Compulsory Blog Entry #13

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.
QUESTIONS
1. How is figurative language used in the poem? Give the specific word(s), explain what type of figurative language it is and why the poet chose to use this figurative language.
With spurs, hot and reeking, --- Hyperbole is used in this case to exaggerate how intense the fight was.
"To save my lady!" --- Hyperbole is used here to describe the strong determination of the knight.
And leaped from saddle to war. --- Hyperbole is used in this case to exaggerate how the knight fought, leaping from one place to another.
Like riot of silver lights, --- Metaphor is used here to compare the brandishing of silver swords in the war to riot of silver lights.
2. Tell us why you like this poem in no less than 100 words.
I like this poem as it is very fast-paced and the descriptions make the poem seem very real-lived and you can feel how intense the fight is without even having a look at it.