Truth in Poetry: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

According to Aristotle, there are two distinct types of language: Those that entertain, and those that educate. Entertainment comes from literature that provides pleasure and delight, such as poems. Education comes from works that offer instruction and explanation, for example, rhetorical pieces. In spite of how true this seems, it oversimplifies writing, and it has clearly been proven during this unit that poetry has the ability to both entertain and educate. Within each poem read …

…honesty. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" reveals many important truths, as any other rhetorical piece would, but it is the way in which these truths are revealed that makes it a poem that ultimately entertains. This poetic story employs situational conflict, symbols, and imagery to further its meaning and inform the reader, yet additionally possesses the pleasant features of poetry. As a result "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" entertains as well as educates.