Summary and analysis of "a monks tale"

The Monk's tale is a collection of tragedies, designed to advise men not to trust in blind prosperity but be aware that Fortune is fickle and ever-changing. Lucifer is the first tragedy told, who fell from an angelic heaven down to Hell. Adam is next, the one man not born of original sin, who was driven from Paradise.

the swan might be a metaphor for our soul, which is ancient and timeless. the speaker wants to know where it's going and what it wants, what's the purpose in life. he asks our soul to follow him in knowing that god is us and the answer to the question "who am i" that was written on the wind of god's whim to know himself that blew over his being in the beginning of creation. and to connect to god consciously on the path to knowing him is the joy of loving him, like a bee that will grow and end our sorrows by ending desire. in that connection there is no doubt about god and existing forever.

our founding fathers introduced the revolutionary idea that each person's desire to pursue their idea of happiness was not self-indulgence, but a necessary driver of a prosperous society. they created a government to defend that right for everyone.