Fast rode the knight

Fast rode the knight by Stephen Crane

Fast rode the knight
With spurs, hot and reeking,
Ever waving an eager sword,
"To save my lady!"
Fast rode the knight,
And leaped from saddle to war.
Men of steel flickered and gleamed
Like riot of silver lights,
And the gold of the knight's good banner
Still waved on a castle wall.
. . . . .
A horse,
Blowing, staggering, bloody thing,
Forgotten at foot of castle wall.
A horse
Dead at foot of castle wall.

 

This is a poem written by Stephen Crane called 'Fast rode the knight'. In the first part of the poem, the knight's bravery is shown, he eagerly does good deeds, and fight against evil. In the end of the first part, the knight is victorious.

However, the second part is gloomier. The point of view changes to the knight's horse. At the end of the war, his horse died, and was left 'forgotten at the foot of the castle wall'.

In this poem, figurative language is used. They include:

Hyperbole: 'Ever waving an eager sword,' the knight does not, of course wave around a sword all the time, but this tells the reader how eager the knight is to do a good deed.

Personification: 'Still waved on a castle wall' the flag is not a living thing, and cannot wave, but it is used in this context to make a joyful, happy, victorious tone.

Simile: The flashing swords is compared to a 'riot of silver lights,' The swords are made of metal, and when the knights swing them around, they look like silver lights.

This poem teaches us a few lessons. It shows the unfairness that exists in this world. The knight's victory is largely attributed to his horse; without a horse, the knight cannot fight as well. However, when the knight won the battle, he forgets about the horse, and leaves it to die. This is indeed unfair, as the horse risked its life to serve the knight, but it does not get any recognition.

This also reminds people to remember who has helped them to achieve success. Even if we have achieved great heights, we must still remember who has helped us. If not, we have failed.

The title of this poem is 'Fast rode the knight'. The word 'rode' means that the knight needs a horse, but ironically, he does not care about the horse much.

I like this poem as it uses an interesting story to illustrate a point. The description of what is happening is very vivid, and I could imagine the scene. Contrast is also used very well, and this shows both sides of the story, not just from the hero's. I feel that this is an interesting change. I also feel that the example of the knight and the horse works very well. The knight is seen as someone who is heroic and brave, and the horse is his servant. The poem makes use of this preconceived notion, so I understood the poem easily. Generally, this poem is not hard to understand, but it illustrates some important morals well.