And the greatest of these is love...or is it pride?

In the fourth century, Greek monk and theologian Evagrius Ponticus first conceptualized the idea of eight offenses or “wicked human passions” having a negative effect on human behavior and relationships. Over the next several centuries, church leaders ranked and reworked this list into what we now know as the Seven Deadly Sins.

Pope Gregory ranked the Deadly Sins according to the degree in which they offended against the holy virtue of love. Pope Gregory’s order from worst to least is pride, envy, anger (wrath), sloth, avarice (greed), gluttony, and lust. Later theologians dismissed the idea of ranking the sins, as all of them were considered “deadly” to living a holy and fulfilled life.

Medieval understanding of the sins included not only the sin itself, but a corresponding punishment in Hell (Dante's Inferno, anyone?), ranging from being thrown in snake pits or submerged in freezing water to burning in fire and brimstone. Church teachings at the time also developed to include the idea that a corresponding Heavenly Virtue was necessary to overcome the grip of sin:

Pride – Humility

Envy – Kindness

Wrath – Patience

Sloth – Diligence

Avarice – Charity

Gluttony – Temperance

Lust – Chastity

Most of Chaucer’s tales in The Canterbury Tales indicate ways in which a person is within the grip of one or more of the Deadly Sins, showing what lessons the characters may learn from their transgressions or hope to improve by application of one or more of the Virtues. In this way, the Canterbury Tales reflect the daily role of the church in medieval life.

For blog post #3, find an advertisement that demonstrates one (or more) of the Seven Deadly Sins (it should be used as a rhetorical or persuasive device) and complete an analysis of the text. Your response should include the following: 

- The advertisement itself—make sure the author, the date, and  the place of publication are included
- A denotative examination of the text (little picture)
- A connotative examination of the text (big picture)
- Intended audience:

a.      Who are they?
b.      What might their social and economic background be?
c.       What cultural knowledge do they have?
Consider the following in your response: 

• How has the author used the following: image, layout, language, and color?

• The way mass media use language and image to inform, persuade or entertain, as well as textual bias. Also consider:  stereotypes, popular culture, lobbying, elections, legislation, public information the diversity of audiences, use of style and register, overt and covert forms of bias, layout and use of images, deliberate manipulation of audience, placement and the selection of platform