The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point’: Summary Essay

An attempt to bring to light the cruel condition to which black slaves are destined in the plantations in the United States of America, Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s 1847 socio-political poem “The Runaway Slave of Pilgrim Point”, draws on the parallelism between black and white as a metaphor for the different conditions for the black and the white man. This essay will explore both the figures of speech and the meter used by the author to convey her message, but particularly how this idea fits into the socio-political driven literature of Browning and how this work combines more in general with poems of the Victorian Period.

During her entire literary career, Elizabeth Barrett Browning was never afraid of sharing her socio-political ideas. As a matter of fact, her early works and poems underscore her attitude in taking bold positions, as we see in her first published poem which discussed the ongoing Greek Independence, or the long poem “An Essay of Mind” from 1826, which thoroughly describes the work of the poet as a moral responsibility, completely detaching herself from Nature poets. Later in her life, particularly after moving to Italy to improve her delicate health, she became absorbed by the political situation in Italy where she took part in the struggle for unification, an event which actually proved to be deleterious for her condition.

There, she wrote a composition of Poems, called Poems before Congress, supporting the Italian struggle for unification, and a separate poem that emphasizes the situation of slavery in the United States of America, which reconnects to her “The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point”, written in the form of a dramatic monologue.

The dramatic monologue is a central genre in the large production of the Victorian Period, and it represents one of the most well-known forms of writing in the 19th century. The dramatic monologue is a way of representing a kind of speech, even if sometimes it may be the written representation of an interior monologue, or may even refer to an audience that, in any case, is never taking part in the speech. As Arthur Henry Hallam suggests we can consider Lord Alfred Tennyson’s works as the masterpieces of this literature, and his “Ulysses” as the most widely known piece of writing of this period.

All these works firmly follow the main rules of the dramatic Monologue which were later recapitulated by M.H. Abrams, like the use of the single person, which is patently not the poet; the address to an audience that never speaks; and the revealing in an interesting and captivating way of the temperament of the character as we go deeper in the reading of the monologue.

The dramatic monologue presented here by Elizabeth Barrett Browning takes an important stand on discrimination at the time. As we saw, the author was captivated by socio-political ideas and struggles, and this is one problem she was really involved in.

E.B.B., as she is usually referred to in books, was the daughter of a Jamaican plantation owner, Edward Barrett Moulton. Even though her comfortable childhood had relied on wealth from Jamaican estates that used slave labor, Elizabeth was an ardent abolitionist. What is certain is that she believed her family was cursed by profiting from slavery. The story she relates in this poem was related to her from one of her pro-slavery cousins in Jamaica, a story where she evidently sympathized with the escapee. This is what got her engaged in anti-slavery battles, and what prompted her to write “The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point” in 1849.

Furthermore, as Glennis Byron shows in his book “Dramatic Monologue”, women authors tend to sympathize more with the characters they write about, as we can see here in the poem where the author is nearly sharing and feeling the emotions of the runaway slave.

Elizabeth Barret Browning’s anti-slavery poem might show dramatic as well as lyrical components, but looking at the construction of subjectivity and relationships in a language it does not fit in the description of ‘deeply skeptical’ or ‘inveterately political’ that Armstrong establishes in the first, theoretical chapter of Victorian Poetry (p. 13).

All these themes that we reflected upon at the beginning of the essay can be easily found in the poem, where the author employs parallelism between lines, metaphors, and changes of rhythm to express her feelings, and the ones of the protagonist. The fact that Barrett Browning, a white Victorian woman could narrate the struggles of a black slave in the United States taking her point of view, created a bit of a conflict at the time and afterward. I personally think that it was a crucial and necessary action from authors in a period when black people did not have their own voice.

The theme of darkness, which contrasts with white and lightness, is clear since the first stanza, where the slave is standing in the same place where the first pilgrim, “the exiled who turned into ancestor”(lines 1-4), bent his “white knee”. In the same place she stands, after wandering in the dark night, with her black skin, an image that contrasts the one that was represented in the first lines.

The poem possesses a repetitive balladlike pattern, whose polemical purpose is to focus on the stark opposition between the slave’s point of view and the cruel indifference of the white men who oppress her and her whole ethnic group.

The images which are associated with the black man are also those of poverty compared to the white men’s higher social status, as we can see in the parallelism between the “hut” where the black man lives and the house of the white man in the first line of stanza XXV.

This contrast gets to the point that her own skin begins to feel like a prison for the black slave, especially when she says “Our blackness shuts as prison-bars / The poor souls crouch so far behind / That never a comfort can they find / By reaching through the prison-bars” in stanza 6. This

Elizabeth Barrett Browning who professed the Christian faith throughout her life is reflecting on the relationship between God and slaves; while the speaker appears to believe that everyone is a child of God, she has difficulty reconciling this with the realities of slavery.

We can also hear how there is going to be a change in the tones when the previously cited balladlike pattern is broken in the stanza XIX, where the rhyme scheme “ababccb” becomes odd sounding “ababcdb”, which hints at a change in the tones.

As it happens in the following lines, we are hinted at a terrible fate for the child of the runaway slave, a child who was not born from the relationship with the other slave she was in love with and who had got killed in an attempt to escape, but the result of a rape from her master, and the only sight of this baby, too white for her, and who reminded her of the white devil that was torturing her.

Rhyme style: ababccb – ababccb – ababccb

Bibliography

  1. Browning, Elizabeth Barrett. ‘The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point”.
  2. Lennard, John. “Punctuation.” In the Poetry Handbook. 2nd ed. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2005.
  3. Glennis Byron, “Dramatic Monologue, By Glennis Byron”, 1st Edition, London, Routledge, 2003.
  4. “Elizabeth Barrett Browning: A Biography”, by Margaret Forster, 1989
  5. Brophy, Sarah. “Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s ‘The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point’ and the Politics of Interpretation.” Victorian Poetry, vol. 36, no. 3, 1998, pp. 273–288.
  6. Armstrong, I. (1993). “Victorian poetry: Poetry, poetics, and politics”. London: Routledge.
  7. LEWIS, Linda M. Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Spiritual Progress: Face to Face with God. Columbia: U of Missouri P, 1998. xii, 256 pp.

The Happening of the Zulu State and Sokoto Caliphate

Around the years before 1870, Africa had some extremely unique political changes and an incredible extension of Foreign trade. At that period, there were a few of African pioneers held out against European’s control, the maps of Africa became filled out with pink and green, the traditional shades of British and French states. Instead of the slave trade had been ended under British pressure was the trade on different products developed pointedly. Africans expended huge amounts of imported machine-made textiles and those rulers who retained a measure of independence purchased European guns.

For numerous centuries the Nguni – people groups had cultivated and raised cattle within the fertile coast-lands of southeastern Africa. Starting in the nineteenth century When drought season hit the locale, the Zulu kingdom was created by a military leader named Shaka in 1818. The strictness in military discipline and courage soon made the Zulu kingdom became the most dreaded warriors in southern Africa. Shaka extended his kingdom by striking his African neighbors, seizing their cattle, and more cruelty by capturing their ladies and children. Although Shaka ruled for little more than a decade, he left behind a new national identity destined to clash with European colonial designs.

Southern Africa pulled in European pilgrims by its great pastures and farmlands and afterward was the discovering of deposits of diamonds, gold, and copper, as well as coal and iron metal. The port city came a few twenty thousand relatives of Dutch and French pioneers who involved ranches and farms within the fertile tall veld within the North that two decades of Zulu wars had drained. After diamonds were found in 1868, Britain annexed diamonds area in 1871, encourage angering Afrikaners. British came into conflict with the Xhosa people in 1877 and 1878, and in 1879, they confronted the Zulu. Cetshwayo was angry about the enclosure by Afrikaners and British thus there was a war with the British in 1879. With Zulu’s proud military tradition, they vanquished the British at Isandlwana. But several months afterward they were in turn crushed. Cetshwayo was captured and sent into ousting, and the Zulu lands were given to white farmers. Relations between the British and the Afrikaners were tense as a result of British infringement took a turn for the more awful when gold was found within the Afrikaner republic of Transvaal in 1886. From 1899 to 1902 Orange Free State, led to the South African or Boer War. Ironically the Afrikaners’ defeat in 1902 led to their final victory. Attentive of exorbitant commitments abroad, the British government expected European pilgrims in Africa to oversee their possess issues. In 1910 the European pioneers made the Union of South Africa, in which the Afrikaners inevitably have risen as the ruling elements. The Europeans were both various sufficient to request self-rule and effective sufficient to deny the vote and other gracious rights to the majority.

Simultaneous with the arrangement of Shaka’s Zulu realm, Islamic change developments were making some impacts in the savannas of West Africa such as a jihad that included new grounds, spreading Islamic convictions and laws among conquered people. The greatest reform movement was The Sokoto Caliphate (1809-1906) under led by Usman dan Fodio (1745-1817), whose armed supporters conquered and combined the older Hausa states into a new empire ruled by a caliph in the city of Sokoto. In coastal West Africa, the French, who had been stayed in Senegal for quite a long time, imagined assembling a railroad from the upper Senegal River to the upper Niger to open the inside to French traders. Thusly, drove the French military to attempt the conquest of the interior. Sokoto stayed free, however, after 1890 it was troubled both by neighboring rulers and European infringement. France, Britain, and Germany gobbling up various portions lead to the end of this empire in 1906.

Further south, by using King Leopold’s cash, Henry Morton Stanley put his fortune in opening up-that is involving the Congo Basin and came back to Africa from 1879 to 1884 to create trading posts along the southern bank of the Congo River. These occasions started a whirlwind of discretionary movement. German Chancellor Bismarck called the Berlin Conference on Africa of 1884 and 1885. There the major powers agreed that henceforth effective occupation would replace the former trading relations between Africans and Europeans. Each country needed to provide troops into Africa and participate in the division of the spoils. As a reward for setting off the ‘scramble’ for Africa, Leopold II procured an individual area under the name Congo Free State, while France and Portugal took the greater part of the remainder of equatorial Africa. Thusly, the European forces and King Leopold figured out how to isolate Africa among themselves. Except for Kenya, Northern Rhodesia, and South Africa, where Europeans found the land and atmosphere just as they would prefer and constrained Africans to become squatters, tenant farmers,… British trading group purchased the cocoa developed by African ranchers at low costs and exchanged it for the enormous price.

Contrasted with West Africa, equatorial Africa had hardly any occupants and little trade. Instead of the attempt to administer these huge regions legitimately. The experts in the Congo Free State, the French Congo, and the Portuguese provinces of Angola and Mozambique conceded used the back door to private concession organizations offering them syndications on the common assets and exchange of their regions and the privilege to utilize fighters and force charges. Liberated from outside supervision the organizations constrained the African occupants at gunpoint to create money harvests and convey them, on their heads or backs, to the closest railroad or safe stream. The most exceedingly terrible maltreatment occurred in the Congo Free State. After 1906 the Belgian government assumes control over Leopold’s private empire in 1908.

Overall, both the Zulu State and Sokoto Caliphate were happening due to the warfare as well as due to an attempt to protect from war nations. They also blended the old traditions to create new cultures as territories were conquered.

Influence of Religious Tourism

Tourism as well as religious tourism is a fast-growing sphere. The potential pf the development of the religious sites cannot be predicted so while developing a tourist site the community might face both positive and negative changes. Those changes can be from very different perspectives, for example economic, environmental, cultural, urbanistic, etc.

It’s a no surprise that increasing tourist flow in the area boosts the economy as well as influences it’s political, socio-cultural and environmental perspectives. This could be proved with the case of Lourdes, “a small town in Southern France, with a population of 15,000, had in 1987 more than 300 shops, 370 hotels, 28 camping sites, 45 restaurants (in the town itself and the surrounding countryside), eight banks and 18 big service garages”. (I. Egresi, B. Bayram, F. Kara, 2012) Thus, the impact on the small communities must not be underestimated as it creates new jobs and improves working opportunities as well as local economy and infrastructure. In the last few years due to joining the EU Bulgaria experienced a boost in the economy contributed by tourist sector. “The contribution of tourism activities to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country was 11.9% (BGN 7,837.5 mln or US$5,951.1 mln) and the sector provided around 324,ooo jobs”. (Naumov, 2011)

The downsides of such fast economic development are higher prices of goods and services, overcrowding, and environmental degradation. Furthermore, intensive growth of religious tourism might put pressure on infrastructure of the closest to the religious site area and thus evokes stagnation of the development. Overdevelopment of the religious tourism could also undermine the sustainability of the holy place as well as it’s commercialization which diminishes the religious significance of the site.

Overall, locals support the development of the sector because it supports economic and generates jobs and thus income for the community. Moreover, pilgrims don’t make troubles regarding alcohol and crime and the locals’ only complaints are for the traffic and overcrowding. In the matter of fact, the downsides of such phenomena could be controlled. For instance, there was introduced a quota for the number of pilgrims in Mecca according to the population of the country to sustain the constantly growing number of tourists. Although, “in stipe of this limitation, the number of pilgrims will continue to increase slowly as the supporting infrastructure expands”. (I. Egresi, B. Bayram, F. Kara, 2012)

Another change of the community brought by the development of tourism sector is environmental change. The number of tourists as well as religious tourists increases each year. For instance, in Mecca “the number of pilgrims who arrived by air in 1972 were 141,658 people representing approximately 29% of the international pilgrims thus number increased to 1,5 million representing approximately 83% of international arrivals in 2011”. (El Hanandeh, 2013) This happens due to natural reasons like growing population but also because of raising religious awareness and fast development of means of transportation and economic prosperity of the countries. That all have a big influence on the environment. It’s been reported that travel sphere contributed “nearly 14% of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions”. (El Hanandeh, 2013)

Today, according to the country of origin, tourists travel with different means of transportation. The most common mean for travelling is a plane but many tourists from local area tend to travel by car or bus. In fact, to the most popular destination of muslim religious tourists – Mecca – “domestic pilgrims and pilgrims from Yemen, Syria, Yemen, Palestinian territories, Israel, and former Soviet Union states mostly travel by bus. All local pilgrims are assumed to travel by bus”. (El Hanandeh, 2013)

In a study of Chester and Hovarth on passenger transport which also included data of the effects of infrastructure were claimed that greenhouse gasses emission as well as life-cycle energy inputs that include infrastructure equaled 63% for cars and buses, 31% for air transportation and 155% for railway system. However, on the example of pilgrimage to Mecca it was calculated that the infrastructure emissions equaled 11% of the global warming potential (GWP) of the event.

A Study on ‘Religious Tourism’ With Reference to Arba’een in Iraq

This paper analyzes the concept of ‘pilgrim tourism’ with reference to the occasion of Arbaeen and the great walk associated with it, which has continued for the past 1400 years despite all odds. It also looks at the exchange of socio cultural experiences of the tourist who travel form India. This paper also makes an attempt to explore the economic aspects of Arbaeen and how Indian tour operators and SME can benefit from the business opportunities available during the period of Arbaeen and other religious gatherings that take place in the historically rich country but developing country of Iraq. This paper also makes us familiar with other places of pilgrimage in Karbala which people visit along with the main shrine of Imam Husain (as) and also throws light on hospitality which is very unique provided by the locals. The study also looks in the cultural aspects of this pilgrimage and how it has and can benefit both Iraq and India.

Religious tourism or Faith tourism can be termed as a combination of tourism and religion, the latter being defined “as a system of beliefs in a higher being that are held with great faith and commitment”.

Religious tourism is one of the most under studied areas in tourism research.

Religion, in the traditional sense of the word, is not in decline but is, rather, taking on a different form; modern societies remain religious, but religion has become increasingly de-institutionalized.

Regardless of their motivations, all visitors to these attractions require some level of services, ranging from providing for the most basic of human needs, to full commercial development that rivals the most secular resort (Nolan and Nolan, 1992). Accordingly, Richards and Fernandes (2007) argue that a new approach is needed for analyzing religious tourism, based on data that gets away from very narrow official statistics.[footnoteRef:5]

More over religious tropes and metaphors are often playfully engaged y tourist and both inventively and stereotypically used often hyperbolically, by promoters of tourism when referring to potential attractions and destinations.[footnoteRef:6]

Every year millions of people travel to major pilgrimage destinations around the world ancient and modern in origin. Jackowski (2000) estimates that approximately 240 million people go on pilgrimages, the majority being Christians, Muslims, and Hindus.[footnoteRef:7]

Increase in spiritually motivated travel have coincided with the growth of tourism in the modern era (Lloyd 1998)[footnoteRef:8], even though the industry and its “associated practices interact with religious life and the institutions of religion in virtually every corner of the world” (Bremmer 2005)[footnoteRef:9]. Cohen 1992[footnoteRef:10] sees pilgrim as travelling to the center of their religious world.

Historical background of the event of Karbala and Arbaeen:

Hussain ibn Ali (as) was a 7th century revolutionary leader and grandson of the Holy Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) who made a stand against Yazid ibn Muawiyah. Yazid was a tyrannical ruler who had illegally usurped power and was violating the basic rights and dignity of the people. Yazid wanted Hussain to pay allegiance to him, to lend credibility to his own corrupt rule. However Hussain refused to do so, based on his moral values and principles, and was killed by an army of over 30,000 whilst standing with a small number of 72.

After the Battle of Karbala, the forces of Yazid took the women and children of Hussain’s family as captive. They were paraded in chains through the streets of Kufa (Iraq) and Damascus (Syria) – where they were abused by crowds until eventually presented to Yazid and placed in prison.

Though Hussain (as) has died, his movement still continued through his sister Zainab, and son Zain Al-Abideen. Hussain’s sister and his son defied Yazid in his own courtyard through famous sermons which unnerved even his closest allies. Eventually, Yazid had no choice but to free the captives as word spread across the region of the crime he had committed against Hussain ibn Ali and his family.

It is said that the Day of Arbaeen is the day on which Hussain’s family returned to the land of Karbala, to properly bid farewell to the fallen heroes and finally grieve for their loved ones.[footnoteRef:11]

In the year that followed the event of Karbala, Jabir ibne Abdillah, a friend of Imam Hussain (as) visited the grave of Imam Hussain (as) on foot for the first time and reached Karbala on the day of Arbaeen.

This walk has continued for centuries but secretly due the tyrannical rule of several Islamic rulers who were extremely hostile towards the family of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and their followers.

Arbaeen commemorations were also banned for the past 30 years during the rule of Saddam Hussain. After the fall of the Saddam regime, millions of Iraqis got the opportunity to freely visit the shrine of Imam Hussain (as) and commemorate the 40th day of martyrdom called ‘Arbaeen’.In spite of several bombings that took place in the city of Karbala from 2005 onwards and in nearby cities, millions of Iraqis from all over Iraq, pilgrims of other countries namely Iranians and other Shia Muslim Zaireens (religious tourist) have been visiting the shrine of Imam Hussain (as) on the occasion of Arbaeen.

It is estimated that more than 21 Million pilgrim visited the shrine if Imam Hussain (as) in 2012[footnoteRef:12]. In 2017 the number of pilgrims was between 30 to 40 million.

Iraqi women, children, men and physically challenged individuals along with toddlers in prams living in the northern and eastern parts of Iraq travel for more than 500 kilometers on foot. Many Iranians, Pakistanis, and Indian pilgrims have travelled on foot to reach Karbala for Arbaeen. The pilgrimage is marked by long walks from Najaf or Basra to Karbala. People from different walks of life, ethnicity and sect participate in the march. The Arbaeen walk has also attracted many Sunnis, Christians, Yazidis and people of other faiths. Representatives of the Vatican prominent Indian spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar have also paid their visit to the shrine of Imam Hussain (as).

Hospitality is a large part of Middle Eastern culture and of being well-mannered. Regardless of the financial status of a person, you will always enter a house and be welcomed and generously hosted. Endless amounts of food, drinks, desserts, and fruits are offered to guests, as is the case with the visitors to Karbala, Iraq for the commemoration of Arbaeen, marking the end of the 40th day mourning period of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. It is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world that is held annually. (https://www.theodysseyonline.com/war-torn-rich-hospitality).

According to Sayed Mahdi al-Modarresi, “Arbaeen should be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in several categories. The biggest annual gathering, longest continuous dining table, largest number of people fed for free, largest group of volunteers serving a single event, all under the imminent threat of suicide bombings.”

Local Iraqis and pilgrim from different parts of the world are at the service of the pilgrims who take 84 KM walk from Najaf to Karbala. Wealthy Iraqis and citizens of other countries sent up food stalls, Moukkab (tents) for the pilgrims to eat and rest. Everything is served absolutely free, all in the name of Imam Hussain (as). Those Iraqis who are not fortunate enough, bring whatever is available in their homes even it is a piece of bread or some dates. One can see young boys giving free massage to the feet of the pilgrims, some kiss the feet, and little children standing of the streets provide tissues wipes, some carry soup or tea trays on their heads inviting the pilgrims to have them. We find doctors from United States and other countries giving free medical aid in the tents to the pilgrims. Mobile phone, prams etc. are repaired free by the local youths. They also provide the service of polishing your shoes for free. Some provide free bus and taxi service to the older or disabled pilgrims.

The pilgrims are assisted with 1452 poles which serve as location spots which are at a distance of 50 meters each. Pole no 1285 is the check point for the entrance into the city of Karbala. The first view of the Holy Shrines can be viewed once the pilgrim reaches pole no 1404.

Places for pilgrims to visit (sacred sites) in Iraq:

Turner (1973), argued that sacred sites were typically on the periphery of society away from the profane social world.[footnoteRef:14]

Going for Arbaeen in Iraq, the pilgrims also visit numerous places of worship which includes the graves of several Prophets and Imams and other important historical spots.

There several places to visit in the city of Najaf where lies the grand Mausoleum of Imam Ali (as)

It also contains the graves of several prophets namely, Prophet Adam (pbuh) and Prophet Noah (pbuh) and several other revered Islamic personalities.

Wadi-Us Salaam: The world’s largest cemetery of nearly 1500 acres is located here. It contains the graves of Prophet Hud (as) Prophet Saleh (as) and Kumayl [slave of Imam Ali (as)]

Masjid Hannana: The significance of this mosque is that when Imam Hasan (as) and Imam Hussain (as) were carrying the body of Imam Ali (as) from Kufa to Najaf, they passed near this mosque, and as they were passing, the pillars of the mosque inclined towards Imam Ali (as) as if paying its last respects. It is also believed that some of the skin from Imam Hussain (as)’s head (that came off when Khul Mal’un was disrespecting the head of Imam Hussain (as) with a knife is buried here.

City Of Kufa: This city next to Najaf has several places to visit. The house of Imam Ali (as) lies here.

City Of Karabala: 1400 years ago Karbala was an uninhabited place. Today it is the center of pilgrimage. It is the place of the world’s largest public gathering which attracts more than 50 million visitors every year.

The shrine of Imam Hussain (as) is situated in this city. It contains the graves of Imam Hussain (as) his two sons. Graves of several other personalities are also in this city.

The shrine of Hazrat Abbas (as) (brother) is also in this city. Apart from this there are several spot of historical importance to be visited in this city.

This city which is near to Baghdad contains the graves of several holy Imams and reversed personalities.

Baghdad & Madain: This city also has graves of many revered personalities and important places to visit.

The Palace of Nausherwan – part of ancient Babylonian civilization. When the Holy Prophet [s] was born in Makkah, this huge edifice is said to have developed cracks on its walls.

Samarra: This city is of great importance. The shrine of Imam Hasan Al Askari (as) is in this city. In this shrine lies the place of occultation from where the 12th Holy Imam, Al Mehdi (as) went into occultation. It also contains the graves of his mother Nargis , father and grandfather and who were among the chains of the 12 Holy Infallible Imams.

Pilgrimages have been an expression of faith in many religions for centuries and in recent times they have experienced a resurgence (Diagane 2003 Eade 2013). Travelling for religious motivations frequently reflects the spiritual travel that every believer experiences in his or her personal spiritual life (Turner and Turner 1978, Cohen 1979, Campo 1998, Mcconnell 1999, Timothy and Boyd 2003)

The pilgrimage for Arbaeen attracts visitors of more than 100 countries. Indian pilgrims get an opportunity to interact with people from different countries and get to interact with them. Even though their languages are different, they manage to interact with locals and with pilgrims of other countries. During Arbaeen, local Iraqis open their doors, hearts and kitchen for the pilgrims who visit Karbala. Al- Kindi a local Iraqi who now lives in Chicago, visits his country every year to serve the ‘Zaireens’ of Imam Hussain (as). This has allowed him to make friends with people from different countries. Locals and tourist get to learn different languages after interacting with tourist from different countries. (BCC Travel)

Economics and religion have been influential forces in shaping world history. However according to Vukonic 2002,[footnoteRef:15] the economic aspects religious travel have been the least studied topic in relation to the religion tourism crossover, only being of interest to researchers when a single sacred site in under consideration.

Today Arbaeen draws pilgrims between 30 to 40 million while Hajj attracted last year approximately 2.5 million pilgrims. Nonetheless, due to mismanagement by the Iraqi central government, as described by Mahmood al- Zubaidi, director – general of tourism at the Ministry of Tourism, the large number of pilgrims is not adding to the Iraqi economy.

“Nothing is organized,” Zubaidi said, “so many ministries get involved, that nothing gets arranged: The Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Tourism, the Interior Ministry and more.”

When compared with neighboring Saudi Arabia, host to the annual haj, which involves about 8 million pilgrims annually, it can be understood where the Iraqi government is failing. Following implementation of a pilgrim’s tax, religious tourism in Saudi Arabia contributes $12 billion to the Saudi economy, accounting for 2.7% of Saudi’s gross domestic product (GDP). Iraq, on the other hand, receives some $3.7 billion annually in tourism revenues, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, a fraction of the Saudi figure despite millions more pilgrims visiting.[footnoteRef:16]

After speaking with pilgrims from Mumbai who have visited Iraq a few times it was found that Arbaeen though is not a religious obligation but is done only out of the love of Imam Hussain (as). After talking to the pilgrims almost all were enthusiastic about undertaking the walk to Arbaeen every year. Some have narrated their personal experience of divine help. One pilgrim Ms Shabbir said that inside the shrine there were hundreds of pilgrims from different countries and it was impossible for this 70 year lady to touch the Zari (structure on top of the grave) of Imam Hussain (as).She was weeping as she was not able to reach this Zari. Suddenly a lady gave her hand to hold and took her to the Zari effortlessly through the crowds.

Another pilgrim from Mumbai Abuzar, said that it was a miracle that he is alive as while travelling via Iran border by mistake he entered ISIS territory. He was assisted by a local who bought him back to Karbala and united him with his group.

India has always maintained healthy relations with mostly all Arab countries. Even during the Saddam regime ties between India Iran and Iraq were neutral. With the fall of Saddam Hussain and the new Iraqi government coming in which is closely supported by Iran, with whom India maintains great business ties after the creation of Chabahar port India can contribute to the economic growth of Iran and Iraq. Indian business houses and SME can benefit for the same.

Iraq has been at the center of political upheaval and terrorism for the past 20 years. It has again becoming a under developed country which requires a huge makeover of its infrastructure.

Since the outbreak of the war in 2003, India had frequently responded to the humanitarian needs in Iraq and contributed in several ways, including providing $10 million in aid towards the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) for investments, reconstruction and development in Iraq. (www.thehindu.com)

India can directly contribute its expertise in the field of real estate, setting up of pharmaceutical companies, Health care services, Solar Power and Agriculture. Indian SME can setup waste recycle plants as tourist leave behind a huge amount of plastic waste.

The result of this study shows that socio economic development of a country can take place with proper planning of ‘Pilgrim Tourism’. Iraq as a country rich with natural resources can once again become a develop country and a regional power. Tourism in Iraq should be professionally managed and promoted. Apart from religious sites belonging to Muslims there are many religious site of the interest of Jews, Christians and other religions which can be promoted. This can help locals with job opportunity and local business will also flourish.

Essay on Colonies: Pilgrims in Georgia And Pennsylvania

Georgia, was the thirteenth and last province to be set up. James Edward Oglethorpe was the moving power behind the establishing of the settlement. Oglethorpe was a rich Londoner who consumed his time on earth working with poor people. He accepted that the settlement would be a superior spot to send destitute individuals, a considerable lot of whom were in account holder’s detainment facilities. Establishing another settlement toward the south of South Carolina additionally filled the vital needs of England, making an obstruction against the Spanish in Florida. In June 1732, King George issued a sanction for the settlement of Georgia. By the following year, the initial 114 pioneers touched base at the Savannah to establish another settlement. Not very many of the pioneers really originated from the account holder detainment facilities. The new settlement developed gradually. A considerable lot of the early pilgrims protested various principles that were forced. They incorporated the prohibiting of liquor and the banning of subjection in the province. Those standards were in the long run loose and Georgia developed relentlessly.

The author of Pennsylvania was William Penn, an unmistakable British Quaker. His dad, Sir William Penn, a senior maritime leader during the first and second Dutch wars, acquainted his child with King Charles II. The more youthful Penn proceeded to turn into a confided in companion of James, the Duke of York. At the point when the senior Penn kicked the bucket in 1670, his child acquired an enormous fortune, which he used to enable different Quakers to escape religious abuse in England. As a byproduct of an obligation King Charles II owed to his dad, Penn approached the lord for a segment of the New York province. Charles II concurred, and Penn got an award of an area known as the region of Pennsylvania, a name picked to respect his dad.

Penn’s initial phase in getting his sanction was to dispatch his cousin, William Markham, to America in April of 1681. Markham was to name a board and guarantee that the Welsh, Swedish, Dutch, and Irish pilgrims as of now there, just as the American Indians, perceived his restrictive position. As of right now, Penn alluded to himself as legislative leader of the new settlement, which he called the ‘Sacred Experiment,’ and before long would have liked to take up his obligations face to face. Penn flowed a leaflet in England, Wales, Holland, and Germany—nations where the Society of Friends was settled. The flyer depicted the proposed settlement in the New World. Pioneers before long filled the locale from Europe, attracted to it by Penn’s appealing terms for land buys and rentals, just as the guarantee of religious toleration and cooperation in lawmaking.

An underlying separation of pilgrims left for America in October 1681 with four chiefs ready. Among them was Thomas Holme, who was to study the site for Penn’s new town, Philadelphia, on the banks of the Delaware and Schuylkill waterways. On April 25, 1682, Penn issued a progressively complete edge of government and sanction of freedoms.

Portrayal of Pilgrims in Plymouth Plantation: Critical Analysis

Values can be defined as a person’s “principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life” and they, furthermore, play an important role in most literature (Dictionary.com). In the short story “of Plymouth Plantation,” Pilgrims, also referred to as colonists, journey by boat to Virginia and encounter the Native Americans. After years of disagreement, the Natives and colonists feast together. They strengthen values of stability through religion and reliance on community. This short story shoes different values from the book Into the Wild. In the book, Christopher McCandless makes a life-changing journey into the Alaskan Frontier. McCandless faces many obstacles which interfere with this journey but strengthens his values. Throughout the story, McCandless builds his personal values such as relying on nature for guidance instead of religion and the importance of self-reliance and isolation from civilization and community. Both “of Plymouth Plantation” and Into the Wild contain the two values of dependency on one’s community and enlightenment through faith; however, the difference in the era both were written shows the evolution of these values through time.

The unity of a community is important for the community’s wellbeing; however, throughout history, this value has evolved. In the early stages of America, the community played an important role in everyday society. In the selection “of Plymouth Plantation,” the Natives and Pilgrims often have a difficult time making peace. They orchestrate multiple attacks on each other until one Native attempt to make amends by speaking English to the Pilgrims in order to discuss how to avoid future conflict. To atone for previous attacks, the Natives and Pilgrims “willingly and cheerfully, without any grudging in the least, [show] their true love unto their friends and brethren, [the natives and colonists had a feast as one]” (Bradford 109). The colonists and Natives knew that together they were more likely to survive so their desire for a strong community pushed them to their conflict. As America has evolved, the value of independence has strengthened. This value is clearly shown when McCandless writes, “Two years he walks the Earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road. Escaped from Atlanta…now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure…No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild” (Krakauer 163). McCandless uses words such as “poisoned” that have a negative connotation to express strong hatred for civilization. He does not believe that one must be an active member of a community in order to succeed and survive. Another evolutionary value of modern America is the belief that one does not have to be surrounded by people to feel joyful. McCandless expresses his belief on this by saying, “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism..you do not need me or anyone else around to bring this new kind of light in your life” (Krakauer 57). His words show he prefers to be alone and distant from society, which further explains why McCandless believes he needs to isolate himself from society in order to feel free. Evidently, from the colonial era to today’s modern era, values such as being dependent on one’s community have evolved.

The value of religion has greatly evolved since the colonial era to the present day. In the beginning stages of America, the value of religion and faith is much more prevalent than it is in the present day. In “of Plymouth Plantation,” the Pilgrims were traveling by sea to get to Cape Cod. They were thankful to reach shore after suffering rough travels on the sea. They showed their faith by “[falling] upon their knees and [blessing] the God of heaven who had brought them” (Bradford 1). The Pilgrims praise God for safely getting them safely to land; therefore, they find stability in their faith. The Pilgrims and Natives are often shown praising God in their day-to-day lives. God is an important role in their everyday life, hence the reason that they show gratitude by frequently praising and worshipping God throughout the story. Contrasting the early stages of the development of America, the value of religion and faith in God has evolved to having faith in others and in the natural environment. The evolution of the faith value is demonstrated when McCandless writes a letter to a friend of his named Franz who has been helping him before traveling to South Dakota. Franz and McCandless share a father-son bond, which McCandless never had with his biological father. In the letter, he states, “The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun” (Krakauer 57). McCandless seeks comfort in the nature surrounding him; therefore, he replaces God and religion with nature and adventure. The Pilgrims and Natives; however, find joy in God and worship and achieve stability through this. It is clear McCandless does not feel the same way when he says that “there’s no greater joy” than traveling (Krakauer 33). Unlike the relationship with God and worship in colonial ages, today’s era explores a rather more personal relationship with one’s self and individual happiness. This idea is further explored when McCandless relates and compares a man’s spirit to his happiness. Another example of McCandless turning from faith is when he states, “It is true that I miss intelligent companionship, but there are so few with whom I can share the things that mean so much to me that I have learned to contain myself. It is enough that I am surrounded with beauty” (Krakauer 91). He is finding stability through nature’s beauty instead of religion. He is content with being surrounded by nature instead of faith. McCandless values faith in others and the natural environment rather than religion and the importance of self-reliance and independence, contrary to the very religious Natives. Therefore, throughout the course of history, the American values of religion and faith has evolved.

Because time has changed the values of America so greatly, stances on reliance on religion and independency are presented antithetically to each another. Historic America appreciated the values of religion and a need for community, which is seen when the Natives feasted together and praised God for providing them with food and keeping them safe. In contrast, in the book Into the Wild, McCandless values stability in nature and wants to be self-reliant. Values such as these are shown to have drastically deteriorated throughout history. One might wonder what will be left of humanity in the future and what values, if any, will still remain.

Story of Establishing the Plymouth Colony by Pilgrims: Analytical Essay

Bradford narrates the story of establishing the Plymouth Colony by Pilgrims who arrived in America in 1620 and the subsequent history of the Colony. His work focuses on showing how the success (as well as failure) of Puritans occurs according to God’s will. Additionally, he emphasizes how the Pilgrims’ faith plays a role in setting up a Godly settlement that allows them to live by their own beliefs. Particularly, the Pilgrims’ deep faith is the message Bradford intends to pass through his work and how he wishes the Pilgrims to be remembered. This is evidenced by the fact that Bradford describes the repercussions those who don’t adhere to the ideals of the faith face.

William Bradford describes a proud and profane young man in the voyage to Cape Cod who constantly is complaining about the sick people the Mayflower is carrying. Bradford composes that the young fellow wishes to toss them over the edge. Alternately, the young fellow ends up wiped out, and the malady executes him. As an issue of incongruity, he turns into the first to be incorporated over the edge. They trust that the infection is God’s anger on the young fellow because of his hasty disposition, that is, ‘his revile light on his owned head.’ Additionally, on touching base in Cape Cod, the Pilgrims dread both the locals and the untamed life. Bradford portrays the locals as ‘savage brutes’ who want to convey bolts and withdraw from sides as opposed to invite them with sustenance and a safe house. Here, Bradford’s frame of mind towards the neighborhood individuals is apparent. Instead of valuing their qualities and practices, he accepts the most exceedingly terrible of them. In addition, William Bradford’s works accentuate religion. Especially, when on board Mayflower, Bradford alludes to the ‘will of God’ as the main factor that decides the accomplishment of the voyage. Likewise, he portrays that to live beyond words the voyage relies upon the desire of God.

Bradford himself trusted in straightforward and plain living for he expected that being well off will occupy a person’s consideration from God. Likewise, amid the voyage, Bradford depicts the Puritans as exceptionally religious people who depended upon God to rebuff those profane and glad. All things considered, they trust that God intercedes at pivotal minutes. Additionally, Bradford’s work depicts Puritans as individuals with other conscious and delicate identities just as less judgmental and corrective when contrasted with those from different provinces, for example, Massachusetts Bay. Another behavior that Bradford’s works encourage is endurance. For instance, despite little understanding of the savages, cold, and lack of food during the first winter, the Puritans never gave up. Moreover, since their arrival gave little room to adjust for the climatic change and prepare well for the winter, Bradford’s work discusses that they had to endure with the current situation. Additionally, in the voyage, they faced many illnesses, but that did not make them shun away from their goal of reaching America. On the other hand, Bradford’s work discourages religious oppression. His work explains the way Puritans were threatened, arrested, tortured and even persecuted for going against the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. They splintered away so that they would return to the true norms of the Bible and Christianity. There move was not welcomed by the other denominations and therefore they sailed to America to escape the religious oppression.

Generally, the literature work is the history of life in earlier colonial New England, and since it is the only work addressing the place and time in history, then it implies that Bradford’s “Of Plymouth Plantation” is influenced by a historical event. The historical event also spans spiritual history. For example, the title of Chapter one is “History of Plymouth Plantation” and subsequently, several paragraphs of the Chapter present the spiritual history of England. His initial phrase, “But that I come more near intendment,” acts as a reminder that he intends to tell the history of the Pilgrims. Overall, Bradford’s work is of the individuals committed to their faith. His work plays a crucial role in promoting spiritual inspiration both in colonial and present America. Additionally, he sets the foundation for the establishment of the present American society and culture. Moreover, his literature plays a huge role in shaping the American literature studied in schools. He writes the journal between 1620 and 1647 during the period when colonialism is taking roots in America, and new colonies are developing.

The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop, the third edition by Edmund S. Morgan, chronicles the development of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Morgan provides considerable detail about Winthrop, explaining why he became governor of the growing colony, a position set upon him due to substantial political pressure. As detailed in the book, Winthrop met many internal and external conflicts regarding the success of the colony. However, it is the overall social, economic, and political aspects of the colonial life he lived that led the “Puritan experiment” to be a success. Winthrop faced human imperfection among his fellow colonists and the threat of differing religious beliefs that nearly tore the colony apart, yet challenged each with an ability to overcome, in hopes of perfecting his religious community.

Originally occupied by Puritans, and led by a remarkably zealous man John Winthrop, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was created as a holy experiment. The colony developed under Winthrop’s careful eye, and colonists were held to the highest standard of religious perfection, under the scrutiny of the strict laws of Puritanism. Any town members of differing beliefs were often sent away and disallowed from the privileges other colonists had. These social standards set the precedent for many incomers, making it clear the colony was a haven for the single belief of Puritanism. Colonists were even policed to a point. “Families became little cells of righteousness where the mother and father disciplined not only their children but also their servants”. No sin went ignored or unpunished, as assured by Winthrop, who dealt with human imperfections and flaws with the power of the law, and by religious word, simply condemning them all together in hopes that colonists would strive for better. Politically, standards correlated with governors and other leaders were often elected and put into positions of power based off their religious prowess and presence. Although the colony suffered economically at its birth, many colonists were unprepared for the harsh climate and terrain, the colony did eventually see economic success and growth. They focused mainly on the trade of furs, lumber, and fish. With a stable economy and strictly religious political and social standards set into place, the colony boomed. The only looming threat remained that of separatism, a belief like Puritanism, the key difference being that followers renounced the church of England, rather than claiming to reform it by colonizing elsewhere.

Winthrop dealt with Separatists swiftly and harshly. “Though he never hesitated to strike down sin, he was keenly aware that Massachusetts was endangered more by separatist zeal than by worldly wickedness… The argument, admonition, and patience were the most effective weapons against it” (Morgan, p. 107). Winthrop knew the dangers of separatism, and that the colony would split if its ideologies continued to spread. His main contender was Roger Williams—a selfless, God-loving, and stubborn man that inhibited the very soul of separatist zeal itself. Williams felt no attachment to Old England, as many Puritans did, including Winthrop. As such, separatism was simply banned. Many separatists dissented as such, and others left to live in more tolerant colonies, as is the case with Roger Williams and his wife, Anne Hutchinson. When combined, these social, political, and economic factors that relied heavily on trade and centered around strict religious ideals led to a booming society, in which Puritans ruled, led by John Winthrop, a pioneer to creating the religious haven then known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

John Winthrop ruled with a strict mindset, focused on eliminating the many personal, internal, and external conflicts surrounding the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Of these conflicts, most colonists were impacted. External conflicts, such as taxes imposed by the British and other “intolerable acts” of the time plagued the town, and many others like it. A prime example is the Tea Act of 1773, which taxed imports of tea, causing a financial burden among the poor populous of the colony (“The Tea Act | Boston Tea Party Facts | 1773”). Others would include King Phillip’s War, lasting from 1675 to 1676, which resulted from external tensions and conflicts with surrounding native peoples. As the Puritans expanded their territory, natives grew uneasy resulting in the war and further complications (Khan Academy). Internal conflicts in the colonies revolved more around local affairs and concerns. Winthrop addressed most of these as issues with the Puritan faith and regarded colonists by how dedicated to the religion they were. For instance, separatism was a growing internal issue within the colony. Winthrop continued his trend of religious intolerance, sending separatists away from the Massachusetts Bay Colony to keep his town holy, and to his standards. As sinners were on the rise, Winthrop used his power to regulate the lives of colonists. He made sure everybody was monitored by family or friends in their own home, and all sins were reported and punished swiftly. It was as these conflicts and issues developed that John Winthrop had been elected as governor for the town. He was thrust into the position, rather than having asked for it. “But he seems not to have expected that he would be that man, even though he was eligible for the office”. Winthrop expected to lead and help shape the colony, yet not at this magnitude of power. He was nominated out of four potential candidates and was enthralled with the prospect of the power to make change; whereas, his ability to govern and impact religious institutions in England was limited, wherein the new colonies, power was ripe. Winthrop was driven by a motivation to reform England’s churches and give it the push it needed. He knew that corruption in England was overwhelming, and instead planned to spread the church, reforming it outside of England. His argument was that he would offer the Puritan religion to those who had never been given access to it before, such as Natives. Most important to his success in maintaining the colony was likely the zeal he had in keeping it religiously upkept. If Winthrop had neglected the sins of the colonists or allowed separatists to flock, the town could have been divided and muddled, increasing the negative aspects of the town, and even splitting it politically and religiously. Winthrop’s desire to have a perfect haven for Puritans is what allowed the town to thrive, under his strict and careful rule. As such, Winthrop met the challenge, heading directly to the Massachusetts Bay Colony to make the religious, “city on a hill” he had always desired, overcoming many conflicts and sources of pressure in doing so.

John Winthrop was truly a pioneer in molding the Massachusetts Bay Colony, with critical detail to every aspect of its society. Through many conflicts, developed internally or found externally from places aside from the colony, Winthrop was willing to face each one. The colony faced financial burdens and social and religious intolerance, and even corrupt politics in that leaders were all tied to churches. However, Winthrop, with his own set of morals, worked to ensure the political, social, and economic growth of the town. The Massachusetts Bay Colony, nearly torn by separatism and the impurity of many human flaws was kept sewn together by Winthrop and his fellow leaders. Winthrop may have not immediately set his sights on the position of governor, yet the challenge was met well in his hands, as he strived and toiled to create the religious image of a holy city. The Massachusetts Bay Colony thrived under his guidance, succeeding mainly in part due to his work toward maintaining all aspects of the society and colony life involved.

References:

  1. William Bradford. ‘History of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647.’ The American Historical Review 18.3 (1913): 595. Web.
  2. Mele, Bryan M. Magliocca Marie. The Massachusetts Bay Colony, www.watertown.k12.ma.us/cunniff/americanhistorycentral/05europeansinnamerica/The_Massachuse.html.
  3. Morgan, Edmund Sears. The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop. 3rd ed., Pearson Longman, 2007.
  4. 4. Boundless. “Settling New England.” Settling New England | Boundless US History, courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-ushistory/chapter/settling-new-england/
  5. ‘Puritan New England: Massachusetts Bay (Article).” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-us-history/period-2/apush-colonial-north-america/a/puritan-new-england-massachusetts-bay.
  6. “The Tea Act | Boston Tea Party Facts | 1773.” For more information about the Boston Tea Party, www.bostonteapartyship.com/the-tea-act.

The Most Wicked Pilgrim: Critical Analysis of Pardoner’s Tale

Out of the many pilgrims described in The Canterbury Tales, one stands out as the most wicked of them all: the Pardoner. The work under discussion in this essay is The Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer. It is a narrative poem written in heroic verse. The Canterbury Tales is a poem about a group of pilgrims who are traveling from the Tabard Inn in Southwark to St Thomas Becket’s shrine at Canterbury Cathedral. The character called the “Host” suggests that each of the pilgrims tells stories and that the best story teller will be rewarded with a meal when they returned to the Inn. The part of The Canterbury Tales that is focused on in this essay is the beginning where Chaucer gives a description and details about each pilgrim. In this essay, the word “wicked” will be defined as “evil or morally wrong” (Oxford Dictionary). The Bible even further defines wickedness for us in Proverbs 6:12-15 saying “A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger, with perverted heart devises evil, continually sowing discord; therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing”. It is widely agreed that the are many wicked pilgrims on the journey described in The Canterbury Tales, among which is the Pardoner. Some may debate, however, that although the Pardoner is wicked, there are other pilgrims more wicked than he. It will be argued in this essay, based on contextual evidence, that the pardoner is in fact the most wicked pilgrim. This essay will prove this using three points and will also refute a common attempt to show that the Pardoner is not the most wicked. First, it will be shown that the pardoner commits the unforgivable sin of blasphemy to make him the most wicked on the journey. Second, the text will show us how the Pardoner goes out of his way to deceive others and directly affects them in a negative way whereas some of the other pilgrims do not have much affect on others. Third and lastly, it will be shown that Chaucer himself likely even believes the Pardoner to be the most wicked pilgrim.

The Pardoner commits a sin greater than any other pilgrim: blasphemy. Blasphemy is attributing the works of the Lord to the devil and the Bible says “…the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” in Luke 10:12. Chaucer writes “And thus, with feigned flattery and japes / He made the parson and the people his apes.”(705-706) about the Pardoners deceit. This quote means that the pardoner used tricks and flattery to fool the people. The job of the pardoner was to collect money from people in turn for forgiving them of their sins and then was supposed to give the money to the church. He instead collects peoples money, keeps it for himself, says some words that convince them they are forgiven and continues on his way. The pardoner takes what God does, forgiving us of our sins, and perverts it and does evil while he says he is doing this work of God. Because of his unforgivable blasphemy, the Pardoner is the made the most wicked pilgrim of them all.

The second reason that the Pardoner is the most wicked pilgrim is that he doesn’t just do evil, but goes out of his way to do it and affects others possible eternal souls by his sins as well. Chaucer writes;

“Well could he read a lesson and a story.

But alderbest he sang an offertory

For well he wiste when that song was sung

He muste preach and well afile his tongue

To winne silver he full well could.

Therefore he sang the merrily and loud.”(709-714).

This section of text is about the way the pardoner would use his voice to lure people in and get them to give money to supposedly have their sins pardoned.