troops and tanks showing that they didnt want disturbances to the peace at any cost however it served to make the demonstrations more violent and made residents more disillusioned with the government. Ireland also suffered riots in January. The IRA assassinated the RIC, this was the first moment the IRA used an assassin as a weapon and it deeply shocked Ireland. The unrest continued with the banning of Dail Eoreann and Sinn Fein. South Wales suffered race riots due to its ports prominent position. Britain as a whole had a unison of innate racist attitudes (as I mentioned earlier) even if institutionalized and subverted. However the police force, the government and popular press were all guilty of racism. This can be seen in the arresting of black men in Liverpool and Cardiff, The initial arrest of black men, soon followed by the dropping of charges before trial, the finding not-guilty verdicts and convictions for lesser offences. This suggests that many of the arrests made in 1919 were because of the color of the mens skin and not because of their actions. 12 The government showed racist actions by the solution of repatrinisation and deportation. This shows a lack of compassion and one would say racist mentality towards those that were originally employed to help with the war effort. The popular presss biass were shown through their racist headlines and the focus on crimes committed by black people rather than those white people who started the riots. Therefore Britain as a whole appeared to identify with the ideas expressed by the seafarers, and this popular moral support would have probably encouraged the riotous behavior. The idea that the British people were gripped by the riots is an easy thing to believe and this is also an important element to the rioting. The psychological theory of crowd behaviorism is believed by many to explain football hooliganism, but it can also be applied to the race riots of 1919. There is a group identify felt by a riotous mob, a feeling of belonging and union which would make some have the courage to do things that they would never do on their own. There is also the element of the invisible man effect. This states that when a member of a group, individuals feel that they are not recognizable and they are therefore more inclined to act violently. It is possible, looking at Liverpool that the mob felt a group identity and so were willing to act violently. Finally it is important to question why ethnic and racial minorities were the victims in riots. Racial minorities were used as scapegoats for political problems and the governments inability to cope with the extra citizens after the war. The seafarers were also jealous of the minorities and threatened by them; when the shortage evaporated, post war economic crisis, colored semen were seen as being in direct competition and became objects of hostility. 13 Xenophobia, imperialism, jingoism influenced popular opinion; The effect of the colonial experience in the growth of racism had a dual impact racial theories were used to legitimize relationships of dominance and disability within the empire. On the other hand the very achievement of military superiority and administrative control over the colonized peoples fed back to the metropolis in the form of stereotypes mythologies a nd ideologies which confirmed the supposed superiority of the Anglo-Saxon race. 14 This point is highlighted by the participation of young boys in the riots, they possibly partly opportunistic, but undoubtedly the influence of older working friends and parents would be immeasurable and influenced racism in the next generation. The idea that society was fundamentally racist holds more weight when the beginning of the riot is observed. Jenkinson comments that; For two to three weeks before the wide scale violence of Liverpools racial riots in June 1919, blacks had been the object of attacks by whites police raided an illegal black gambling house. 15 She goes on to describe a disturbance between blacks and Scandinavians which resulted in the death of a black man, Charles Wotton. Jenkinson stresses that, while the initial fracas involved less than two dozen blacks and Scandinavians, very soon the native population became involved16, which suggests those racist feelings were looking for an outlet, which they found. There were many causes for the riots in 1919, they were much more than simply racially inspired17. Jenkinson argues that it would be wrong to pin the causes on white fear and prejudice, it was in fact much more than that covering a number of social and economic issues. The war effected the way people thought and they were more willing to use force, which became crucial when the riots began. Unemployment, lack of housing and the governments false promises of money and homes fit for heroes just frustrated and angered the British population, who then turned their attentions on to the minority groups who they perceived to be benefiting at the expense of themselves. The previous rioting had an effect and made the riots more inevitable. Britain undoubtedly became gripped by the riots and many would have joined in because it was the popular thin at the time. The workers not having a way to express their anger would have also contributed to the frustration that heightened the tensions in 1919. The issue of inter racial sex was perceived to be a main causation however that notion has now being questioned and it is thought that, racism in Britain is deeply rooted in the mode of domination cemented by the imperial heritage. 18. Even thought the race riots were caused by factors other than racism, ultimately it turned in to a racist witch-hunt which cumulated in deportation of many valuable members of British society, all in the name of British Imperialism.