In The Essay -- English Literature

In The â€Å"In The Knight, the knight is an epitome of human society, yet his appearance doe not portray his true self. Do you agree?† In Adrienne Rich’s poem The Knight, the reader is given a brief yet profound insight into the deceiving nature of humans; how we give a calm, collected front full of light and purity, yet beneath the surface we are in truth dark and inevitably mortal. The Knight portrays what every man, woman and child must inevitably decide on: to expose their true face or to hide behind a false mask to please others. The initial line â€Å"A knight rides into the noon† evokes a sense that the knight, a chivalrous and pure being, is riding gallantly into the noon, where the sun’s brightness is at its apex. When the knight’s â€Å"helmet points to the sun†, it further reinforces the first line by exemplifying the light that exists on the knight’s outer coat of armour. His bright shining armour has the brightness of â€Å"a thousand splintered suns†, dazzling any who would cross him in glorious battle. â€Å"The soles of his feet glitter†, evoking a feeling that every little detail of his armour blazes, even the soles of his feet, which would not normally see much light at all because they face down towards the earth. The knight’s outward appearance illustrates the mask that all of us put on in front of other people, whether to please or manipulate others. However, towards the end of the first paragraph, we start to see that things are not all they seem, that not all that glitters is gold. Because â€Å"under his crackling banner he rides like a ship in sail† gives the sense that although his task is underway, his â€Å"crackling banner† symbolises that the knight’s image is starting to give way to what he is truly b... ...the same peers. Rich evokes the feeling that not everyone is willing to give up their false image and that they hide behind their mask to be praised by society. Only a select few go against the false mask and live a true life free from lies and being a crowd-pleaser, but at the same time being shunned by their peers. In the end, the knight may go either way, living a false life and a dying a false death; or he could live a false life but atone himself by revealing his true self in death. Without his armour to conceal him, his true form would be exposed to the world and he could stop living a lie. Inevitably however it is out of his hands, he cannot choose whether or not to shatter his own armour in an intense battlefield. However, the knight’s true form might be known, and he might find that one measure of peace that all people seek, in death, at last. In The Essay -- English Literature In The â€Å"In The Knight, the knight is an epitome of human society, yet his appearance doe not portray his true self. Do you agree?† In Adrienne Rich’s poem The Knight, the reader is given a brief yet profound insight into the deceiving nature of humans; how we give a calm, collected front full of light and purity, yet beneath the surface we are in truth dark and inevitably mortal. The Knight portrays what every man, woman and child must inevitably decide on: to expose their true face or to hide behind a false mask to please others. The initial line â€Å"A knight rides into the noon† evokes a sense that the knight, a chivalrous and pure being, is riding gallantly into the noon, where the sun’s brightness is at its apex. When the knight’s â€Å"helmet points to the sun†, it further reinforces the first line by exemplifying the light that exists on the knight’s outer coat of armour. His bright shining armour has the brightness of â€Å"a thousand splintered suns†, dazzling any who would cross him in glorious battle. â€Å"The soles of his feet glitter†, evoking a feeling that every little detail of his armour blazes, even the soles of his feet, which would not normally see much light at all because they face down towards the earth. The knight’s outward appearance illustrates the mask that all of us put on in front of other people, whether to please or manipulate others. However, towards the end of the first paragraph, we start to see that things are not all they seem, that not all that glitters is gold. Because â€Å"under his crackling banner he rides like a ship in sail† gives the sense that although his task is underway, his â€Å"crackling banner† symbolises that the knight’s image is starting to give way to what he is truly b... ...the same peers. Rich evokes the feeling that not everyone is willing to give up their false image and that they hide behind their mask to be praised by society. Only a select few go against the false mask and live a true life free from lies and being a crowd-pleaser, but at the same time being shunned by their peers. In the end, the knight may go either way, living a false life and a dying a false death; or he could live a false life but atone himself by revealing his true self in death. Without his armour to conceal him, his true form would be exposed to the world and he could stop living a lie. Inevitably however it is out of his hands, he cannot choose whether or not to shatter his own armour in an intense battlefield. However, the knight’s true form might be known, and he might find that one measure of peace that all people seek, in death, at last.