Austin+Steinquist

The poem “The Knight” by Adrienne Rich portrays a heroic figure who under the surface is beaten, battered, and beyond his prime. In the beginning of the poem Adrienne says about the knight, “ The soles of his feet glitter and his palms flash in reply, and under his crackling banner he rides like a ship in sail.” By saying this, the author is portraying the gallant appearance of the knight and what he thinks of himself. However in reality the knight is not so impressive as he thinks, “ set in a metal mask, betraying rags and tatters that cling to the flesh beneath.” Here Adrienne exposes the knight for what he really is, weak and unimpressive, and goes further to ask, “Who will unhorse the rider and free him from between the walls of iron, the emblems crushing his chest with their weight?” With this question the author is asking who is going to free the knight from his sense of greatness, who will unhorse him and show him what he really is, who will take away the weight of seeming better than those around him. This can be compared to the story of Boobie Miles, the once star player of the Permian Panthers. In __Friday Night Lights__ by H. G. Bissinger, the story of Boobie Miles is very similar. Boobie was the star of the Permian High football team, however, before the season started he injured his knee leaving him unable to play in the first game. In the next game he was able to play and made some successful runs, “The old fire was there and the indelible image of Boobie towering over hapless tacklers” (Bissinger 198). In saying this Bissinger depicted Boobie at his original glory and believing that he could return to that level of performance, however, similarly to “The Knight” the reality was a different story. The coaching staff said about his future that, “He was damaged goods, like a crate of Florida oranges that had gone rotten in delivery, and the big boys were not going to deal with himunless they had positive proof some sweet juice could still be squeezed out of him” (Bissinger 200). This doubt shown by the coaching staff was somewhat universal, however football was Boobies only hope for success, and although his father and the coaches were worried about him, they knew that this season would be his last hope to make a name for himself.