Anonimalle Chronicle English Peasants' Revolt 1381

              In Anonimalle Chronicle English Peasants' Revolt, we read about the King of England who invites all of the commons to Smithfield. The story tells of the demands the people made of the King. However, these demands did not turn out best for the commons in the end.  The story also describes commons’ revolt and England’s response to the revolt. The king did not end up showing mercy to the revolting commons but, instead, put a bounty on their heads.

                The thought in the story that captured me was the fact the King denied the requests of the commons. They had asked that a fair division be given the commons. They had also asked that all men be declared free. These demands, or requests, seemed to be reasonable but the King refused. The reason this idea, in a sense, stuck out to me was due to the fact that I have been studying cultural context in the bible. This new knowledge prompted me to ask questions regarding the cultural context in England at the time of the story.  Further, it led me to ask how the cultural context of that day related to this situation.

                In addition to the ideas described in the previous paragraph my new learning sparked deeper thoughts as well.  For instance, it impelled me to ask questions the commons were possibly asking regarding the underlying meaning included in their demands. Moreover, this sparked questions regarding the nature of King Richard II.  For instance, what desires and motivations caused him to respond in the ay he did?  Finally, I was prompted to ask what specific events moved both parties to react in the manner in which they did.

                The modern parallels I spotted in the text relate to today’s governments.  A government may profess concern for its people but when those people express frustration with their government the government doesn’t want to hear it.  Most governments will resist public outcry until they are overturned.  The English peasants’ revolt is an example of how many modern rulers or governments still operate today. This reading response reminds us that people often times call for governmental reform but the rulers within that government deny the will of the people.