Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the...

Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminal Insane by Etheridge Knight In Etheridge Knights poem Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminal Insane, he uses a fictional tale to describe the tyrannical elements of prisons while simultaneously conveying the oppression that those who defy authority face in society. Knight effectively utilizes imagery and analogies (implied or clearly stated) to appeal to the readers senses and draw them into the story (and ultimately the motif). The poems narrative is centered around a heroic character named Hard Rock. The name Hard Rock is a complicated pun on the American penal system and rock/jazz music as well. Although the term the Rock, is†¦show more content†¦After Hard rock received a lobotomy, Knight describes that he was turned loose, like a freshly gelded stallion, to try his new status. Despite the limited written description of the situation, the reader gleans a much more concise image of the event because of the analogy incorporated. The reader visualizes Hard Rock being released into an awkward environment (the prison) after being bereaved (gelded) of his free spirit, as well as the anticipation Hard Rock and the other prisoners experience. He had†¦split purple lips, lumped ears, welts above his yellow eyes, and one long scar that cut across his temple and plowed through a thick canopy of kinky hair†¦ Imagery is very effectively used by Knight in order to illustrate Hard Rock and incidents in the poem. Phrases such as bored a hole in his head, handcuffed and chained, the jewel of a myth, and barked in his face, paint vivid images in the readers mind. Knights use of imagery keeps the reader interested in the poem while slowly drawing the reader into the story (emotionally). This element ultimately proves to be very useful to convey the motif of the poem. Knights poem displays the corrupt elements of prison life while portraying an analogy about society. Since Hard Rock was a hero to the other prisoners, the authorities took extreme actions to end his defiance. This is an obvious reference to the civil rights movement and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hard Rock, like Dr.Show MoreRelatedKnight’s Poem, Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminal Insane1024 Words   |  5 Pages Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminal Insane is a poem by Knight, Etheridge. The poem is centered on a heroic character named Hard Rock. Knight’s poem is an allegory of oral tradition. The author depicts Hard Rock as a legend to all inmates, as his exploits are well known among the inmates. Because of his defiance, Hard Rock is sent to a Hospital for the Criminal Insane. When he comes back, Hard Rock has been lobotomized and changed into a different man. He is not the strongRead More Racial Oppression Essay1389 Words   |  6 PagesThese ideas are similar to those of Malcolm X, an American. Etheridge Knight, an author of poetry and winner of an American Book Award, read the Autobiography of Malcolm X while serving time in the Indiana State Prison. His poem, â€Å"Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminal Insane† reflects the system punishing those that don’t adapt to the rules. Battle-scarred â€Å"Hard Rock was ‘known not to take no *censored* from nobody’† (714). His rebellious acts against the system, such asRead MoreEssay on True and Every Day Heros1421 Words   |  6 Pagesthose tracks towards them. The young girl noticed an elderly man lying on the tracks. She yelled to her father, â€Å"I have to, I have to move him, and I have to save his life.† These heroic words were the last words that this elderly father would hear from his daughter. That day pulling the man to safety the young Japanese girl was hit by the train while she saved the man’s life. Greg Botellio, Vivian Levo, and Josh Levs all of Atlanta, Georgia works for CNN news and reported on August 22, 2013 on