Knights of Pop Culture

I believe in today’s day and age that Honey Boo Boo is a hero mainly to Elementary and Middle school students. However, I see Honey Boo Boo as a hero as well. Honey Boo Boo is 7 years old, competing in pageants, has a TV show, saving money to go to college, and is getting paid. She has started her dream at young age so when she is older who knows what else she could be doing. This girl shows America that anything is possible at any age which allows her to looked as as a hero.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgB2CQxRvps

Secondly, Barack Obama is a knight to the African American Society. He is the First African American to become America’s president. He is allowing all African Americans to know that they can accomplish any goal. From African Americans being slaves to becoming the president has been a long and drawn out process but now permits hope for anything and everything. For taking a stance as a nationwide leader this is truly why he is a modern day night.

He's strong, brave, and has morals. He became a symbol in the movie of someone who was willing to do anything in order to protect his country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJSXM_OeoaE

An example I am using is of man that has a dark side. The best thing about him is that he uses his dark side for good and lives by a set of rules that helps him control the monster inside.ights typically have a clean life and they don't like to get their hands dirty unless it is necessary. Here on the clip we see the Dexter lives by a set of rules that help him throughout his life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJSXM_OeoaE

knights in pop culture

The first example that comes to mind when I think of a knight is a series of books called the Sword of Truth, and more explicitly, the first book of the series, Wizards First Rule.  It follows the general premise of an unsuspecting hero who rises to the occasion, has a wizard as his best friend and mentor, and ultimately succeeds in his quest to save society against all odds, discovers his noble origins, and falls in love.  The  characters name, Richard Rahl, displays all the true characteristics of what it takes to be a knight.  Below is  the link to the book series itself, and the plot summary on wikipedia.

http://www.sword-of-truth.com/books/the-sword-of-truth/wizards-first-rule
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard%27s_First_Rule


The second example that comes to mind is one of the greatest soccer players of all time, Alessandro Del  Piero.  Having signed with his club team Juventus (in Torino, Italy) at the age of 19, he could have become the brash personality that is so indicative of so many other athletes today; however, that is not his modus operandi.  Instead, he remained with the club that gave him the chance until the club informed him 19 years later at the age of 38, that he was surplus to requirements, and was no longer wanted there.  This coming despite the fact that when the club suffered hardships in the calciopoli scandal of 2005, he remained with the team despite a mass exodus of the majority of its premier players.  Not only this but he was the team captain for 11 years and has made the most appearances and scored the most goals for the club. Instead of creating a giant fiasco, he calmly accepted his fate and went on his way to signing for a new team.  In addition to his footballing feats he also captured many awards for his benevolent personality.  A brief insight into his importance to the club and city of Torino would be his election to carry the flaming torch through Torino prior to the 2006 winter Olympics, as well as the famous story of his voice awakening a 12 year old fan from a 15 day coma.

http://en.alessandrodelpiero.com/index.html

Examples of Knights in Pop Culture

A knight is someone who protects another person and is willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of someone else. In this video clip, Sheldon finally set aside his normally arrogant attitude and "humbled" himself (as much as Sheldon Cooper can) and took care of the girl he seems to care about the most.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6avUGWHglDY

Another example from pop culture that resembles a knight is Batman from "The Dark Knight Rises."  Batman is obviously the epitome of a knight: he is brave, strong, courageous, and he sacrifices himself for not just one person, but for an entire city.  He goes on missions and journeys to save people, just like a knight would do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQI3wMgEd1c

Knights in Pop Culture

Jon Snow from A Song of Ice and Fire is a knight because he always makes the right choices and always does what is the right thing to do. He is a very moral person.




My second example is the Doctor from the show Doctor Who. He is always faced with difficult choices and makes the choice that is the most moral and when he has to choose he goes with the choice for the greater good.

Todays Knights

1. My first example is the cast of "Greys Anatomy", because they are all heros or Knights in my eyes. They save lives by being doctors. Doctors and nurses change lives everyday!


2. Yes, i know this might be an old show, but it was my favorite show growing up! And i feel that Tommy from rugrats was a Knight in every episode because he was so brave and wanted to go on adventures all the time. There is one specific episode that all the babies were at a midieval festival and were dressed up for the time period.

Two Examples of Knights in Pop Culture

My first example of Knights in Pop Culture is the cast members of AMC TV series "Walking Dead" These members risks their own life to save the ones of those around them to keep them all together. 

http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-walking-dead/video

My second example of Knights in Pop Culture is Harry Potter, I grew up reading Harry Potter. I loved the series then and I still do. I believe Harry Potter is a character that everyone will see is a Knight in Pop Culture. 

http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/24000000/Harry-Potter-HP7-p2-the-guys-of-harry-potter-24072942-1920-1200.jpg

Knights in Pop Culture 2

2.) Now, this example isn't the most recent (a few years old), but I recently became hooked on this show via Netflix. Rescue Me features the lives of the FDNY crew, specifically Tommy Gavin. The firefighters band together and risk their lives to save the citizens of New York. During their off-duty hours, the men face typical knightly temptations--alcohol, lust, jealousy, rage, and pride.

Knight's in Pop Culture

1.) If you live anywhere besides under a rock, I'm sure you've heard of AMC's "The Walking Dead." The series begins with Rick, the lone-man sheriff, trying to assess the new horrors consuming his world, battle the walkers, and find his missing family. Rick exemplifies a knight just by himself, but add a group of close-knit strangers fighting off evil to save each other, as well as the remaining scraps of the life they once knew. Sounds like knights to me.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1v0uFms68U)

connecting to today's world

King Arthur is shown today by a Priest. The Priest is the chosen one and he has to watch over his church, just like King Arthur was the chosen one who has to watch over his land. They both will save the people. A Priest will save them from their sins and King Arthur will save them from their death.

http://www.salisbury.anglican.org/news/archbishop-and-new-bishop-visit-bromham/image_large


A Knight is shown today by the Police. The Police are the protectors of the people and so are the Knights. The Police will give you a ticket and a Knight will fight you till death. The Police have a gun and Knights have a sword. They are both ready to fight when crime is done and they are needed.

http://www.ci.yuma.az.us/Images/Dept_YPD/DSC00099-policeCar.jpg

2 Examples of Knights in Pop Culture

1.       Bree of Tarth from A Song of Fire and Ice better known as the Game of Thrones Series. Game of

Thrones is a popular television show which is on its third season on HBO but it is an adaption of the book series which has released 5 books by George R. Martin. Bree is a women who is so ugly and man like that her powerful father outcast her from his family. She responded by being a lot like Britomart and killing every opponent she comes up against. She further parallels Britomart when she fought the most powerful/best looking knight in the realm Sir Jamie Lannister. Like Britomart and Amoret, Bree and Jamie fight nearly to the death and after the fight end up being bound to each other by a sort of love.  Her and Jamie end up being in a kind of courtly love like we discussed in which Jamie saves Bree from rape and Bree saves Jamie from having to fight a hungry bear. There are endless examples of knightly behavior and King Arthur parallels in the books. 

2.       Frodo in the one ring and King Arthur and Excalibur. Both are destined only for only one person. We saw a few examples of Arthur pulling the sword from the stone and they were big moments which consisted of a light shining down from heaven and epic music playing. A similar thing happens when Frodo agrees to take the ring to Mordor. He can see the “All Seeing Eye” and loud music begins to play and everyone at the council is yelling then it slows down and Frodo says “I will take the ring.”

Knights in pop culture

My first example of Knights in Pop culture would be the male actors on the walking dead. They risk their lives to help save the weaker members of their group.




My second example is soldiers. Men and women risk their lives everyday to save their country. They have to endure training to be in combat. Also they have to leave their familys behind when they go to war.

A Few Knights From Today's Pop Culture!

These are a few examples of knights in today's pop culture. 

Starting from the top, I grew up with Sailor Moon. Tuxedo Mask was my first impression of courtly love and I love how Sailor Moon saves him just as much as he saves her. 

The next is Tom Hansen from (500) Days of Summer. Tom's story is what happens when you impress your own love ideals (like courtly ones that are impossible to live up to) upon someone else. 

Do I even need to explain Angel? I think you guys will pick up on that one. 

Finally, Scott Pilgrim.  Now, don't crucify me because I've only seen the movie. I saw it a couple years after it was released and loved the story. Scott falls in "love" with Ramona after seeing her once. He abandons everything in his quest to defeat her seven evil exes and earn her heart. Along the way he also learns to earn his own self respect. Knightly? I think so. 

Knights in pop culture today, the dark knight

The image above is the movie poster from the hit batman movie, "The Dark Knight", which was released in 2008. This poster is used to show the villain in the movie, the joker, and also use the hero in the movie, the dark knight, or batman. This represents a knight being a hero in our modern society as in the movie, the dark knight must battle evil in many different forms, and even do things that would be considered immoral in our world today to achieve his end goal of defeating the ultimate evil in the joker. 

Knights from pop culture

The picture above is the Knight mascot of the University of Central Florida. This is a way that knights are represented in a positive light in our culture today through the use of a school mascot. Central Florida embraces that their mascot is a knight and uses it to their advantage.

Knight References from Pop Culture Today

Courtly love can be seen even today... love at first sight. People still believe in this concept and for some people it may be true. Knights, or heroes of today also face temptation... temptation in love interest form, anger or grief... many of these are seen in our leaders of today, people that we look to do guide us. These Knights that we read and study in class are seen in pop culture today if one takes the time to look closely enough.

Knights in real life

My first example of a knight is a professional football player named Adrian Peterson.  Peterson is a running back for the Minnesota Vikings and a year ago he tore his ACL.  Recovery time is 9 months and Peterson came back in 8 and he went on to have one of the best statistical seasons ever.  He is a knight due to his strength to overcome adversity as well as his devotion and desire to overcome these obstacles and be better than ever.  He shows bravery in the form of not being scared to attack his injury and rehab headstrong.

video of him rehabbing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E92QDwwqFRg

My second example comes from the movie the Dark Knight, obviously knight is in the title so that is one connection.  This is the ending of the movie where they call him the watchful protector and the dark knight.  They say how he is not the hero the cities deserves and that they will chase him because he can take it. Even though batman isnt in the wrong his understanding of the situation and bravery to be a figure that the city can rely on and go after him shows how brave and noble he is.  In some way he throws himself under the bus like that for the greater good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL7PSlUuWPs

Knights today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM3w4PzDkT0

This is a short youtube video of a motorcycle accident and a group of people lift the car of the man stuck under it. I think these people represent knights because they're not think about themselves when they were all in danger. The motorcycle was on fire and could have easily spread to the car and made a bomb or something but these people continued to work till the man under it was free.

My next reference as a knight is the movie Mean girls. Cady realizes she doesnt care what people think about her and when she wins the crown in the end, she breaks into pieces and shares with all the girls. She throws it at a few of the girls and said why they deserved it. She didnt save a piece for herself and instead gave to everyone else. She was no longer shelfish and by doing something as small as this, she made those girls feel special.

So hey y'all, I figured a good example of a knight was found hidden in a movie most of us have seen...the Avengers.

The knight is the one, the only, Phil Colson. Agent Colson.

That's right, Agent Colson fulfills many roles related to knights in the movie, from the unifier (his death helping to unify the Avengers) to the voice of encouragement ("I think we may need old-fashioned.") To ultimately his bravery and wit in fighting Loki. He was not going to win that battle, but he still attacked an evil oppnent far greater than he was, giving the  others a chance to either escape or fight back against the chaos around them.

This man with no powers, nothing exemptional, except his belief in good and his bravery in the face of evil.

Video clip of the use of knights in tv

Skyrim is a game based on making your own Knight

Knights

St. Nicolas Acamedy has this knight as a mascot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhRUe-gz690
Video of the black knight!

Examples of Knights in Pop Culture Today

So for my two examples of knights in pop culture today I have chosen the Doctor and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the spinoff series Angel.

I picked the Doctor because he is a lone figure who travels through time and space defending the innocent and fighting evil.  However, the Doctor is unique because even though in some of the alien culture's he defends his name comes to mean "warrior" and he is, in a sense, the Doctor is very brave, extremely honorable, and he follows the rules that he has set himself (ie. no guns).

There is also an example of courtly love between the ninth and tenth regenerations of the Doctor and his then-companion, Rose Tyler.  He loves her and she loves him but he is reluctant to ever pursue a relationship with her because he will live forever and she will eventually die.

I picked these couple clips from Doctor Who to show some examples of him being a knight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ecycHAZtaM

This is the eleventh Doctor's speech to all of his enemies when the Pandorica is opening.  I think it kind of summarizes a lot of the qualities that make the Doctor knightly and a hero.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqlqQsKG94I

This is a clip from the episode "Satan's Pit" where the Doctor shows an example of courtly love because he shows bravery in front of evil, and what gives him courage to make a very grave decision is his love in Rose Tyler.

So my second example in pop culture is Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I used him primarily because of the courtly love aspect of his relationship with Buffy.  Angel is a vampire-- who used to be quite evil-- cursed with a soul and for many years he had hidden in the shadows, eating rats and suffering from the guilt of all the evil things he had done.  However, after seeing Buffy for the first time (just before she was called to be a Slayer) he decides that he will help her on her journey.  

Angel's curse also adds to this courtly love idea because he can never consummate his relationship with Buffy because he will experience a moment of "true happiness", and he will have his soul taken away from him.  Buffy is very much unattainable.

Here are two clips, one a fan made video that kind of summarizes Buffy and Angel's relationship, and the next a clip of two characters from the show 'Angel' making fun of Angel and Buffy's relationship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMPJT0NzJIs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzr7JSUIIQE

pop culture knights

some examples of knights of pop culture today would be the teenage mutant ninja turtles and the legendary god thor.

Pop Culture Knights

1) When I think of a knight I think of one of my favorite video game series The Legend of Zelda, Link is a knight who has to battle evil to save his country, and in some games of course Princess Zelda.
http://www.zelda.com/universe/?ref=http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=zelda&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

2) The second thing in pop culture that is knight related would be the Batman movies in which batman fights evil to save Gotham City.
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=61698

Knights

This image of a Knight is a mascot of a football team. Knight mascots in pop culture today represent strength and determination to win. This mascot is also very big and muscular and carrys big sword.




Rutgers University's mascot is a scarlet knight and is in shiney armor. He wears a full covered helmet with red hair coming out of the top. This is a typical example of a modern day knight.

Knights in Pop Culture

Impractical Jokers: Old English

When thinking about "What in my pop culture references knights?" I couldn't really think of anything because I didn't think I watched anything that had to do with knights. Until I really thought about it, the show, Impractical Jokers, popped into my head. I remembered in one episode, one of the guys, Q, talked in Old English for one of his challenges. From watching things about knights in class, I found that knights talk in Old English, too. So I thought the show made a reference to knights. Then when the professor started talking about other shows that referenced knights. I realized this show and knights relate too. Knights challenge other knights to fight. In the show, each guy is challenged by the others to do or say crazy things to win. So to me, I think that in some way this show is showing knightly references in many ways.

Full Metal Jousting

Since I was having trouble thinking of other things that referenced knights, my boyfriend told me about this one show. It's called Full Metal Jousting. The men in the show have to do what the knights did and joust each other in order to win $100,000. This references knights because this is what knights did. There are a few modifications though. Like safety, the suits the men wear in the show are more protective than the one the knights wore. And the money, knights may have jousted for many things, such as money, a woman, or just because they were challenged. But in the show, the men are doing it for the money. Nevertheless, jousting is very serious and it can cause injuries very easily. No matter what time period it is, the men who decide to joust are getting hurt. I think that this show references knights exactly.

Knights in pop culture

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of heroes in pop culture is Indiana Jones. Not only is he kinda like a knight in the last crusade movie he went on a quest for the holy grail. Upon finding the grail he meets a real knight sworn to protect the grail.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb8l1iRehpw 
The second thing that comes to my mind is Xena Warrior princess. She is a warrior for good. Through out the series there are many references to knightly things. All the people fight with swords and she is also the women that all the men want and can never have. This is showing a bit of courtly love and how they will fight for her honor.

Knights

This image of the University of Central Florida Knights is an example of us using Knights in today's society as a way to represent ourselves positively. Often, sports teams and schools use Knights as their team name or mascot to represent them as noble or honorably.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iq9Jn7R-gk

This is the Taxslayer Knight. A common ploy from a buisness to make they seem more respectable or "Knight like".

Current Pop Culture Knights

       The Dark Knight, or Bruce Wayne, is without a doubt one of the most popular representations of a knight in our current pop-culture. This portrayal of a man who unselfishly puts his life on the line in order to protect the citizens of his town demonstrates all the qualities of a knight. Not only does he wear a mask to hide his identity, but he does so to show that anyone can become the symbol of Gotham's savior. He seeks no glory for his efforts, and therefore is deemed the Dark Knight, the one who must bear the burden, no matter its consequences, in order to protect not only his loved ones, but the entire city.

       Another example of knights in pop culture that I am sure everyone can relate to from their childhood is the Power Rangers. This extraordinary group of young individuals go above and beyond the call of duty to protect the people of Earth from the evil Lord Zedd, all while wearing a mask to do so without anyone realizing who it was that saved them day after day. While growing up I idolized this group and wanted nothing more than to demonstrate their qualities in my adulthood. They a prime example of knights in our pop-culture. 

Knights of Markie's childhood pop culture and bigfoot.

In Disney's "A Kid in King Arthur's Court," Calvin is about to strike out during a baseball game when an earthquake hits and he falls into a hole. He lands into the sixth century and is greeted by Merlin. He must save Camelot by helping King Arthur to fight Lord Belascoe so that King Arthur can keep his place as king. He also falls in love with a princess. The story is based off of a novel by Mark Twain called A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.










One of my most favorite movies when I was a kid was "Quest for Camelot." Quest for Camelot is about a girl who really wants to be a Knight of the Round Table like her father, Sir Lionel. Sir Lionel died when Sir Ruber Attacked King Arthur. Sir Lionel's daughter, Kaylee, wants to follow her father's footsteps and goes on a quest for Camelot. Along the quest she meets Garret, who is blind, and a two headed dragon. As they get lost in the woods, they find Excalibur being used as a toothpick by a giant.







"Finding Bigfoot" reminds me of the quest for the holy grail because people are so set out to find something that isn't real, but they are so convinced it exists. Like the holy grail, the journey for bigfoot has been going on for several years, but is a great adventure for many.
      

Knights of Pop Culture

1. In the movie Easy A, with Emma Stone, the movie deals with a girl trying to find out who she is and comparing her life to the Scarlet Letter.  As in every movie the girl has to find her prince charming, and Emma finds hers at the end of the movie.  The scene at the end reminds me of a knight how he will go to her window and get her attention and then the girl falls for him and they ride away on his chariot and be happy.  So I think this scene is an example of a knight in our culture today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKLX5Xfvte4



2. Also there is a local school near where I am from and their mascot is a Knight.  This school has always been strong in athletics, academics, and known all around the community for good people.  And any time I have been to this school everyone has been very nice and shown qualities of a knight.

Knight Reference

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eONYiC0qJjY

This is an image of the Brooklyn Nets Mascot, the Brooklyn Knight. This image is a direct reference of knights being used in todays pop culture. The Brooklyn Nets are a professional basketball team. The youtube link provided also gives the viewer a captivating video of the Brooklyn Knight's entrance to the arena. 

This is an image of the Army's Academy mascot, the Black Knight. The Academy is located in Westpoint and serves a primary entity for educating members of our armed forces. Their mascot, the black knight is a direct reference of knights being used in today's pop culture. 

Knights in Pop Culture

When I think about Knights in our pop culture, the first one that comes to mind is Harry Potter. He fights to protect those around him from the evil from his past. He does everything in his power to fight for what is right.

A second example would be the James Bond character. The character goes after those who have created a great injustice and does not let anyone stand in his way of making things right.

Knights in Pop Culture

The Link Above is to the preview of the movie savages released last year. Although there is some drug references I do believe it is a good example of courtly love. There is a major twist in the love story when two men are in love with the same woman, and everyone in the situation is accepting of it. The two men, best friends, work together to save their girl who has been kidnapped by a drug cartel. The two men can be seen as Knights in todays pop culture. As for a more kid friendly version of knights, the movie Shrek does a good job putting a twist on a fairy tale and shows good examples of knights as well as love and chivalry.

Knights in Pop Culture

                                            

For this assignment I wanted to link examples of knight references to Disney movies such as Mulan. Mulan is a warrior hero. She bravely took the place of her father to save him against all Chinese laws because it was the right thing to do through following her heart.  This, in my opinion, makes her the Knight in the movie.  She could have died at war but her quest was one of bravery and courage where she came back to save all of china. Along her journey, she ended up making loyal friends, bringing honor to her family and finding true love!.. sounds like a good knights tale to me.

The second movie I looked at was Finding Nemo. I had mentioned in a previous post that parents are the unspoken hero's/knights of our culture today. Well, Nemo's dad was the knight of this tale when he ventured out to find his abducted son. He set out alone and determined to save his son at any and all costs. Along the way he made friends(Dori!), and bravely went where no overly protective clown fish had gone before.