Through tattered clothes small vices do appear; Robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold, And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks; Arm it in rags, a pygmy's straw does pierce it.
2006-08-28 12:09:21 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
Thank you for the help
2006-08-28 12:23:35 · update #1
They are metaphors. Tattered clothes represent someone who is poor, their "clothes" won't fully hide whats underneath, while someone who has nice "robes and furred gowns" will have full coverage. In this case they mean covering their misdeeds.
The second part refers to Sin, for the rich they plate it in gold, and even the "strong lance of justice" can't pierce it, but rather breaks. The poor are said to cover their sin in "rags" and even a "pigmy straw" (somthing very flimsy) can get through. So in short, Rich people can hide their misdeeds and indescretions better than people of limited means.
2006-08-28 12:17:43 · answer #1 · answered by Darien 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this expression ,means that the rich can hide anything and not face justice yet the poor will be exposed, great vices do appear means all the immoral will be revealed but furred gowns covers all."plate sin with gold and the strong lance hurtless breaks" this means the justice system was corrupt and it could be covered by money and even the strong lance which is one of the strongest weapons of medieval times. but "arm it in rags" now this is comparing what happens if you are poor and you try to cover it up even a pigmy which is a dwarf or rather a mediocre person in society can even see through your wrongs.
2014-08-24 20:28:09 · answer #2 · answered by Tasy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Basically I believe this means that the weak and poor are punished and blamed for the smallest things that go wrong, while the rich hide their true selves behind furs and wealth. "Plate sin with gold" seems to me to mean that they hide their sins and wrongdoings behind their money. "The strong lance of justice hurtless breaks" means the rich are not concerned with justice, and justice is not brought to them; however, "Arm it in rags, a pygmy's straw does pierce it" means that the poor are easily persecuted for even the smallest of offenses. I hope i'm right and I hope that helped. The good thing about interpreting poems and stories is, you can interpret them however you want to, and it's not wrong. Well, it's not supposed to be wrong...though some Professors would swear up and down that's not true. lol Good luck!
2006-08-28 12:58:40 · answer #3 · answered by Sassy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Meaning Of Tattered
2016-11-07 08:49:28 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is only the mistakes of the poor that come out in the open.rich people can getaway with sins by hiding it with their money power
2006-08-28 12:14:55 · answer #5 · answered by raj 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it means that people can hide vices/problems.
2006-08-28 12:15:48 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rich people get away with murder.
2006-08-28 12:12:01 · answer #7 · answered by Goddess of Grammar 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
This is bad
2016-08-08 13:43:32 · answer #8 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋