The Once And Future King Analysis

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Education is an intricate part of making the world spin. Without it, society would be non-existent, and life as we know it would not exist. In T. H. White’s, The Once and Future King, the wizard Merlyn has the task of educating the boy that would go on to become the King that united England. While this may seem like a daunting task, Merlyn has the tools to make it work. As Arthur grew up in a well-off foster family, he was already well educated in secular learning. Merlyn’s job was to imbue Arthur with values and characteristics that would help him when he would one day rule. Merlyn did this by changing Arthur into different animals and using firsthand experience to instruct Arthur. One of the first values that Merlyn taught to Arthur, is that tyranny is an unacceptable form of government. Merlyn does this by transforming Arthur into a fish and letting him explore the hierarchy of the moat. “There is only power. Power is of the individual mind, but the mind’s power is not enough. Power of the body decides everything in the end, and only Might is Right” (White 52). This was an important lesson for King Arthur to learn. It later became the reason why he established his famous knights of the round table. “Now this king had an idea, and the idea was the force ought to be used, if it …show more content…
While riding with Kay and Merlyn, King Arthur talks about his ideal prerequisites for the knights of his kingdom. Kay points out that if seated at a normal table, there might be some fighting about who deserves what seat at the table, undermining the goal of unanimity. Arthur considers this point, and his reply sets the stage for the famous knights of the round table: “Then we must have a round table, with no top” (White 265). This example shows how Merlyn’s lessons impacted Arthur’s life. Because of his time with the geese, he learned that everyone is equal and skills determine who people are, not what they were born